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Mesothelioma Clinical Trials


nurse-thumbnailThis page was written by experienced mesothelioma nurses, Eleanor B. Ericson, RN, BSN and Lisa Hyde-Barrett, RN, who have decades of experience working with mesothelioma patients and their families. Patients and families affected by mesothelioma who contact MesoLawyersCare can be now be put in contact with Ellie and Lisa to address their medical questions and needs.
Click here to learn more about Ellie and Lisa.

 

Clinical Trials for Mesothelioma

Advancements in the treatment of mesothelioma, and hopefully a cure for this cancer, will only occur through research. Clinical trials is one form of research for mesothelioma and other diseases that is used by the medical community. Clinical trials provide the structure and transparency necessary for research into mesothelioma. An important part of the clinical trial process mandates that the findings can be duplicated by others, using the same methods. The results of clinical trials supply evidence as to whether a particular treatment or protocol works on a certain group of patients.


 

Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Digest

The Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Digest (“Meso Digest”) is the only published guide to all active clinical trials for mesothelioma. The Meso Digest is authored and updated 4 times a year by medical professionals who have decades of experience in the treatment and care of mesothelioma patients.

MesoLawyersCare is proud to make the Meso Digest available for free both as an electronic book (“eBook”) or as a convenient paperback.

Click here to learn more about The Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Digest and request your free copy today.
 

What are Clinical Trials?

The definition of clinical trial by the National Institute of Health is:

“A research study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (which may include placebo or other control) to evaluate the effects of those interventions on health- related biomedical or behavioral outcomes.”

There are different types of clinical trials. In cancer research, there are treatment trials with interventions that are being analyzed, some are observational (studying health issues in a specific population of people), some are focused on prevention, and some focus on screening and quality of life, supportive care.

Clinical trials can be held in a variety of settings and many involve more than one medical center. Because the population of mesothelioma is small relative to other cancers, many clinical trials are held with co-operating mesothelioma academic centers. Every hospital has an Institutional Review Board (“IRB”) whose function is to review and approve all research in order to protect the safety of participants.
 

Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Information

 

Phases of Clinical Trials

There are distinct phases of clinical trials, time lines and protocols to be followed. Each phase is tasked with answering a specific question

Pre-clinical research is the initial phase of the clinical trial in which a doctor has a research theory which must be proved in a laboratory before he can proceed to human testing. It must be first tested in laboratory animals and proved to be effective. This stage can take years to happen. If it is successful the next step is to file an Investigational New Drug application (“IND”) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for permission to study the treatment in people. The application must be approved in order to proceed to the next step. Throughout all these steps the information collected concentrates on the dose, safety and how well the treatment works.

Phase I involves a small number of participants – usually about 10-30 people- testing the treatment. All treatments that are now in clinical practice have been tested in a Phase 1 clinical trial. Patients enrolled in Phase 1 trials can be the first to get a new treatment option. This part of the process can last several months to a year.

Phase II clinical trials are conducted on a larger group of patients usually 30- 120 patients. At this point the safety and how effective the treatment is working on a specific cancer is measured. This can be done with specific blood work, or measuring the tumor size. It can take about 2 years to complete. There can be different arms of the trial. Doses of the treatment can be different for certain groups of patients. This is referred to as randomized phase II trial.

Phase III clinical trials test the treatment on a much larger group of patients. The number of patients can be more than 300 to as many as thousands of people. At this point it is important to have participation from different ages, sexes, and cultures to study the side effects and possible benefits of the treatment options. This phase can take years to complete. Comparisons are made between two or more treatment options. At this point if the data is positive and the treatment works well, an application for approval to the FDA can be made. If approved by the FDA, the treatment is typically for a specific cancer and a specific use.

Phase IV clinical trials are done after the treatment is being used. The purpose is to gather more information on safety and side effects over a longer period of time.

Clinical trials involve a team. Members of the clinical trial team include the Principal Investigator, research nurse, data manager, staff doctor or nurse. All have very specific roles in the different phases of a clinical trial.

Clinical trials can be sponsored by the government, non-profit organizations, drug companies, hospitals and academic medical centers.

All participation in clinical trials is voluntary. Information must be disclosed to the participant in an official form listing the possible side effects and risks to the participant. The form is called Informed Consent.

