Mesothelioma Treatment

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The mesothelioma treatment a person receives depends on the location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient's age and general health.  Traditional types of mesothelioma include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.  Other types of treatment include radical therapies and complementary treatment approaches.

Mesothelioma and Standard Treatment Options

Standard treatment options include surgery (the aim of which is to remove the cancerous mesothelioma cells), radiation therapy (the aim which is  to eliminate the mesothelioma cells), immune augmentative therapy (which aims to restore the body's natural immune system to a level in which it can be effective in helping to fight the effects of mesothelioma cancer), and chemotherapy (which aims to kill cancer cells throughout the body).  Sometimes, these treatments are combined.

Essentially, there are three possible types of mesothelioma cancer that you can have.  These include, pleural (lungs) mesothelioma cancer, peritoneal (abdominal) and pericardial (heart).

Once your mesothelioma cancer doctor has made a definitive diagnosis, he or she will then be able to tell you which type of mesothelioma cancer you have, at what stage the mesothelioma cancer is, whether it has spread to surrounding organs, or whether it is contained within the original area of the disease.

Your mesothelioma doctor will then discuss the treatment options that are related to the type of mesothelioma cancer that you have and what stage the cancer is in.  Finally, your mesothelioma doctor will also explain your treatment options in detail, including any side affects as well as the probable recovery period.

Treatment Facilities

Depending on the severity of the disease, mesothelioma patients receive treatment in hospitals, clinics, and in their doctors' offices.  It is interesting to note that with the increase of reported cases of the disease, mesothelioma clinics have emerged.  Fortunately, there are sources that provide information on some of the top-rated mesothelioma treatment facilities.

Traditional Mesothelioma Treatments

A common treatment of the disease is by means of surgery.  This treatment approach usually involves the removal of part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some of the surrounding tissue.

For cancer of the pleura, for instance, a lung may be removed in an operation called a pneumonectomy.  Sometimes part of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing, is also removed.

Another method, radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, is traditionally used.  This treatment involves the use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.  Fortunately, radiation therapy only affects the cancer cells in the specific area of treatment.

The radiation may come from a machine or from putting materials that produce radiation through thin plastic tubes into the area where the cancer cells are found. 

Anti cancer drugs can be used to kill cancer cells throughout the body.  This is treatment approach is known as chemotherapy and involves the administration of the drugs by injection into a vein (intravenous, or IV).  Currently, doctors are also studying the effectiveness of putting chemotherapy directly into the chest or abdomen.

Cisplatin is a one of the drugs used in chemotherapy.  On February 5, 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved another drug called Alimata (pemetrexed disodium) for use in combination with cisplatin for the treatment of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.  Alimata is the first drug approved by the FDA for this type of cancer. 

In a randomized clinical trial, the effects of treatment with Alimta in combination with cisplatin were compared to the effects of treatment with cisplatin alone.  According to the FDA, "patients receiving Alimta and cisplatin lived three months longer after randomization than patients given cisplatin alone (12 months vs. nine months).  Alimta must be administered with vitamin B-12 and folic acid supplementation to decrease the incidence and severity of adverse effects." 

Radical Mesothelioma Treatments

Newer, more radical mesothelioma treatments, moreover, are being used for treating mesothelioma.  Depending on the nature of the disease, these new, more radical mesothelioma treatments can be used in combination with traditional mesothelioma treatments or they can be used on their own.

Because these treatments are currently in clinical trials, however, their long-term effects are not well documented.

The following represents some of the better known radical mesothelioma treatments:

Gene Therapy. Gene therapy involves injecting a "suicide" gene directly into a tumor.  This gene makes the cells sensitive to a normally ineffective drug, such as glanciclovir. 

Treatment with the drug then destroys the cancer cells while leaving the healthy cells unharmed.  This radical mesothelioma treatment continues to be studied and is currently in clinical trials.

Immune Augmentative Therapy.  This treatment, also known as immunotherapy, attempts to restore the body's natural immune system to a level that is effective in fighting the effects of the disease. 

Immunotherapy usually employs injected man-made immune-system proteins to stimulate a patient’s natural ability to fight the disease. This treatment is usually used in conjunction with other traditional or radical mesothelioma treatments.

Photodynamic Therapy.  Photodynamic therapy, also called PDT, is a cancer treatment in which certain chemicals, known as photosensitizing agents, are injected into the bloodstream.  Since the photosensitizing agent remains in cancer cells longer than in normal cells, the cancer cells are more prone to destruction when exposed to laser light.

The overall idea is that when the cancer cells are exposed to laser light, the photosensitizing chemical absorbs the light and produces a form of oxygen that destroys the cancer cells.  An advantage of this radical mesothelioma treatment is that it causes minimal damage to healthy tissues.

Due to the fact, however, that the laser light currently in use cannot pass through more than three centimeters of tissue, PDT is mainly used to treat tumors on or just below the skin or on the lining of internal organs.

