Mesothelioma is typically treated with surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. These standard forms of treatment have been proven to minimize and control cancer, but they are often not enough. When it comes to cancer as aggressive as mesothelioma, unconventional therapies should be considered alongside more common ones.
Today's developing treatments provide a promising future for mesothelioma patients. While some are still in testing phases, new therapies have been shown to greatly impact cancer treatment. To gain access to these treatments, you may want to consider participating in a clinical trial. Speaking with your doctor about your eligibility to participate in gene therapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy or photodynamic therapy will help you understand if these options are available to you.
If you're considering any of these advanced treatments, request a free informational packet. The Mesothelioma Center's complimentary packet includes information about all types of treatment options, from traditional to unconventional, and provides tips on finding the best treatment. Request your packet by completing the form to the right.
Photodynamic Therapy
Photodynamic therapy can be used after surgical debulking in pleural mesothelioma patients. During surgery, a doctor removes all or most of the visible tumor. For eligible patients, this is usually the first step in mesothelioma treatment.. Surgery, however, almost always leaves behind some microscopic mesothelioma cancer cells in the localized area or throughout the body. Photodynamic therapy can help kill these remaining cells to control the cancer while causing few side effects for the patient.
This type of treatment uses light energy to kill cancer cells. Drugs called photosensitizers are given to the patient intravenously and are absorbed by microscopic cancer cells. This kind of drug is designed to make cancer cells very sensitive to light without affecting nearby healthy cells. Once the photosensitizer is absorbed by the mesothelioma cells, light of a certain wavelength is used to create a reaction within the cells. The cells then change internally and die. Although its efficacy is still being tested in mesothelioma clinical trials, photodynamic therapy may be a useful treatment option.
Learn more about photodynamic therapy
Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is another up-and-coming treatment for cancer and other diseases, including mesothelioma. Although still in the testing stages, gene therapy is a promising prospective cancer treatment. It aims to combat cancer by transferring healthy genetic material into cancer cells. In most cases, this means that a normal gene is used to replace a nonfuctional gene. Because they are so effective, doctors commonly utilize viruses in delivering new genetic material to cancerous cells. Viruses are altered to spread normal DNA and remove genes that are causing the mesothelioma. Other forms of gene therapy can help increase the overall effectiveness of other mesothelioma treatments such as chemotherapy.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy fights mesothelioma cancer using the patient's own immune system along with manmade material meant to enhance the existing immune system. Immunotherapy can be used on its own to treat cancer. Often, however, it is used along with other treatments to help increase the effectiveness of mesothelioma treatment. Different types of immunotherapy are used in different cases.
Active immunotherapy stimulates the immune system to fight the disease naturally. For common illnesses, vaccines provide an active immunotherapy. Passive immunotherapy, on the other hand, uses artificially made antibodies and doesn't rely on the immune system to begin combating the cancer. Most forms of immunotherapy are specialized to target only specific types of cells. This ensures that healthy cells remain unharmed while cancer cells are damaged and killed effectively. A number of long-term mesothelioma survivors have reported extensions in life expectancy following immunotherapy.
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy is normally used to prevent hormones from reaching the site of a tumor. This is helpful when the tumor's growth is aided by particular hormones. Blocking such hormones can prevent tumors from growing or spreading. While this technique mostly has been used to fight breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men, new studies are showing that it may be helpful for mesothelioma patients as well.
Typically, hormones are controlled in one of three ways. Cancer cells may be treated so that they are unable to receive hormones, glands may be treated to prevent them from producing hormones, or glands can be surgically removed. While these techniques can be helpful in combating cancer, they are associated with significant side effects. These vary based on the specific treatment but often include side effects such as fatigue, headaches and nausea.
Ask your doctor which treatments you should consider. Always keep in mind that each case is different. Based on your overall health and the stage of your mesothelioma, you will only be eligible for certain treatments. Also remember that almost any treatment can have negative side effects. If you're considering new treatment options, speak with a specialist about what you should expect. The Mesothelioma Center can help you locate and contact a mesothelioma specialist near you. Use our free Doctor Match Program to find the right doctor for your diagnosis.
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