Combination of Cisplatin and Raltitrexed boost Meso Survival

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Cisplatin (Platinol) is a chemotherapy drug used to treat a number of tumors including testicular and ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.

The story behind cisplatin is one of serendipity. An accidental discovery by a scientist with an open mind led to an effective drug. The compound, containing a platinum molecule in the center surrounded by 2 chlorine molecules and two ammonia molecules was first made in 1845 and used along with other similar inorganic compounds in the 1890's to study the geometric structure of molecules.

In 1965 Dr. Barnett Rosenberg at Michigan State University was investigating if electrical currents could change the patterns of cell division. He applied a current to dividing cells and found that the cells of E. coli bacteria kept elongating but failed to divide. It turned out he had used platinum electrodes and had accidentally created cisplatin which inhibited cell division.

He made the intellectual connection and tried cisplatin out on cancer, since one of the major problems is quickly dividing, out of control cells. Cisplatin proved to be an effective chemotherapy agent in certain people. The drawback was that it had serious side-effects because of its toxicity. The toxicity of the drug discouraged its use in the 1970's. Later it was shown to be highly effective against some types of cancer. Lance Armstrong was treated with Cisplatin for his testicular cancer.

This past week a study has come out that find combining cisplatin with an anti-folate drug called raltitrexed improved survival in patients with malignant mesothelioma.

In the trial 24% of patients treated with the combination of drugs showed an anti-cancer response as opposed to 14% with cisplatin alone. Patients on the combination of drugs also survived longer than those on cisplatin alone.

The combination did produce more side-effects in patients, however quality of life measures in both groups were equivalent.