The latest figures involving participation by cancer patients in clinical trials estimates that only 3% of patients with cancer enroll in a clinical trial.

Advances in treatment for mesothelioma can only happen with successful clinical trials. To find out more information to see if you or your loved one qualifies you should ask medical personnel experienced in treating mesothelioma.

MesoLawyersCare works with highly experienced mesothelioma nurses who can help answers questions you have about mesothelioma clinical trials, treatments and surgical options. Contact MesoLawyersCare for more information and to get connected with an experienced mesothelioma nurse who can help you.

You can also find information about current clinical trials involving mesothelioma at: ClinicalTrials.gov or Cancer.gov

Learn More About Mesothelioma

 

Asbestos Exposure Information

 

Did You Know?

  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    The highest award of compensatory damages ever upheld on appeal in a mesothelioma case is $30.3 million.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    The largest punitive damages verdict ever upheld on appeal in a mesothelioma case is $18 million.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    There are over $30 billion in asbestos trust funds to compensate victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    There are more than 50 bankruptcy trusts accepting claims to compensate victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    There are many “asbestos dockets” that permit living mesothelioma patients to obtain a jury verdict in less than 1 year.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    In 2015, more than 2000 mesothelioma cases were filed in the United States.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    In some mesothelioma cases, settlements can be obtained in less than 1 year.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    Thousands of different companies have been defendants in mesothelioma cases over the past 40 years.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of 77 peritoneal mesothelioma cases, the average life expectancy (median survival period) was 75.7 months, or over 6 years.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of 77 peritoneal mesothelioma patients, 73.8% were living after 3 years, and 65.3% were living after 5 years.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of 77 peritoneal mesothelioma patients, 64% were treated with HIPEC and cytoreductive surgery.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of 303 pleural mesothelioma patients, the average life expectancy (median survival period) was 18.4 months.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of pleural mesothelioma patients, 73.1% were still living after 1 year, and 22.9% were still living after 3 years.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    In 2015, the largest number of mesothelioma cases were filed in the following 10 courts: (1) Madison County, IL; (2) Cook County, IL; (3) St. Louis, MO; (4) Los Angeles, CA; (5) New York, NY; (6) Philadelphia, PA; (7) New Castle County, DE; (8) Middlesex County, MA; (9)Middlesex County, NJ; (10) Kanawha County, WV.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    The states with the largest number of diagnosed mesothelioma cases are: New York, New Jersey, California, Washington, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    There are about 3000 mesothelioma cases diagnosed in the United States each year.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    About 1 in 100,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with mesothelioma each year in the United States.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    More than 80% of all mesothelioma cases occur in the pleura (pleural mesothelioma).
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    Less than 20% of all mesothelioma cases occur in the peritoneum (peritoneal mesothelioma).
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    About 22% of all mesothelioma cases occur in women.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    A history of asbestos exposure can be found in more than 80% of mesothelioma cases.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    More than 30% of all mesothelioma patients in the United States were exposed to asbestos in the military.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma can be caused by laundering, or other household contact with, work clothing contaminated with asbestos.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma can be caused by work with (direct exposure) or around (bystander exposure) asbestos-containing products.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    The average time between a person’s first exposure to asbestos and the development of mesothelioma (latency period) is more than 40 years.
 

Get Help from Experienced Mesothelioma Nurses

Learn more about these experienced mesothelioma nurses by watching the video below. Click here to contact a mesothelioma nurse now.

 
 

Learn More About MesoLawyersCare

Watch the video below to learn why MesoLawyersCare is the best choice to represent you and your family after a mesothelioma diagnosis.


 

Contact MesoLawyersCare Now

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please contact us to see if we can help you get the compensation you deserve from the billions of dollars in asbestos trust funds available now for qualified asbestos victims. With just one call, you can put all our experience and success to work for you.

We have represented thousands of victims of mesothelioma and their families in virtually every State in the country and in decades of work have recovered billions of dollars in financial compensation for our clients.

Call us now at 1-888-568-1177, fill out the form on this page or chat with a live person. The consultation is free and it costs nothing upfront to hire the lawyers behind MesoLawyersCare. We only get paid if you collect a settlement or verdict and you will never receive a bill from us.

 

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