mesothelioma of settlement

Immunotherapy involves the use and manipulation of a patient's own immune system to help them fight diseases to which the immune system would not normally respond.

In the case of mesothelioma and other types of asbestos cancer, the patient's immune response does not typically react or destroy cancer cells for one very important reason: when the immune system is functioning normally, it destroys only cells that it recognizes as foreign, such as bacteria and viruses. Therefore, a healthy immune system does not destroy cancer cells that are produced by the body because they are not recognized as foreign.

Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that tricks the immune system into believing that cancer cells are foreign. When this type of treatment is administered to cancer patients, the immune system can be made to destroy cancer cells, while leaving normal healthy cells unharmed. 

Treating mesothelioma patients with immunotherapy relies on helping the body's immune system to recognize the difference between healthy cells and cells that have become cancerous.

To understand how immunotherapy works, it is first important to understand how the immune system recognizes the difference between body cells and foreign cells. The immune system does this by recognizing and reacting to antigens. Antigens are molecules that are present on the surface of all cells, whether human, bacterial, or viral. A normal immune system can react to and destroy cells that produce antigens that are foreign, but cannot react to cells that produce "self" antigen (an antigen produced by the body).

Immunotherapy, therefore, is geared towards making the immune system recognize antigens on cancer cells as being foreign, allowing the immune system to destroy those cells.

Active immunotherapy treatments are designed to stimulate the immune system to fight disease. Vaccines, for example, are a type of active immunotherapy. Cancer vaccines are slightly different in that they are designed to fight diseases that already exist in the body, whereas most other vaccines are administered to prevent disease.

Mesothelioma vaccines may be created by removing cancer cells from a mesothelioma patient. This is usually done in a laboratory by using either whole cancer cells or antigens removed from cells. The cells or antigens are modified in a laboratory so they can be recognized by the patient's immune system and are then injected back into the patient.

Active immunotherapy treatments for mesothelioma are highly specific treatments made with cells from the patient's own body. Thus, a different vaccine is created for each patient who receives active immunotherapy treatment.

Passive immunotherapy treatments are those which use components that are created outside the body. These types of treatments differ from active immunotherapy in that passive treatments do not attempt to force the immune system to actively destroy cancer cells.

One example of a passive immunotherapy treatment is monoclonal antibody therapy, which is currently the most widely used immunotherapy for treating cancer. Antibodies are molecules the immune system produces to help fight infections. In an immune system that is functioning normally, antibodies are produced that recognize and bind to foreign antigens present on foreign cells, which effectively targets foreign cells for destruction by other parts of the immune system.

Monoclonal antibody therapy involves removing cancer cells from a patient, which are then grown together in a laboratory with other cells that produce antibodies in response to antigens on the cancer cells. During this process, identical antibodies are produced that recognize the same antigen (hence the termed monoclonal).

The next stage of the treatment involves injecting the patient with the monoclonal antibodies. Once inside the body, the antibodies recognize and bind to tumor cells, as the tumor cells possess the specific kind of antigen that the antibodies were created to identify. If the cancer treatment is successful, the immune system will recognize the monoclonal antibodies and destroy the cancer cells.

As with active immunotherapy, passive immunotherapy treatments are typically specific to an individual patient because cancer cells from the patient's own body are used.

Non-specific immunotherapy treatments differ from other types of immunotherapy in that they do not involve the use of cancer cells from the patient's body. Instead, these non-specific treatments are largely based on molecules called cytokines, which are an important part of the immune system.

Cytokines are molecules that direct and control the immune system. These chemicals have a large variety of functions and enable different types of immune cells to communicate with one another. Cytokines are usually administered in conjunction with other immunotherapy treatments. For example, cytokines called Interferon and Interleukin-2 can be used to boost immune response to a cancer vaccine.

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 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 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 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 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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