A new treatment significantly increases the survival rates of people with a rare and aggressive type of cancer with few effective treatment options, results from a clinical trial have shown.

This progress in treating malignant mesothelioma was revealed through a clinical study led by Professor Peter Szlosarek at Queen Mary's, sponsored by Polaris Pharmaceuticals.

Seven out of the sample group were selected from Oxford University Hospitals, under the oversight of consultant oncologist and principal investigator Dr Meenali Chitnis.

The ATOMIC-meso trial investigated the effect of combining a new drug, ADI-PEG20, and conventional chemotherapy on 249 patients.

Participants who were given this combination therapy experienced an increased median survival of 1.6 months and four times the survival at the 36-month mark when compared to those administered placebo-chemotherapy.

Given that the cancer is traditionally treated with intense cycles of chemotherapy drugs that struggle to interrupt the disease progression, the success of this research provides a lifeline for patients.

The disease is caused by exposure to asbestos and has one of the worst five-year survival rates of any solid cancer - about five to 10 percent.

The initial successful combination of chemotherapy and a drug targeting the cancer's rapid growth has given hope to many patients living with the disease.

ADI-PEG20 functions by reducing the levels of an amino acid called arginine in the bloodstream, effectively starving the cancerous tumours by cutting off their nutrient supply.

Professor Szlosarek said: "It's truly wonderful to see the research into the arginine starvation of cancer cells come to fruition.

"This discovery is something I have been driving from its earliest stages in the lab, with a new treatment, ADI-PEG20, now improving patient lives affected by mesothelioma."

Dr Tayyaba Jiwani, science engagement manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "This study shows the power of discovery research, which allows us to dig deep into the biology of mesothelioma."

Further studies of ADI-PEG20 are underway, investigating its potential benefits in treating other cancer types, including sarcoma, and glioblastoma multiforme - a type of brain tumour.

Mick, a factory boiler room employee during the 1970s, was exposed to asbestos and diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2018.

Professor Szlosarek enlisted him into the ATOMIC-meso trial.

Mick said: "This trial has changed the lives of people with mesothelioma, allowing us to live longer."

After a second course of immunotherapy following the recurrence of his mesothelioma, Mick's cancer remains controlled, enabling him to celebrate his 80th birthday recently.

He added: "I have five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren now - I wouldn't want to miss all that."