Maintenance chemo shows promise in slowing mesothelioma
NCT ID NCT07411144
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether continuing chemotherapy with gemcitabine after initial treatment can help patients with diffuse pleural mesothelioma keep their cancer under control longer. 64 patients who responded to first-line chemo were randomly assigned to receive gemcitabine or no further treatment. The goal was to see if gemcitabine could delay cancer progression, though it may not extend overall survival.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Gemcitabine
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a way to delay cancer progression in mesothelioma patients after initial chemotherapy, potentially improving quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small phase 2 trial with only 64 participants, so results may not be definitive. Side effects are common, and the drug may not extend overall survival.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
64 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2020
- Finished
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Mar 2023
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 18 years Histologically confirmed unresectable diffuse pleural mesothelioma Complete response, partial response, or stable disease after 4-6 cycles of first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, according to modified RECIST (mRECIST) criteria Last dose of first-line chemotherapy administered within 60 days prior to randomization Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2 Life expectancy of at least 12 weeks Adequate bone marrow function Adequate hepatic function Adequate renal function Ability to provide written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Prior extra-pleural pneumonectomy Evidence of active brain or leptomeningeal metastases Weight loss \>10% within 6 weeks prior to enrollment Clinically significant ascites Known hypersensitivity or intolerance to gemcitabine Receipt of non-palliative radiotherapy within 3 weeks before initiation of study treatment
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
National Cancer Institute, Cairo University
Cairo, Egypt, 11765, Egypt