Dr. H. Richard AlexanderFocus: Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Dr. Alexander's Research

Dr. Alexander works extensively to improve surgical methods for patients with peritoneal mesothelioma in the hope of extending survival times. He also conducts research alongside his research team at the University of Maryland to uncover the genetic nature of mesothelioma and develop novel treatments aimed at attacking the root of the disease.

A Genetic Look At Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Dr. Alexander contributed to a recent study involving the molecular nature of peritoneal mesothelioma in order to uncover the potential for new treatment methods. After treating 41 patients with cytoreductive surgery and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), tumor samples were collected and analyzed.

Using a method known as a gene expression array, Dr. Alexander was able to gain a phenomenally detailed outline of the DNA makeup of the peritoneal mesothelioma samples.

“By using these techniques, we’ve been able to look at the expression of thousands of genes and the proteins they produce and the network of interactions that occur that provides them with a personality that really controls their growth and spread,” says Dr. Alexander.

Dr. Alexander and the contributing researchers to this study found that there were two groups of patients with different survival times that may be based on certain proteins and signaling pathways uncovered through gene expression.

Understanding how these signaling pathways control the growth of peritoneal mesothelioma may lead to the development of drugs that effectively block these pathways. This could result in potentially longer survival times for more mesothelioma patients.

Cytoreductive Surgery and HIPEC with Cisplatin

The combination of cytoreductive surgery and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has been a contentious topic for some specialists. Critics of the treatment suggest there isn’t enough of a survival benefit and there may not be enough research to back the procedure up.

Dr. Alexander published a study to help bring the matter into the light. He published a study in 2013 that gathered data from 211 peritoneal mesothelioma patients treated with cytoreduction and HIPEC at top treatment centers. The goal of the study was to determine which factors contribute significantly to longer survival for patients.

Looking at age and cell type, having HIPEC with cisplatin (a type of chemotherapy drug) significantly affected survival times. The median survival for patients in this study was over 5 years. Get access to treatments like this by getting connected to specialists with our free Doctor Match program today.

Meet Dr. Alexander