Australian Researchers Discover “Revolutionary” New Mesothelioma Treatment
Cancer specialists at Australia’s Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital have concluded their most recent research related to new methods of treating the mesothelioma cancer, a fatal disease caused by exposure to asbestos.
Cancer researchers conducted tests involving a drug called Imiquimod, a cream that is applied to the skin to treat certain types of skin cancer. Researchers applied Imiquimod to lab mice who had tumors associated with advanced malignant mesothelioma in addition to administering a second anti-cancer drug known as antiCD40. Findings stated that half of the lab mice who received the combination of Imiquimod and antiCD40 were “cured.”
Dr. Andrew Currie, an Immunologist at Gairdner Hospital who led the research, called their findings a “major breakthrough.”
Imiquimod was approved by the FDA in 1997 and is generally used to treat skin cancer and certain types of sexually transmitted diseases. Despite having a number of painful and uncomfortable side effects, such as blisters and skin discoloration, Imiquimod is highly regarded for its ability to trigger cancer-fighting cells within the body. AntiCD40 is a drug that is injected and has been shown to reduce the size of cancerous tumors.
Professor Steve Broomfield, a faculty member at the University of WA in Australia, reported that the combination of Imiquimod and antiCD40 could potentially “double survival times” for mesothelioma sufferers.
Australia’s National Centre for Asbestos Related Disease, or NCARD, is hopeful that this new treatment duo will “revolutionize” the way doctors treat mesothelioma cancer in the future.
