TABLE 1.
Clinical and treatment characteristics of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma receiving pemetrexed (PMX) chemotherapy
| Characteristic | All patients (N = 41) | PMX first line (N = 29) | PMX second line (N = 12) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||||
| N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | |||
| Gender | Male | 33 (80.5) | 22 (75.9) | 11 (91.7) | 0.398a |
| Female | 8 (19.5) | 7 (24.1) | 1 (8.3) | ||
| Stage | I | 3 (7.3) | 3 (10.3) | 0 | 0.578a |
| II | 12 (29.3) | 9 (31.0) | 3 (25.0) | ||
| III | 12 (29.3) | 9 (31.0) | 3 (25.0) | ||
| IV | 14 (34.1) | 8 (27.6) | 6 (50.0) | ||
| Histological type | Epitheloid | 33 (80.5) | 25 (86.2) | 8 (66.7) | 0.267a |
| Biphasic | 3 (7.3) | 1 (3.4) | 2 (16.7) | ||
| Sarcomatoid | 3 (7.3) | 2 (6.9) | 1 (8.3) | ||
| Not characterized | 2 (4.9) | 1 (3.4) | 1 (8.3) | ||
| ECOG performance status | 0 | 20 (48.8) | 15 (51.7) | 5 (41.7) | 0.499a |
| 1 | 18 (43.9) | 11 (37.9) | 7 (58.3) | ||
| 2 | 3 (7.3) | 3 (10.3) | 0 | ||
| Response rate | CR and PR | 13 (31.7) | 11 (37.9) | 2 (16.7) | 0.140a |
| SD | 19 (46.3) | 14 (48.3) | 5 (41.7) | ||
| Progress | 9 (22.0) | 4 (13.8) | 5 (41.7) | ||
| Liver toxicity | Present | 24 (58.5) | 15 (51.7) | 9 (75.0) | 0.296a |
| Absent | 17 (41.5) | 14 (48.3) | 3 (25.0) | ||
| GI toxicity | Present | 11 (26.8) | 9 (31.0) | 2 (16.7) | 0.457a |
| Absent | 30 (73.2) | 20 (69.0) | 10 (83.3) | ||
| Haematological toxicity | Present | 19 (46.3) | 13 (44.8) | 6 (50.0) | 1.000a |
| Absent | 22 (53.7) | 16 (55.2) | 6 (50.0) | ||
| Renal toxicity | Present | 18 (43.9) | 13 (44.8) | 5 (41.7) | 1.000a |
| Absent | 23 (56.1) | 16 (55.2) | 7(58.3) | ||
| Overall toxicity | Present | 34 (82.9) | 23 (79.3) | 11 (91.7) | 0.419a |
| Absent | 7 (17.1) | 6 (20.7) | 1 (8.3) | ||
| Overall survival | median (min-max) | 12.1 (1.0–36.1) | 11.9 (1.0–36.1) | 14.4 (6.4–31.6) | 0.558b |
| Progression-free survival | median (min-max) | 6.5 (1.0–36.1) | 6.7 (1.0–36.1) | 6.4 (6.4–31.6) | 0.431b |
| Age | median (min-max) | 63 (35–79) | 63 (35–79) | 64 (46–78) | 0.785b |
a
calculated using Fisher’s exact test;
b
calculated using Mann-Whitney U-test; CR = complete response; PR = partial response; SD = stable disease; ECOG = Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; GI = gastrointestinal