ABSTRACT
Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare neoplasm that is commonly fatal within 12-17 months after diagnosis. There are no widely accepted curative approaches. It recurs even after the most aggressive surgical resection. MM is resistant to chemotherapy and radiation. Most of the chemotherapeutics have been evaluated in MM, however, no drugs have a response rate greater than 20%. The combination of drugs has no increased efficacy compared with single agents. Vinorelbine has useful clinical activity against MM with a response rate of 24%. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is expressed in MM and pleural effusion of MM. There is a significant inverse correlation between serum VEGF levels and MM patient survival. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is expressed in MM. COX-2 plays an important role in tumor growth, invasion, and angiogenesis. VEGF and COX-2 are potential targets in MM. The downregulation of bFGF, VEGF, and maybe some other angiogenesis stimulators, is one of the antiangiogenic mechanisms of thalidomide. Celecoxib is a potent selective COX-2 inhibitor. Here we report a case of disseminated malignant mesothelioma of peritoneum responding remarkably to thalidomide, celecoxib, vinorelbine and CDDP.
