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.
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.
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.
