Mesothelioma Clinical Trials

What Is a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial?

A clinical trial is a carefully controlled study of human participants that attempts to develop new and more effective ways to help people with a particular disease.

Mesothelioma clinical trials are meant to advance treatment options for pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma patients.

Many of today’s standard mesothelioma treatment options, such as chemotherapy and targeted radiation, were first tested in clinical trials to show safety and effectiveness before becoming available to the public.

Reasons patients may sign up for clinical trials include:

• Being diagnosed with a hard-to-treat type of mesothelioma, such as late-stage or sarcomatoid mesothelioma
• Failure to respond to chemotherapy and/or radiation
• Mesothelioma that has come back after being in full or partial remission (recurrence)
• A desire to help future mesothelioma patients
• Being unable to afford treatment outside of a clinical trial

Participating in a clinical trial can be an attractive option for a wide range of mesothelioma patients, offering the opportunity to receive the most cutting-edge treatments based on the latest expert research.

Find a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Near You

Many mesothelioma clinical trials are currently being conducted in the United States.

Search for one near you or contact us and we can help you enroll.

Benefits of Mesothelioma Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are essential to treating mesothelioma, which often does not respond well to standard cancer treatment options (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation).

Benefits of Mesothelioma Clinical Trials for Patients

Many of the most effective treatments for mesothelioma can only be performed on a small fraction of patients who are diagnosed early in the disease’s progression.

This means that patients who are not responding to routine treatment or whose disease returns are often out of standard options but have the option of clinical trials.

Clinical trials offer alternative treatment options to patients who:

• Are not considered good candidates for standard treatment
• Do not see improvement from standard treatment
• Have a bad reaction to standard treatment methods
• Have their mesothelioma return after treatment

By participating in clinical trials for mesothelioma, patients not only get care from top specialists using the most advanced treatments — they also benefit everyone seeking to fight mesothelioma and anyone who will become a victim of this deadly cancer in the future.

Benefits of Mesothelioma Clinical Trials for the Medical Community

Clinical trials have important benefits for the broad mesothelioma medical community. Trials are subject to outside review, and all information is peer-reviewed by multiple nurses and doctors.

Given that mesothelioma is a relatively rare form of cancer, clinical trials add new knowledge to the existing body of research.

Clinical trials answer important questions for the medical community. Their results lead to deeper investigations, so doctors become better at managing and treating mesothelioma and extending patient survival.

People with mesothelioma live longer due to cancer research discoveries made in clinical trials, leading more patients to become long-term survivors.

Read the true and inspiring stories of 7 patients who became mesothelioma survivors in your Free Mesothelioma Survivors Guide. 

Mesothelioma Prognosis After a Clinical Trial

A mesothelioma prognosis describes the way a mesothelioma patient’s cancer is expected to progress. The prognosis for mesothelioma is generally poor, with only around 10% of pleural mesothelioma patients surviving 5 years after diagnosis, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

However, treatments being tested through clinical trials may improve the prognosis of some mesothelioma patients.

The ACS has noted these promising new mesothelioma treatment options:

• Alternating electric fields: A portable device called NovoTTF-100L generates electric currents that may affect tumor cells more than healthy cells.
• Gene therapy: Gene therapy attempts to add new genes to cancer cells to make them easier to destroy. This is a newer treatment type for mesothelioma clinical trials.
• Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy helps the body’s own immune system find and destroy cancer cells more effectively. Clinical trials are currently testing new immunotherapy drugs and exploring how these drugs can be best combined with other treatments for mesothelioma.
• New approaches to standard treatment: Many clinical trials are focused on testing novel approaches to standard treatment for mesothelioma or improved technologies for delivering standard treatment. Some examples are a more accurate radiation therapy device or a certain combination of chemotherapy drugs.
• Photodynamic therapy (PTD): This treatment uses a light-activated drug injected into the body and later “turned on” to kill cancer cells.
• Targeted therapy: Targeted therapy hones in on the unique traits of cancer cells to kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. Targeted therapy drugs that attack mesothelioma cells are coming into use and being actively studied.
• Vaccine therapy: This emerging treatment approach uses vaccines to stimulate the immune system to attack mesothelioma cancer cells. These vaccines are designed to target specific substances found in mesothelioma cells known as antigens.

