Mesothelioma has no known cure, although research is continuously moving toward finding one. At present, mesothelioma patients have access to treatments that can help manage the disease and contribute to a longer life span.

About Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma affects the lining that surrounds the heart, lungs, and abdominal cavity called the mesothelium and is primarily caused by exposure to blue crocidolite and brown amosite asbestos. These particles are breathed in and move through the lung tissue into the mesothelium where they cause the cells to mutate. Medical researchers aren’t sure how this process works, but they believe that changes in the immune system caused by asbestos particles may play a role. Research continues in order to better understand its cause.

Treating Mesothelioma

Because of the long mesothelioma latency period, symptoms are not evident until the disease is in its latter stages. In the past, this meant that treatment was difficult. While surgery, radiation treatments, and mesothelioma chemotherapy were used to ease the pain, few patients ever recovered.

Japanese researchers have developed a new blood test which detects protein markers that are frequently associated with cancer. The Mesomark test may aide in halting mesothelioma with surgical procedures while in the early stages, giving hope for a greater recovery rate.

Ongoing Research

Researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands have developed an early-stage vaccine that uses dendritic cell immunotherapy with promising results. The vaccine uses a sample of the patient’s own dendritic immune cells that have been exposed to proteins from the tumor to train the body to attack and eliminate the cancerous cells. The sample cells develop a defense mechanism and, when reintroduced into the body, they seek and destroy the tumor.

The vaccine is being used only in patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, but researchers hope to use it to eliminate tumors in their early stages. They also hope that soon the vaccine can be used on those exposed at risk for mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Survivors

Mesothelioma survivor Paul Kraus has lived with the disease for nearly 14 years. Through a regimen of ozone, a form of oxygen, injected into his blood, antioxidants to counteract the effects of the ozone on healthy cells, and a nutrient rich vegetarian diet, coupled with prayer and meditation, Kraus has effectively kept the cancer in check. Although this regimen is outside the realm of traditional oncology, mesothelioma doctors and researchers have studied the steps and treatments Kraus uses to battle his cancer.

Mesothelioma Surgery

Dr. David Sugarbaker, a leading mesothelioma expert, uses a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy to battle pleural mesothelioma. The entire affected lung, the pericardium, the pleura, and the diaphragm are completely removed and resected. The diaphragm and the pericardium are reconstructed with synthetic material. During the resection, chemotherapy is applied to the surface of the internal organs to eliminate any remaining cells. After surgery, radiation therapy is used to counter regrowth.

The five year survival rate of patients who have undergone the surgery with Dr. Sugarbaker is encouraging. Because the surgery is extensive, many patients use physical therapy and palliation therapies to regain mobility and to reduce symptomatic pain.

Experimental Therapies

Neo-Plas, an experimental regimen developed by Dr. Stephen Cantrell, uses a combination of interferon, a protein used in the immune system, and cholesterol-lowering medication to battle mesothelioma. Researchers believe that interferon trigger killer cells that may be attacking the cancer cells. With early results showing promise for a cure, Neo-Plas may potentially increase the number of mesothelioma survivors.