Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Recently, a new combination drug therapy has shown promising results as a treatment option for mesothelioma as well as other rare and fatal cancers.   Dr. Stephen Cantrell, director of research at NeoPlas Innovation in Nashville, is trying a new combination of drugs to treat aggressive cancers that have shown no improvement with traditional therapies. 

The combination of low dose interferon alfa-2b and Lovastatin, a cholesterol reducing drug, has slowed disease progression, caused some tumors to significantly regress, and in some cases eradicated tumors. Lovastatin was first considered as an anti-cancer treatment drug in 1980 when laboratory studies revealed it had the ability to kill or impair cancer cells. Unfortunately, the dosage levels needed to affect tumors in humans were too high to be tolerated. 

The key to success in treating cancer patients has been lowering the dosage of Lovastatin and combining it with interferon. Alfa interferons are naturally occurring proteins that are produced by cells in the immune system. The interferons bind to specific cell-surface receptors, which then results in the translation of genes and direct the immune system to attack cancerous cells that have invaded the body. Interferons can alter cancer by slowing, blocking or changing its growth and function.  

The first patient with mesothelioma who has gone through the combination drug therapy has had similar success as patients with other types of cancer. Her cancer has stabilized and tumors have regressed significantly in size. She was diagnosed with mesothelioma in her late forties, after being exposed to asbestos as a child. 

The results are very positive and exciting for the many who are diagnosed with mesothelioma and particularly for those where standard treatment options have failed.  Fatigue is the most notable side effect, which is minimal compared to those of chemotherapy or radiation. 

Researchers are hopeful that this new treatment option will increase survival time and quality of life for many who are diagnosed with mesothelioma and other fatal forms of cancer.