However, it is important to remember that clinical trials exist to test the effectiveness of a new treatment, so doctors cannot say how helpful a treatment will generally be for a patient. They are not beneficial for every individual participant.

“We have a lot of hope for our clinical trials. We wouldn’t be doing them if we didn’t. But they take more time from patients and the benefit is uncertain, which is why we’re testing them.”
– Christine Alewine, MD, PhD, National Cancer Institute

Patients should consider multiple factors when considering how likely a clinical trial is to help them, including the newness of the treatment approach and the study phase.

Mesothelioma patients interested in participating in clinical trials should work with a doctor specializing in this type of cancer to see if a trial is right for them.

Try our Free Doctor Match to find a mesothelioma specialist near you.

Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Phases

Mesothelioma clinical trials study various topics and are split into phases to ensure optimal safety and benefits.

Mesothelioma clinical trial phases start with smaller study populations that eventually grow from stage to stage if the treatment method being researched shows positive effects.

Preclinical Trial

Initial tests are conducted on animals or in vitro human cells (cells in a lab) to see if the proposed treatment is safe for humans.

Phase 0

Small studies (10-15 people) focus on how the treatment will affect the human body.

Phase 1

These studies focus on determining the most tolerated dosage, the safest treatment delivery method, and any associated side effects.

These elements are determined by dividing the study population into groups with increasing dose levels to see how the treatment affects each and to choose the dose for the next phase.

Phase 2

During Phase 2, the information gathered in Phase 1 is used to see if the treatment is effective against malignant mesothelioma.

Phase 2 clinical trials study populations generally smaller than 100 people.

Phase 3

The researched treatment is administered to two similarly selected groups of patients. One group gets the new treatment, and the other gets a placebo (a substance with no therapeutic value) or standard therapy.

Patients are often assigned randomly into a group and double-blinded. That means that neither those conducting the study nor the patient know which group they have been assigned to. This helps researchers understand if the proposed treatment is more effective than standard treatments.

FDA Approval

The new mesothelioma treatment is submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an extensive review of all of the research. At the end of the review period, a decision is made as to whether the treatment is safe and effective and, therefore, should be made available to the public.

Phase 4

After the drug is approved, long-term aftermarket studies may be conducted. These trials explore the impacts of the new therapy in greater detail to better understand the benefits and risks.

Patients should educate themselves on the various types and phases of clinical trials before deciding to participate.

Types of Clinical Trials for Mesothelioma

There are many types of clinical trials. If patients meet the eligibility requirements, they may have an opportunity to participate and benefit from research in various aspects of mesothelioma prevention, treatment, and management.

Types of mesothelioma clinical research studies include:

• Prevention studies: Look at ways of preventing mesothelioma from occurring or recurring
• Screening studies: Look at improving or developing new mesothelioma detection methods
• Diagnostic studies: Test methods for earlier identification of mesothelioma in patients with symptoms
• Treatment studies: Test new treatment options, including new combinations of drugs and new approaches to standard treatment (surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy)
• Quality of life studies: Explore ways to manage symptoms of mesothelioma and the side effects of treatment

Clinical trials may attempt to develop improved methods for detecting mesothelioma at an earlier stage of disease to give patients the best possible prognosis.

Detecting mesothelioma early can be extremely challenging. For this reason, developing improved screening methods is a high priority within the medical community.

Mesothelioma Prevention

Researchers are testing new ways to reduce incidents of mesothelioma or controlling mechanisms to prevent it from recurring (coming back after treatment).

As mesothelioma typically arises from prolonged asbestos exposure, prevention-focused clinical trials often include participants in remission (with no visible signs of the disease) and follow a shorter time frame.

Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Medical researchers are looking for better ways to diagnose mesothelioma, as the rare disease can be difficult for even experienced mesothelioma doctors to distinguish from other forms of cancer.

