Puget Sound Cancer Centers Plays Significant Role in Clinical Testing Of Newly Approved Cancer Drug; FDA Approves Alimta for Treatment of Asbestos-Related Cancer.News Editors/Health/Medical Writers SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 16, 2004 Puget Sound Cancer Centers was actively involved in the clinical testing for the new drug Alimta, the first approved treatment for asbestos-related cancer in patients who are not candidates for surgery. Alimta, developed by Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) is a global pharmaceutical company and one of the world's largest corporations. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States. , recently received Food and Drug Administration approval for use in the treatment of malignant pleural Pleural Pleural refers to the pleura or membrane that enfolds the lungs. Mentioned in: Pneumothorax pleural emanating from or pertaining to the pleura. mesothelioma Mesothelioma Definition Mesothelioma is an uncommon disease that causes malignant cancer cells to form within the lining of the chest, abdomen, or around the heart. Its primary cause is believed to be exposure to asbestos. , a cancer of the lining of the lungs often associated with asbestos exposure. When combined with the drug cisplatin cisplatin /cis·plat·in/ (sis´plat-in) DDP; a platinum coordination complex capable of producing inter- and intrastrand DNA crosslinks; used as an antineoplastic. cis·plat·in n. , a standard chemotherapy agent, Alimta extended the survival rate of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma by 30 percent. Puget Sound Cancer Centers, in Edmonds and North Seattle, participated in a global Phase III clinical trial Noun 1. phase III clinical trial - a large clinical trial of a treatment or drug that in phase I and phase II has been shown to be efficacious with tolerable side effects; after successful conclusion of these clinical trials it will receive formal approval from the comparing the effectiveness of Alimta plus cisplatin versus cisplatin alone. This trial is one of many that Puget Sound Cancer Centers makes available to patients in the local communities. "Our practice is committed to providing investigational therapies to patients in the King and Snohomish county areas. Through research we can often enhance patient care while increasing our understanding of the effectiveness and safety of new treatments," said Dr. Richard McGee, President and medical oncologist medical oncologist Oncology An oncologist who diagnoses and treats cancer with chemotherapy, hormones, biologicals, or immunologic agents; the MO becomes a cancer Pt's de facto primary care giver, and coordinates treatment provided by other specialists. at Puget Sound Cancer Centers. For more information about ongoing clinical trials for lung cancer, as well as other cancers, please contact Denise Parkinson, Administrator at 206-954-2021. About Puget Sound Cancer Centers Puget Sound Cancer Centers (PSCC PSCC Protective Security Coordination Centre PSCC Power System Computation Conference PSCC Public Safety Communications Center PSCC Puget Sound Christian College (Everett, WA) ), operates outpatient community cancer centers located in North Seattle and Edmonds and is the single largest medical oncology practice in the State of Washington. PSCC is independently owned and managed by its ten medical oncology/hematology physicians. About US Oncology Puget Sound Cancer Centers is affiliated with US Oncology, America's premier cancer-care services company. The company provides comprehensive services to a network of affiliated practices - comprising more than 875 affiliated physicians in over 450 sites, including 78 integrated cancer centers in 32 states - with the mission of expanding access to and improving the quality of cancer care in local communities. These practices care for approximately 15 percent of the country's new cancer cases each year. |
|
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion