Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma Treatment

Traditional Treatment

Mesothelioma can be treated. There are a variety of treatment options available to the individual. They include:

Surgery. There are two types of surgical procedures most commonly performed on individuals with mesothelioma. The first involves only removing the lining that surrounds the lungs or abdomen. This type of surgery is usually performed when the tumor is still small and the cancer has not spread very far. The second type of surgery is much more radical. It involves removing the lining and most of the surrounding tissue. This may include the affected lung or the entire diaphragm. This type of surgery is usually performed when the tumor has grown and the cancer has spread throughout much of the chest and abdomen.

Radiation. This type of therapy involves the use of high doses of high-energy x-rays to kill the cancerous cells and shrink tumors. The radiation may originate from an external source such as a machine or from radiation-producing materials (radioisotopes) that are inserted into the body through tubes where the cancer is present. Radiation therapy is usually used along with other therapies such as surgery or chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy utilizes specially created drugs to kill cancerous cells. These drugs are most commonly administered intravenously or in the form of a pill. Chemotherapy is referred to as a systematic treatment because the drug enters the blood stream and travels throughout the entire body. However, in mesothelioma cases, the drug may be administered directly into the chest (intrapleurally) for maximum effectiveness.

Alimta, produced by Eli Lilly, recently received Food and Drug Administration approval for use in the chemotherapy treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma. It is advertised as mesothelioma treatment for patients when surgery is not an option. 

Experimental Treatment

Recent breakthroughs in technology and medicine have lead to new treatments for mesothelioma and other forms of cancer. Most of these therapies are still experimental but hold great promise for the future of cancer treatment.

Gene therapy. Gene therapy involves using a specially created virus to deliver a gene to the cancerous tumor. This gene makes the cells of the tumor vulnerable to specific drugs that would otherwise be ineffective. Unlike chemotherapy, these drugs will only destroy the cancerous cells while leaving the surrounding, healthy cells undamaged.

Protein therapy. Small proteins in the body, known as cytokines, are similar to hormones in that they have a specific effect on the behavior of other cells. One such protein, interleukin-2, has been shown to stimulate the growth of immune system cells called T-cells. The cells are responsible for eliminating other diseased or infected cells in the body. It is hoped that the injection of these cells into the chest will cause an increase in T-cells that will in turn cause a reduction or elimination of the tumor. Other proteins, known as interferons, have been shown to increase the body's immune system while simultaneously preventing the growth of cancerous cells.

Photodynamic therapy. This type of therapy uses light to kill cancerous cells. First, a drug is injected into the individual that makes the cancerous cells of the tumor vulnerable to certain kinds of light. This drug, known as a photosensitizer, collects only in the cancerous cells. The tumor is then exposed to a light source, usually a light at the end of a fiberoptic cable that has been inserted into the body. The cells that have been exposed to the photosensitizer then produce a reaction that kills the cancerous cells.

Angiogenesis inhibitor therapy. Angiogenesis refers to the process by which new blood vessels are created to nourish cells. Cancer cells, like healthy cells, require a rich supply of blood in order to grow. In fact, cancer cells are more efficient at promoting angiogenesis than healthy cells. This allows cancerous tumors to be fed with a large supply of oxygen rich blood that promotes growth. Angiogenesis inhibiting drugs have been developed to prevent the cancerous cells of the tumor from being fed, thereby causing it to shrink or disappear.