As misdiagnosis leads to an ineffective treatment plan and a poor prognosis, many clinical trials are dedicated to improving mesothelioma diagnosis methods.

Mesothelioma Treatment

Given mesothelioma’s relatively low survival rates, most clinical trials are committed to finding improved mesothelioma treatment methods to increase patient survival.

These clinical trials may test new drug combinations or procedures within standard treatment methods (chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation) or the effectiveness of alternative therapies. For example, scientists are developing drugs derived from plants and animals and testing them in the fight against mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Management

If a patient’s mesothelioma has progressed to the point where surgery is impossible, doctors may prescribe other treatments to help manage mesothelioma symptoms and increase their quality of life.

Mesothelioma management clinical trials may focus on improving quality of life through:

• New diets that improve overall health and a patient’s ability to fight mesothelioma
• Social supports that make patients feel more connected and empowered
• Pain management methods that improve comfort in the final stages of life

All of these mesothelioma clinical trial types play an important role in helping mesothelioma victims live longer and better with their disease.

Read about the treatments that helped 7 mesothelioma patients live longer and better in your Free Mesothelioma Survivors Guide.

What to Expect During a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

The idea of undergoing a clinical trial may intimidate some mesothelioma patients. However, patients can rest assured that clinical trials in the United States are performed under strict oversight and to the highest ethical standard to protect the safety of patients.

Clinical trials usually require additional treatments and checkups.

Mesothelioma clinical trials may require more frequent:

• Blood tests
• Imaging tests
• Medical visits and monitoring
• Medications and other treatment

Individuals considering participating in a clinical trial should speak to their loved ones and doctor about the details of a particular trial. For example, they should ensure they understand the treatment frequency, trial length, restrictions, and travel requirements.

Where Do Mesothelioma Clinical Trials Take Place?

In general, clinical trials occur in the same location where a patient receives standard mesothelioma treatments. Many clinical trials for mesothelioma take place at top mesothelioma cancer centers.

Mesothelioma clinical trials may take place at:

• Cancer centers
• Clinics
• Doctors offices
• Hospitals

However, the location of a mesothelioma clinical trial ultimately depends on the therapy or technique that the trial is testing, as well as the phase of the trial.

These studies can occur in a single location, with a small study population, or across numerous hospitals involving thousands of mesothelioma patients throughout the country.

Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Costs

There is typically little to no cost to mesothelioma patients for experimental treatment. The government or the company testing the drug often takes care of expenses.

However, mesothelioma patients will still need to cover standard treatment costs. In addition, there may be extra costs associated with participating in a clinical trial.

Depending on the study and the individual participating, some or even all of these costs may be covered.

Treatment expenses may be covered by:

• Companies sponsoring larger studies
• Government-sponsored programs
• Private health insurance
• Medicaid
• Medicare

Several factors may affect a patient’s insurance coverage of a clinical trial and related expenses.

A mesothelioma clinical trial’s consent form should include information about potential costs to participants and what is covered by the clinical trial’s sponsor.

Patients can contact their doctor and cancer care team for help with the details of a particular trial and how to cover associated costs.

Some patients may be eligible to pursue a mesothelioma settlement, asbestos trust fund claim, and other types of financial compensation to help pay for treatment costs.

Get your Free Mesothelioma Survivors Guide shipped overnight to learn how 7 mesothelioma patients got compensation that helped them access life-extending treatments and become survivors.

Are Clinical Trials Safe?

Clinical trials are generally safe, but as with all treatments, medical specialists cannot guarantee that experimental treatments will not cause participants any harm.

Potential risks and downsides of mesothelioma clinical trials include:

• Additional expenses
• Loss of an opportunity to pursue other treatments
• More required visits
• Side effects
• Treatment that does not improve a patient’s mesothelioma

However, the federal government has several rules and regulations to protect participants from unreasonable risks and ensure that patients are properly informed of the details of a clinical trial before signing up for one.

Some general protective measures U.S. clinical trials follow are:

• Only testing on patients after treatment is proven safe in laboratory animals
• Requiring a consent form to ensure participants understand key facts about a study
• Requiring several phases of a clinical trial and close monitoring of patients before testing on larger populations

Top mesothelioma cancer centers and other well-regarded medical facilities often enforce their own measures on top of federal requirements to further protect participants.

