| Mesothelioma Treatment Options |
|
|
|
| Written by Administrator | |
|
Treatment Options Information on the many mesothelioma treatment options available Medical treatment options for mesothelioma or any cancer fall into two major types of categories. Traditional and Unconventional. Patients are often urged to take the traditional treatment methods, but more and more cancer victims (as well as victims of other diseases) are seeking unconventional treatment methods to add to the traditional methods as well. This article reviews all the known methods of mesothelioma treatments today. Traditional Mesothelioma Treatment OptionsBasically there are three traditional mesothelioma treatment options available:Surgery (taking out the cancer) Unconventional Mesothelioma Treatment OptionsUnconventional treatment options for mesothelioma include some new approaches as well as some older ones. Oftentimes, patients and doctors will combine unconventional treatment options with traditional mesothelioma treatment options. This combination can result in the very best treatment for the patient. The list of unconventional mesothelioma treatment options includes... The information below is from MesotheliomaWeb.org New Chemotherapy Agents and combinations of agents are generating improved results for mesothelioma patients. Read about new approaches in Malignant Mesothelioma: Focus on New Therapeutic Approaches, a summary of exciting new approaches in mesothelioma treatment. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a type of cancer treatment based on the premise that single-celled organisms, if first treated with certain photosensitive drugs, will die when exposed to light at a particular frequency. PDT destroys cancerous cells by using this fixed frequency light to activate photosensitizing drugs which have accumulated in body tissues. In PDT, a photosensitizing drug is administered intravenously. Within a specific time frame (usually a matter of days), the drug selectively concentrates in diseased cells, while rapidly being eliminated from normal cells. The treated cancer cells are then exposed to a laser light chosen for its ability to activate the photosensitizing agent. This laser light is delivered to the cancer site, (in the case of mesothelioma, the pleura), through a fiberoptic device that allows the laser light to be manipulated by the physician. As the agent in the treated cells absorbs the light, an active form of oxygen destroys the surrounding cancer cells. The light exposure must be carefully timed, so that it occurs when most of the photosensitizing drug has left the healthy cells, but is still present in cancerous ones. The major side effect of PDT is skin sensitivity. Patients undergoing this type of therapy are usually advised to avoid direct and even indirect sunlight for at least six weeks. Other side effects may include nausea, vomiting, a metallic taste in the mouth, and eye sensitivity to light. These symptoms may sometimes come as a result of the injection of the photosensitizing agent. Immunotherapy, sometimes called biological therapy, uses the body's own immune system to protect itself against disease. Researchers have found that the immune system may be able to recognize the difference between healthy cells and cancer cells, and eliminate those that become cancerous. Immunotherapy is designed to repair, stimulate, or enhance the immune system's natural anticancer function. Substances used in immunotherapy, called biological response modifiers (BRMs) alter the interaction between the body's immune defenses and cancer, thereby improving the body's ability to fight disease. Some BRMs, such as cytokines and antibodies, occur naturally in the body, however, it is now possible to make BRMs in the laboratory that can imitate or influence natural immune response agents. These BRMs may: Many BRMs are currently being used in cancer treatment, including interferons, interleukins, tumor necrosis factor, colony-stimulating factors, monoclonal antibodies, and cancer vaccines. Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is a technique that allows for radiation doses to be delivered to very complex shapes or to tumors with nearby normal structures. The best results with IMRT have been obtained in prostate cancer and head & neck cancers. IMRT has great potential to improve local control in mesothelioma, especially since there is now data from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center to suggest that "conventional" radiation techniques can reduce local recurrence by about 50% High doses of radiation have been proven to kill cancer cells and to shrink tumors. IMRT uses x-rays of varying intensities along with computer generated images to plan and deliver highly targeted radiation directly to cancer cells while significantly reducing the amount of radiation to surrounding healthy tissue. This technique is the most precise form of radiation therapy available today, and can increase the rate of tumor control by conforming to the shape of the tumor while minimizing adverse side effects. Because of its extreme accuracy, tumors which were formerly considered untreatable because of their proximity to vital organs can now be controlled. Click here for further description of IMRT. Gene therapy is an approach to treating potentially fatal or disabling diseases by modifying the expression of an individual's genes toward a therapeutic goal. The premise of gene therapy is based on correcting disease at the DNA level and compensating for the abnormal genes. Replacement gene therapy replaces a mutated or missing gene, most often a tumor suppressor gene, with a normal copy of that gene which serves to keep cell growth and division under control. The p53 gene, the most common gene mutated in cancer has become a prime target for gene replacement, and has met with some success in inhibiting cell growth, inhibiting angiogenesis (the development of a tumor's blood supply), and inducing apoptosis (cell death). Knockout gene therapy targets the products of oncogenes (a gene that can induce tumor formation) in an effort to render them inactive and reduce cell growth. With constantly expanding knowledge of the genes associated with cancer, their functions, and the delivery systems used in administering these genes, gene therapy has a promising future. Complementary and alternative medicine covers a wide range of healing philosophies that conventional medicine does not commonly accept or make available to its patients. Some of these practices include the use of acupuncture, herbs, homeopathy, therapeutic massage, and Far Eastern medicine to treat health conditions. These therapies may be used alone as an alternative to conventional medicine, or in addition to conventional medicine, in which case they are referred to as complementary. Many are considered holistic, meaning their focus is to treat the whole patient - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. These treatments are not widely taught as a part of the medical curriculum, are not generally used in hospitals, and, for the most part, are not covered under insurance policies. Your personal physician may be able to advise you about the use of complementary and alternative treatments and therapies, and how they relate to mesothelioma. Unconventional methods of cancer treatment make claims that can not be scientifically substantiated. They commonly claim to be effective against cancers that are considered incurable, and tout treatments with relatively few, if any, side effects. The use of these unconventional methods may result in the loss of valuable time and the opportunity to receive potentially effective therapy. It is always important to remain in the care of a qualified physician who uses accepted methods of treatment or who is participating in scientifically designed investigational therapies.
|
| Next > |
|---|
