Mesothelioma Treatment Options
Research is mostly;revolvingaround developing new treatments;or improvingupon the past traditional treatments;. It is veryencouragingfor mesotheliomapatientsas new chemotherapyagentsand combinationsof agentshavebeen showingimprovedresults.
Photodynamic therapy(PDT) is one of the new mesotheliomatreatmentoptions;beinglooked into. It is basedon the theorythatsingle celled organisms die when exposed to certain frequencyof light. In order for thisto happenin thistreatment, certain photosensitivedrugs;are administeredintravenouslyintothe patient. Normally, overa few days, the drugwill zoom in and concentrate on the diseased cellsand destroy it. There are however,someside effects suchas skin sensitivity, nausea and vomiting.
Another treatmentoptionis Immunotherapy, whichis sometimesknown as biologicaltherapy.In thistreatmentmethod, the immunesystemof the patient's body is usedto treatand fight off the disease.When struck by mesothelioma, the patientsbody’sability to treatitself might be hampered due to the disease.
The Immunotherapytreatmentwill then try to rejuvenatethe patients' immunesystemand thereby, improvingthe patientsnaturalimmunesystemwhichis the mosteffectiveway to combat any disease.Thistherapywill alsotry to repair the immunesystems;in areaswhere they are faulty. A naturally;occuring;substance called, Biological response modifiers(BRMs)are what is usedin immunotherapy.AlthoughBRMsnaturally;occurin the body researchhas proven thatit can now be preparedin laboratoryand is found to be justas effectiveas the naturalBRMs.
Another new mesotheliomatreatmentoptionthathas been developed is the Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy(IMRT).IMRTis a new treatmentusedto enhance localized control of mesothelioma. In thistherapy, researchershavefound a way for radiationdoses to be administeredto the tumorwithout causingundue damage to nearby normal,healthy cells.
Treatmentat the DNA level is alsoanother important breakthroughthatresearchershavemade. In Gene Therapy,doctors will try to correct or replace the abnormal or damaged genes.The two maintypes of Gene Therapymostcommonlyusedtoday are Replacement genetherapyand knockoutgenetherapytherapy.In replacementgenetherapythe mutatedor missing genewhichcausesthe mesotheliomais replacedwhereas in knockoutgenetherapy, the generesponsible for creating the tumoris completely eliminated. Withmoreresearchbeingdone in genetherapytoday,much moreinformation regardinggenes;are beingunfoldedconstantly.As such, genetherapytreatments;holds the highest promiseof the future in the treatmentof mesothelioma.
Other formsof treatments;whichuse somecombinationsof surgery,radiationtherapy, and chemotherapy, sometimescalledmultimodality therapy, are alsocurrently beingresearched;.
Lastbut not least,Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapycombined with the use of a pemetrexed drug, brand namedAlimta,are someof the new developmentsin the treatmentof mesothelioma.
Withresearchgoingon in somemany spheresfrom Gene Therapy,Biologicals as well as combinational treatments;, the outlookfor mesotheliomatreatmentoptions;looksto be brightand expanding.