Interferon and Interleukin Therapy

Interferon and Interleukin treatments focus on cytokines which are small proteins that occur naturally in the human body.  Cytokines are similar to hormones and have specific effects on the behavior of other cells.  Certain cytokines such as interferons and interleukins are being used in cancer research as potential treatments.

For instance, a cytokine protein molecule called interleukin-2 (IL2), is capable of stimulating the growth of immune system cells called T-cells.  T-cells are sometimes called "killer cells" because they search out malignant or virally infected cells and kill them.

Similar to interleukins, interferons are naturally occurring cytokine proteins.  While interferons do not necessarily kill cancer cells, they do, however, inhibit the growth of malignant cells as well as enhance the immune system.

Like interleukins, interferons are being tested to see if they help increase the body's response to what is often an extremely resistant malignancy, mesothelioma.

Radiofrequency Ablation

Since surgery does not have much effect on small-cell lung cancer, a treatment method for lung cancer that has become increasingly popular in recent years is radiofrequency ablation.

This technique is especially effective in destroying the cancerous cells inside the tumors.  These cells are 'cooked' by inserting a small heat probe into the tumor.  This technique is also non-toxic and causes very little pain for the patient.

Angiogenesis Therapies

Cancer cells, like other cells in the human body, rely for their growth on a rich supply of blood.  Cells must be surrounded by an effective network of capillaries and larger blood vessels that nourish them. The medical term for the process of developing this network is "angiogenesis."

Fast-growing cancers are highly efficient at promoting angiogenesis. Indeed, they function as angiogenesis promoters that create capillaries and a network of blood vessels around the tumor.  Consequently, the tumor gets nourished with an increasing supply of oxygen-rich blood, enabling it to grow and spread (or metastasize).

Cancer researchers know that angiogenesis is fundamental to the process of how tumors grow and metastasize.  As a result, they have started to investigate how they can slow down, stop, or reduce angiogenesis. 

To the extent that they are successful, researchers believe that they can kill a tumor via starvation, or at least significantly slow its growth.

Complementary Mesothelioma Treatments

Meditation, massage, and relaxation techniques usually fall within the categories of “complementary" types of mesothelioma treatment.  These complementary therapies are treatments that are used in tandem with more conventional medical practices rather than in place of them. 

Vitamins and supplements, moreover, may be considered complementary therapies when they are given in addition to radiation or chemotherapy treatment.

Alternative Mesothelioma Treatments

In contrast to complementary therapies, alternative therapies are used in place of regularly accepted medical treatments.  Examples of alternative therapies include various herbal products, special diets, and alternate medical systems such as homeopathic medicine, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, and Eastern medicines.

Many alternative treatments such as high–dose vitamin C and laetrile (amygdalin, extracted from fruit pits) have been unconfirmed.  Some alternative therapies, however, may later be tested in clinical trials and found to be helpful, although as yet unproven.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a branch of the National Cancer Institute, recommends asking the following questions of your health care provider or team before considering either an alternative or a complementary cancer treatment:

• What benefits can I expect from this therapy?
  
  
• What are its risks?
  
  
• Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
  
  
• What are the probably side effects?
  
  
• Will the therapy interfere or interact with conventional treatments?
  
  
• Will the therapy interfere with my daily activities?
  
  
• How long will I need to undergo treatment?
  
  
• How often will my progress or plan of treatment be assessed?
  
  
• Are there any conditions for which this treatment should not be used?
  
  
• Will I need to buy any special supplies or equipment?
  
  
• Do you have scientific references or articles about using the alternative or complementary treatment for my condition?

Selecting a health care doctor, whether a conventional, an alternative, or a complementary medical practitioner, is an important decision that can help determine whether or not you will be receiving the best possible health care.  The above listed questions are essential considerations when making your decision and important questions to ask the practitioner you select.

The Future of Mesothelioma Treatment

Because mesothelioma is very hard to control, the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) is sponsoring clinical trials that are designed to find new treatments and better ways to use current treatments.

Doctors dealing with mesothelioma have to plan an innovative method of attack to combat this condition.  New treatments like angiogenesis, photodynamic and gene therapy hold new hope for victims of mesothelioma everywhere.  Depending on the state and location of the cancer, doctors will choose the best course of action for the circumstances. 

All of the mesothelioma treatment methods are aimed at preventing further mesothelioma injury to the patient.  If you, or someone you know, have been diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer, make sure that you seek immediate treatment to prevent the affects of mesothelioma cancer and to avoid further mesothelioma injury.

As grim as this disease is, however, there is hope for cancer and mesothelioma patients.  Scientists are continuously developing newer and hopefully more effective treatments for lung cancer and for mesothelioma. Indeed, better and more beneficial treatments can be expected as scientists and researchers look to human cells for more insightful medical secrets.

Mesothelioma Treatment:  Conclusion

The mesothelioma treatment an individual receives depends on the stage of the disease, the location of the cancer, and the patient's age and general health. 

Traditional types of mesothelioma include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery.  Other types of treatment include complementary treatment approaches and radical therapies. 

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