New Treatments for Mesothelioma
Current research focuses on causes, prevention, and improving accuracy of diagnosis and effectiveness of mesothelioma treatments. In spite of advances in research, there is still a great deal to be learned. Mesothelioma treatments that combine surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, called multimodality therapy, are now being studied. These may provide the most promising option for some patients. New chemotherapy drugs and other types of mesothelioma treatments are the subjects of current clinical trials.
Gene Therapy
A new approach to mesothelioma treatment is gene therapy, using special viruses that have been modified in the laboratory. In gene therapy, the modified virus is injected into the pleural (chest) space and infects the mesothelioma cells. The virus injects a gene into the tumor that heightens the effects of a mesothelioma-fighting drug.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy - treatment methods that fight mesothelioma through the body's immune system - is being evaluated in clinical trials. With immunotherapy, substances called biological response modifiers (BRMs) may be made by the body or in a laboratory. BRMs are used to boost, direct, or restore the body's natural ability to defend itself against cancer. This type of mesothelioma treatment is also called biologic therapy or biotherapy.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
IMRT is a new radiotherapy technique that has proven to be effective in controlling localized malignant mesothelioma. IMRT mesothelioma treatment delivers high doses of radiation to mesothelioma tumors, regardless of their size or shape. Precise targeting of radiation makes IMRT a preferred mesothelioma treatment over standard radiotherapy, in which the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor may also be exposed to high levels of radiation. Tumors that would once have been considered untreatable because of their proximity to vital organs can now be treated using IMRT.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of cancer-fighting drugs in the treatment of mesothelioma. Although chemotherapy has long been used in the treatment of mesothelioma, the search for safer and more effective chemotherapy drugs is ongoing.
Alimta is the brand name for one such drug, chemically similar to folic acid, which is being tested for the treatment of mesothelioma. Alimta is used alone for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic lung cancers whose growth has not been slowed by traditional chemotherapy treatments. When used in conjunction with cisplatin, Alimta is the only agent approved by the Food and Drug Administration for specific use in combating malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Anti-angiogenesis drugs are relatively new mesothelioma treatments that have been successful in shrinking and killing cancerous cells in animals. Although the success of anti-angiogenesis drugs in humans has not been proven, they are expected to yield similar results. Veglin is an anti-angiogenesis drug designed to target a wide range of cancers, including malignant mesothelioma.
Current research focuses on causes, prevention, and improving accuracy of diagnosis and effectiveness of mesothelioma treatments. In spite of advances in research, there is still a great deal to be learned. Mesothelioma treatments that combine surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, called multimodality therapy, are now being studied. These may provide the most promising option for some patients. New chemotherapy drugs and other types of mesothelioma treatments are the subjects of current clinical trials.
Gene Therapy
A new approach to mesothelioma treatment is gene therapy, using special viruses that have been modified in the laboratory. In gene therapy, the modified virus is injected into the pleural (chest) space and infects the mesothelioma cells. The virus injects a gene into the tumor that heightens the effects of a mesothelioma-fighting drug.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy - treatment methods that fight mesothelioma through the body's immune system - is being evaluated in clinical trials. With immunotherapy, substances called biological response modifiers (BRMs) may be made by the body or in a laboratory. BRMs are used to boost, direct, or restore the body's natural ability to defend itself against cancer. This type of mesothelioma treatment is also called biologic therapy or biotherapy.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
IMRT is a new radiotherapy technique that has proven to be effective in controlling localized malignant mesothelioma. IMRT mesothelioma treatment delivers high doses of radiation to mesothelioma tumors, regardless of their size or shape. Precise targeting of radiation makes IMRT a preferred mesothelioma treatment over standard radiotherapy, in which the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor may also be exposed to high levels of radiation. Tumors that would once have been considered untreatable because of their proximity to vital organs can now be treated using IMRT.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of cancer-fighting drugs in the treatment of mesothelioma. Although chemotherapy has long been used in the treatment of mesothelioma, the search for safer and more effective chemotherapy drugs is ongoing.
Alimta is the brand name for one such drug, chemically similar to folic acid, which is being tested for the treatment of mesothelioma. Alimta is used alone for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic lung cancers whose growth has not been slowed by traditional chemotherapy treatments. When used in conjunction with cisplatin, Alimta is the only agent approved by the Food and Drug Administration for specific use in combating malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Anti-angiogenesis drugs are relatively new mesothelioma treatments that have been successful in shrinking and killing cancerous cells in animals. Although the success of anti-angiogenesis drugs in humans has not been proven, they are expected to yield similar results. Veglin is an anti-angiogenesis drug designed to target a wide range of cancers, including malignant mesothelioma.
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