Top medical research centers are required to take safety measures such as:

• Setting up review boards to consider all research proposals
• Regular reviews of clinical trials throughout the research process
• Reviews from specialty committees and colleagues outside the institution

If a new mesothelioma treatment has made it to the clinical trial stage, it means that these therapies are considered reasonably safe and may improve patient prognosis.

However, a good result from an experimental treatment is far from guaranteed. Patients should speak with their doctor about a particular clinical trial and its potential risks.

How to Find a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

Many resources are available for finding suitable clinical trials for mesothelioma, but some of the first to turn to are mesothelioma doctors and other medical care team members.

These experienced professionals are often aware of the latest treatments in development for mesothelioma and can make recommendations.

Resources for finding new clinical trials for mesothelioma include:

• Cancer center websites
• Clinicaltrials.gov
• Mesothelioma doctors
• Other members of a patient’s medical care team
• The National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Patients may wish to check multiple resources to consider as many options as possible.

For mesothelioma clinical trials found online, patients should check the requirements and current recruitment status (listed clinical trials may be closed to new participants) and then check with their doctor to see if they are able to participate.

A mesothelioma specialist can help you find clinical trials near you. Get connected by using our Free Doctor Match.

How to Participate in a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

Mesothelioma patients looking to get involved in a clinical trial should work closely with their doctors to determine which trials may be most helpful to them and how to sign up.

To enroll in a mesothelioma clinical trial, patients may take the following steps:

1. Find clinical trials: Patients can work with their doctors to find clinical trials for mesothelioma for which they qualify. Individuals may wish to contact another mesothelioma specialist, mesothelioma organizations, or websites to see if they are eligible for additional clinical trials.
2. Review trial information: Patients should review clinical trial information with their doctors and families to determine what is best for them and their loved ones. Paying special attention to a clinical trial’s consent form should help the individual know what to expect regarding treatment, costs, and more.
3. Ask questions: Patients should ask their doctors any questions they have about the trials they are considering before making a final decision.
4. Choose a trial: Once they are comfortable with their choice, mesothelioma patients can tell their medical team that they wish to enroll in a mesothelioma clinical trial. The team will guide them through the process of applying.

Anyone interested in joining a clinical trial should speak with their doctor about the active clinical trials they may be eligible for.

Common screening factors for mesothelioma clinical trials include:

• Past treatment history
• Patient health and medical conditions
• Stage of mesothelioma
• Type of mesothelioma

After determining which clinical trials for mesothelioma a patient is eligible for, it may still be difficult to know which clinical trial to enroll in. However, asking one’s doctor relevant questions is important in making a sound choice.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Clinical Trials

Mesothelioma doctors are a vital source for standard care and for finding, selecting, and enrolling in clinical trials. Questions to ask about clinical trials for mesothelioma:

1. Do you know of any clinical trials I could join?
2. What organization is behind this trial?
3. What is the purpose of this trial?
4. What tests and treatments does this study involve?
5. What does the treatment do?
6. Has this treatment been used on mesothelioma patients before?
7. Will I know if I receive the new treatment or if I’m part of the control group?
8. What are the benefits and risks of participating in this trial?
9. How might this study impact my daily life and current treatment plan?
10. Where will I need to go to participate in this study?
11. What will this study cost me? Are there any associated expenses I should be aware of, like travel costs?
12. What long-term follow-up care does this clinical trial include?

Patients should take advantage of their doctor’s expertise and ask any and all questions they have regarding mesothelioma clinical trials. This includes clarification on any terms they may not know.

Get Help Enrolling in a Clinical Trial

Each clinical trial has eligibility requirements that patients must meet before being accepted into a study.

Patients should consult with a mesothelioma specialist to discuss the risks and benefits of participating in mesothelioma clinical trials. Patients must also consider what trials they qualify for given their mesothelioma location, stage, and cell type.

Our Free Mesothelioma Survivors Guide can help you hold on to hope — get your copy now.