If there is no treatment for malignant mesothelioma, emerging treatment and clinical trials provide patients hope for a better prognosis.
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Key Points
- Researchers are constantly finding better treatment options to improve prognosis.
- Clinical trials are an important part of the process to advance treatments and find cures.
- Many new, developing treatments have shown great promise in the effective treatment of mesothelioma.
- Immunotherapy is a major focus of ongoing research and has shown some success.
At the present time, there is no cure for mesothelioma. However, there are several emerging treatment options that show great promise in improving cancer treatment. There is also hope that with extensive research, one of these emerging treatment options could eventually lead to a cure for the disease. Patients who are considering a new treatment should consult a medical professional to determine if their case is appropriate.
Research On The Treatment Of Mesothelioma
Researchers are constantly studying new treatment options to improve the prognosis of patients diagnosed with mesothelioma.
A number of emerging treatments have shown great promise in effectively treating mesothelioma and increasing life expectancy. For example, immunotherapy is a relatively new medical treatment that uses the body’s own immune system to attack and destroy cancer cells. When doctors first started studying mesothelioma decades ago, this treatment wasn’t available.
Another emerging treatment is gene therapy. During gene therapy, doctors edit a patient’s own genes to replace or repair genes destroyed by asbestos.
Researchers continue to develop new, innovative approaches to the treatment of mesothelioma. Many new treatments are studied through clinical trials run by teams of medical researchers.
In the future, many believe that there may be a cure. At present, most mesothelioma treatments focus on prolonging life and improving quality of life.
Clinical Trials
One way that doctors and medical professionals work to discover new treatments for mesotheliomais through clinical trials.
Traditionally, clinical trials have been conducted by licensed researchers and medical professionals to evaluate new medical treatments. They are regulated by the federal government and the FDA.Mesothelioma clinical trials allow doctors, scientists, and researchers to try emerging treatments in a controlled environment.
Clinical trials are usually not open to the public, and doctors have criteria to determine which patients are eligible. For example, there are several different types of mesothelioma.
A patient with pleural mesothelioma – the most common form of the disease – may qualify for a certain clinical trial, while a patient with testicular mesothelioma, more rarely, may not.
Although clinical trials are conducted by medical professionals, they have risks. The drugs and treatments involved are sometimes untested. This means that there is a possibility of unspecified side effects. Patients participating in a clinical trial are informed of the future risks and benefits prior to the start of the study.
If you want to join a clinical trial, talk to a trusted, experienced doctor who can find studies near you.
Types of Emerging Treatments
Researchers and doctors are working hard to discover new ways to treat mesothelioma. Several new treatments have been established in the last few decades that have extended life expectancy, improved prognosis, and reduced symptoms. There is some hope that, eventually, one of these treatments will lead to a cure.
Many of the most common emerging mesothelioma treatments are:
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy represents the entire spectrum of treatment strategies that target the immune system. Cancer-specific immunotherapy – also known as immuno-oncology – is one of the largest areas of immunotherapy research.
Depending on the specific type of immunotherapy involved, it can kick-start the immune system’s response to cancer, boost the activities of an already functioning immune system, or stop the disease. part or all of the immune system (for example, to allow other treatments to work).
Common Immunotherapy Treatments
- Checkpoint Inhibitors
- Monoclonal antibodies
- Vaccine treatment
- Stem cell therapy
Keytruda, a checkpoint inhibitor, is becoming a widely recognized immunotherapy drug for the treatment of mesothelioma and other cancers. The drug has shown success in extending life expectancy for patients with mesothelioma, and the National Cancer Comprehensive Network (NCCN) added Keytruda to their recommendations for patients with pleural mesothelioma. who have undergone chemotherapy before?
Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is a medical treatment that attempts to correct genetic problems and mutations by introducing normally functioning genes into the body. Other types of gene therapy make cancer cells more vulnerable than standard treatments like chemotherapy.
Although gene therapy has been around for about 25 years — the first gene therapy experiment approved by the FDA was in 1990 — the use of gene therapy against cancer is only about 15 years old. As such, there are many avenues available for further study, study, and experimentation.
P53 Recovery Potion
The p53 tumor protein — commonly known as TP53 or simply p53 — is a human gene that helps prevent cancer. Cancer-related treatments using p53 are still in their early stages. Since p53 can help repair or kill cells with damaged DNA, there’s a lot of promise.
Epigenetic Therapy
Epigenetic therapy is an increasingly important area of cancer research. Epigenetic therapy uses drugs to alter a person’s epigenetics — an individual’s record of chemical changes in their DNA — in an attempt to treat certain conditions, such as cancer.
Research has shown that cancer often shuts down certain anti-cancer mechanisms in the epigenome, and finding a way to stop those areas from being turned off — and turn them back on when they are — could lead to a step in the right direction. major breakthrough in cancer therapy.
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been used to treat a number of conditions, from acne to various forms of cancer. The treatment uses a drug called a photosynthetic agent that combines with a specific wavelength of light to trigger a reaction that produces a high-energy form of oxygen (single oxygen) that reacts with cancer cells and destroys them. PDT has been shown to be effective in the treatment of mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Virotherapy
Virotherapy is a relatively new treatment option that uses viruses to target and destroy cancer cells. Although virotherapy began to be tested decades ago, it continues to show new promise through clinical studies. In particular, combination therapy with immunotherapy shows great promise in killing cancer cells and improving the prognosis for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy has been around for a long time, but cryotherapy for mesothelioma is a newer concept. The main goal of this treatment is to use extreme cold to kill mesothelioma cells. There are many key benefits, but there are also some identified risks and side effects when using cryotherapy to treat mesothelioma, as with all emerging and experimental treatments.
Improved Mesothelioma Surgical Technique
The most common surgeries for patients with mesothelioma are epidural pleurodesis and thoracentesis.
During an epidural pneumonectomy, the lung with cancer can be completely removed, along with some parts of the lining of the chest or nearby lymph nodes.
A pleural effusion is a complex procedure in which excess fluid is drained from the lining of the lungs. During this procedure, the surgeon must drain the lung and put the layers and linings back together.
There is currently a debate between mesothelioma doctors and researchers about the effectiveness of each surgery. Many doctors consider epidural pleurodesis to be too aggressive and risky. In turn, there is growing support for pleurectomy with pleurectomy. This surgery removes the pleura and related tumors without removing the entire lung.
Find A Cure For Mesothelioma
Treatment of mesothelioma has come a long way over the past several decades. When mesothelioma researchers started studying cancer, all they knew was that it was related to asbestos. Little is known about how the disease progresses and there are few treatment options.
Today, options like chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, gene therapy, and immunotherapy are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Furthermore, they are extending the life of mesothelioma patients.
Biological therapy and cell therapy are very promising. They may even provide a cure at some point in the near future. Biological therapies change or disrupt the normal way cells work. This could provide doctors with innovative solutions to combat abnormal cells affected by asbestos exposure.
Find The Right Emerging Treatment For You
Although there is no cure for mesothelioma today, doctors and researchers are working hard to develop new treatments that can lead to a cure for the downline.
Emerging treatments such as immunotherapy, gene therapy, p53 regenerative drugs, epigenetic therapy, and photodynamic therapy are often offered through clinical trials.
If you or a loved one is suffering from mesothelioma, you may want to consider one of these treatment options. They can improve your prognosis or reduce your symptoms.
Remember, it is important to consult your doctor. They can evaluate your specific case of mesothelioma to help determine which emerging treatment may be best for you.