Mesothelioma Treatments - Treatments for Mesothelioma
Treatment
There is no certain cure for malignant mesothelioma, but medical researchers have recently developed procedures that can slow the progress of the disease and extend, with quality, the lives of some of those suffering from it.
Below are brief summaries of the available treatment options. See our New Treatment Developments page for new developments in research on the treatment of mesothelioma.
Also see our Treatment Options page for information on Cancer Centers, doctors, and the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America.
If you have any questions not answered by this site, please do not hesitate to contact Paul, Hanley & Harley, LLP directly for additional information.
Tri-modality Therapy
Tri-modality therapy combines surgery with radiation and chemotherapy. It is being performed at major medical centers including:
- Brigham and Women's in Boston
- Mount Sinai in New York
- M.D. Anderson in Houston
- UCLA in Los Angeles
- UCSF in San Francisco
Surgery
In the past several years, surgery has become an important tool for treating mesothelioma. Here are some surgical procedures doctors use to treat mesothelioma:
Pneumonectomy, the surgical removal of a lung. It can be performed in one of two ways:
Traditional pneumonectomy — only the diseased lung is removed.
Extrapleural pneumonectomy — the diseased lung is removed, together with the pleura, the diaphragm, and the pericardium, to remove as much of the tumor as possible.
Pleurectomy
The pleura is removed. This is a palliative procedure, which means it is done to make the patient feel better more than to cure the disease.
These surgeries are accompanied by intra-operative radiation and multi-cycle post-operative chemotherapy. These are not considered experimental procedures and should be covered by insurance and Medicaid. Paul, Hanley & Harley, LLP will be happy to work with you and your primary care physician should you need more detailed information and to refer you to one of the surgeons performing this procedure.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses high dose radiation (X rays) to shrink the tumor by destroying cells at the tumor site. Once the size of tumor is reduced, the patient may feel better and be able to breathe more deeply. Radiation may also keep the cancer from spreading to other parts of the body. Side effects of radiation can include tiredness, skin rashes, and internal mucosa (throat) irritation or hoarseness.
For more information on radiation therapy visit www.cancerbacup.org.uk/info/radiotherapy.htm or www.oncolink.com
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy agents are medicines that kill cancer cells. They may be used on their own, before or after surgery, or along with radiation. Chemotherapy is especially used instead of surgery when a tumor is inoperable. To get chemotherapy, the patient usually goes to the doctor’s office or the hospital, where they are either given medicine to take orally, or they are given the medicine through an IV tube.
Side effects are common, and they include nausea, vomiting, weakness and fatigue. The efficacy of chemotherapy as a single agent in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma has been limited.
Chemotherapy Clinical Trials
Clinical trials (also called medical research and research studies) are research studies used to determine whether new drugs or treatments are both safe and effective. If you take part in a clinical trial, you might be given new medicines or other experimental treatments before they are widely available.
There are many clinical trials of new and combination chemotherapy agents in process around the country. For more info about clinical trials, see our Treatment Options page.
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
This is a highly experimental treatment using a drug that causes cells to become light sensitive. The drug is applied or injected and attaches itself to the tumor. Then the doctor uses fiber optics to focus intense light on the tumor, killing the tumor cells. This may be able to destroy the whole tumor or residual tumor not reached during surgery. However, keep in mind that the procedure is still under investigation.
For more information, go to this drug-company-sponsored site:
www.lumacare.com
Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is still being researched and is not yet easily available. Researchers are manipulating genes to make them more susceptible to certain anti-cancer drugs. It is possible that this therapy will destroy tumor cells while preserving healthy cells.
Gene therapy for mesothelioma is currently being investigated by Dr. Steve Albenda at the University of Pennsylvania. He may be contacted through www.uphs.upenn.edu.
Anti-Angiogenesis
Anti-angiogenesis is drug therapy that causes tumors to shrink or even disappear by depriving tumor cells of their blood supply and nourishment.
Hyperthermia
Hyperthermia means increasing the body’s core temperature. It is sometimes used along with chemotherapy, to make the chemotherapy drugs more powerful.
Interferon
Interferon is drug therapy that slows down the growth of cancer cells.
Interleukin
Interleukin is drug therapy that stimulates the body’s T-cells (part of the immune system) to seek out malignant cells and destroy them.
Alternative Medicine
Alternative medicine refers to systems of medicine or specific treatments that are not generally used or approved by medical doctors (MDs) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Please be careful when considering any alternative treatment.
Examples of alternative medicine range from faith healing, to chicken soup, to many of the vitamins, herbs, and supplements sold in your local drugstore. Some types of alternative medicine have been practiced for generations, and for many illnesses there is an effective alternative treatment. However, no alternative treatments have been shown to inhibit or cure mesothelioma.
If you use an unproven alternative treatment instead of a more reliable medical treatment, you may be depriving yourself of the best medical care available. Some alternative treatments can be used alongside your medical treatment without causing harm, and others may be harmful no matter how they are used. To be sure, you must always check with your doctor before starting an alternative treatment.
For more information and to view fact sheets on alternative treatments, see the National Cancer Institute website. Also, the NCI has established an Office of Cancer and Complementary and Alternative medicine where you can find more information about alternative treatments for cancer.
Pain Control and Management
Whatever treatment option you choose, you must discuss pain management with your doctor.
Your doctor has many pain remedies to choose from which, while they may not completely relieve the pain, may make you more comfortable and improve your quality of life. Pain drugs range from Tylenol to narcotics. Some hospitals offer behavioral medicine programs for pain management, including training in meditation and biofeedback.
Each time you see you doctor, you should tell him or her how much it hurts and how well the pain remedies are working. That way, your doctor can adjust the pain remedies to help you as much as possible.
Miscellaneous Treatments
Here are a list of a few other treatments that have been used for mesothelioma:
Hemotherapy
Intra-pleural interferon gamma
Immunotherapy
Centesis — Pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial fluid is tapped and evaluated. Used both for diagnosis and to relieve pressure, pain, and fullness in the chest or abdominal areas.
Talc Pleurodesis — Inserting surgical talc in the pleural space, likely through a thoracotomy incision, to stiffen the pleura and prevent the fluid from re-accumulating. Used if pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial fluid continues to accumulate
Here is a list of medicines that have shown some potential for treatment in small numbers of patients
Doxycycline — a commonly used antibiotic, has shown tumor-inhibiting properties on mesothelial cell lines
Lovastatin — a cholesterol-lowering drug, has shown promise in a small number of patients as well
Megace — a synthetic hormone, has been used to lower the production of cancer-stimulating hormones
Treatments for Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma treatments are broken into two categories: traditional mesothelioma treatments and new mesothelioma treatments. Traditional mesothelioma treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. New mesothelioma treatment options include photodynamic therapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy and new chemotherapy agents.