Oral cyclophosphamide and etoposide in treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

BACKGROUND: Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is almost always fatal and few treatment options are available. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of oral cyclophosphamide and etoposide for patients who underwent standard treatment for advanced MM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 22 malignant pleural mesothelioma patients who were treated with oral cyclophosphamide and etoposide (EE). RESULTS: The average follow-up period of the patients was 39.1 months. Under the treatment of oral EE, median progression- free survival was 7.7 months [95%CI HR (4.3-11.1)] and median overall survival was 28.1 months [95%CI HR (5.8-50.3)]. The treatment response rates were as follows: 4 patients (27.3%) had a partial response (PR), 12 (54.5%) had stable disease (SD), and progressive disease (PD) was observed in 6 (35.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Oral EE can be administered effectively to patients with inoperable malignant mesothelioma who had previously received standard treatments.