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- Study is recruiting mesothelioma patients for test of experimental drug
A Phase II clinical trial is recruiting mesothelioma patients to test an experimental drug intended to block proteins that aid the growth of cancer cells.
The drug, an antibody called IMC-A12, is designed to block the protein Type I insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1R), which helps cancer cells grow and divide, according to ClinicalTrials.gov, a website of the National Institutes of Health.
Both men and women, age 18 and older, will be included in the trial sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). They must have undergone standard chemotherapy that has not been effective in stopping their disease. They can be patients with either pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung lining, or peritoneal mesothelioma, which attacks the abdominal cavity. Both diseases are linked to
asbestos exposure, which has been the focus of
mesothelioma lawsuits in recent years.
Estimated enrollment for the study is 55 patients. The clinical trial is being conducted at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The lead researcher for the trial is Dr. Raffit Hassan, the head of NCI's solid tumor immunotherapy section.
The trial, which will measure drug safety, patient response and survival rates, is expected to be completed by April 2012.