Combination Chemotherapy
Cancer has been around for centuries but the way it is treated has changed much, particularly within the last fifty years. Though chemotherapy drugs have been widely used for several decades, it wasn't until the 1950s that doctors and researchers discovered that more than two chemotherapy drugs used in tandem may provide cancer patients with a better chance for survival.
The concept of combination chemotherapy - the use of more than one chemo drug at the same time - was the brainchild of two doctors with similar names - Drs. Emil Frei and Emil J. Freireich - who determined that using aggressive combinations of cancer drugs could potentially eradicate some cancers because each drug functions differently within the body and each was able to address different issues involved with the disease and its spread. Furthermore, it is also more difficult for a tumor to develop resistance to a combination of drugs than to a single drug.
While Frei and Freireich's theory was cutting edge 40-50 years ago, combination therapy is often the norm these days, especially in treating malignant mesothelioma. Each year, more and more trials involving combination chemotherapy are being conducted. Currently, the most successful combination chemotherapy for malignant mesothelioma seems to be one of the newest drugs on the market, AlimtaŽ, in combination with cisplatin, a platinum agent. Other drug combinations have also shown promising results and as more new drugs are developed, trials continue in hopes of finding better ways to treat and eventually eradicate this terrible disease.
