Skip to content
Menu
Mesothelioma Lawyer CenterSponsored by Attorney Paul Danziger

Call to learn about getting your best possible financial compensation

800-793-4540
  • Legal Options
    • Pleural Mesothelioma Lawyer
    • Peritoneal Mesothelioma Lawyer
    • Mesothelioma Legal Advice
    • Mesothelioma Law Firms
    • Mesothelioma Claims
    • Mesothelioma Lawsuits
    • Class Action Mesothelioma Lawsuit
    • Mesothelioma Compensation
    • Asbestos Trust Funds
    • Mesothelioma Settlements
    • Mesothelioma Verdicts
    • Asbestos Lawyers
    • Mesothelioma Wrongful Death
    • Mesothelioma Personal Injury
    • Determining Case Value
    • Trust a Mesothelioma Commercial?
    • Mesothelioma Case Rejected?
    • Lawyers by State
    • Mesothelioma Lawyers in Canada
  • Mesothelioma
    • Mesothelioma Treatment Guide
      • Top Mesothelioma Doctors
      • Top Mesothelioma Cancer Centers
      • Surgery
      • Chemotherapy
      • Radiation Therapy
      • Multimodal Therapy
      • Alternative Treatments
      • Mesothelioma Treatment Costs
    • Mesothelioma Symptoms
    • Mesothelioma Diagnosis
      • Mesothelioma Prognosis
      • Mesothelioma Life Expectancy
      • Mesothelioma Remission
      • Mesothelioma Support
    • Mesothelioma Causes
    • Mesothelioma Types
      • Pleural Mesothelioma
      • Peritoneal Mesothelioma
      • Pericardial Mesothelioma
    • Mesothelioma Stages
      • Stage 1
      • Stage 2
      • Stage 3
      • Stage 4
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Mesothelioma Statistics
    • Mesothelioma and Talcum Powder
      • Talcum Powder Lawsuits
    • Mesothelioma and Women
    • Mesothelioma Misconceptions
    • Mental Health
  • Veterans
    • Veteran Claims
    • Navy
      • Ships and Asbestos
      • Shipyards and Asbestos
    • Air Force
    • Army
    • Coast Guard
    • Marines
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Asbestos
    • Asbestos Cancer
    • Asbestos Diseases
      • COPD
      • Interstitial Lung Disease
      • Lung Cancer
      • Pleural Effusion
    • Asbestosis
    • Asbestos Exposure
    • Asbestos Manufacturers
    • At Risk Jobs
    • Asbestos Industry Cover-ups
    • Asbestos Laws
  • Settlements We’ve Won
  • Who We Help
  • Reviews of Our Services
  • About Us
Home / Blog / First New Approved Treatment for Mesothelioma in More Than a Decade

First New Approved Treatment for Mesothelioma in More Than a Decade

Published on May 28, 2019

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a new therapy indicated for the treatment of mesothelioma. Using electric currents rather than toxic chemotherapy drugs, the therapy can inhibit tumor growth. The last new treatment approved by the FDA specifically for treatment of this type of cancer was the chemotherapy agent pemetrexed in 2004. The new approval gives patients living with this difficult cancer new hope.

Clinical Success with Tumor Treating Fields

The medical device approved for mesothelioma treatment is known as the NovoTTF-100L System, or the Tumor Treating Fields System. Made and tested by Novocure, the device received approval under the FDA’s Humanitarian Device Exemption. This exemption allows for quicker and easier approval of a device that may benefit patients with rare diseases, like mesothelioma.

The approval came on the heels of Novocure’s phase II clinical trial known as STELLAR. Usually, new treatments are not approved until several more phases have proven it to be safe and effective. In the phase II trial, nearly 100 percent of participants saw benefits from the Tumor Treating Fields System.

Clinical results were positive, with survival times of 12 months for patients who received only chemotherapy and 18 months for those who received chemotherapy along with the new treatment. The System also did not seem to cause any major adverse events in participants. Mild skin irritation was most common.

How the New Treatment Works

The NovoTTF-100L makes use of alternating electrical fields of low intensity to disrupt tumor growth. Researchers believe that the electrical fields and currents at specifically tuned frequencies interfere with how cancer cells divide. Disrupting this process prevents tumors from getting bigger. The device is designed to be used by patients in their own homes.

Similar therapies have already been used and approved in other types of cancer that are similarly aggressive and difficult to treat. The patients in Novocure’s phase II trial included 80 people with unresectable mesothelioma. This means that it could not be managed or treated with surgery, in most cases because the cancer had metastasized and spread throughout the body.

The Importance of New Treatments for Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a devastating type of cancer that is often diagnosed when it is too late to achieve remission. It is generally considered incurable and has a poor prognosis. Caused by exposure to asbestos in the vast majority of cases, mesothelioma is especially tragic because it is preventable.

Because the cancer is aggressive, grows as small, multiple tumors, and is mostly diagnosed in later stages, mesothelioma is difficult to treat. Chemotherapy, often combined with surgery or radiation therapy, is most often used as treatment. There are very few treatments, and just a couple of chemotherapy drugs that the FDA has approved for managing mesothelioma.

Patients living with this cancer and trying to fight it often turn to clinical trials with the hope that experimental therapies will give them a chance at extending their lives. This new treatment, the NovoTTF-100L System, is one of the few new therapies that have proven to do just that. Now, thanks to the FDA’s accelerated approval, more patients with mesothelioma have access to a low-risk, safe treatment that really could help.

Free Financial Compensation Packet

    Financial Compensation Packet
  • Info on law firms that will recover your highest compensation
  • Learn how to get paid in 90 days
  • File for your share of $30 billion in trust funds
Send My Free Packet >
Navigation
  • Home
  • Legal Options
  • Mesothelioma
  • Veterans
  • Asbestos
  • Settlements We’ve Won
  • Who We Help
  • Reviews of Our Services
  • About Us
  • Blog
Contact Information
Office Address:
1225 North Loop West Houston, Texas 77008

Handling mesothelioma cases nationwide

Call to learn about getting your best possible financial compensation

800-793-4540

Follow Us
MesotheliomaLawyerCenter.Org BBB Business Review
Sponsor: Paul Danziger, Attorney

The information provided by MesotheliomaLawyerCenter.org is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Standards
  • Contact Us
©2023 | MesotheliomaLawyerCenter.org