Mesothelioma Breakthroughs: New Tests & Treatments -- MesoLink.org -- 05-01-04

The medical profession and other related organizations have been working hard over the years to find effective and speedy treatment for mesothelioma patients. This has always proved very difficult due to the nature of this disease. Mesothelioma is a cancer that is caused by regular exposure to asbestos fibres and dust. However, unlike other cancers, this particular form has a unique trait in that it does not manifest itself for decades. And this means that by the time a diagnosis has been made, effective treatment is unlikely if not impossible because by that time the disease is already in its advanced stages. The other main problem with mesothelioma is that, even when the disease makes its presence known, the symptoms are very non-specific and resemble symptoms that are related to a number of more common ailments. This makes is very difficult to diagnose, and again makes if hard to deliver timely treatment to the patient.

However, the hard work that medics and experts in this field have put in has finally started to pay off. The first breakthrough that has given mesothelioma sufferers hope is the approval of a new treatment called Alimta. This drug was approved by the FDA in February 2004, and is administered intravenously to patients every three weeks. Although there are side effects to taking this drug, experts have found solutions that help to combat some of these effects. This new drug is always administered as a combination with another mesothelioma drug, Cisplatin. However, patients who receive this treatment are also given folic acid and vitamin B12, which is what helps to alleviate the side effects. These possible effects include: nausea, rash, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps, a reduced white and red cell count reduction, a reduction in platelets, a loss of appetite, sores, and fatigue.

The second recent breakthrough is the discovery of a blood test which may be used to detect signs of mesothelioma whilst still in its earlier stages. Up until now, this disease was only picked up following the onset of symptoms in the patient. And even then, the non-specific nature of the symptoms meant that an effective diagnosis was very difficult. Even the tests that are currently used to try and detect mesothelioma can prove largely inconclusive. However, this blood test will make it possible to pick up on the presence of mesothelioma far earlier, which increases that chances of delivering treatment to the patient.

Although the new drug, Alimta, has only been found to increase a patient’s life span for several months up until now, it is still a welcome ray of hope to professionals and sufferers alike. It could lead to the development and discovery of a drug that dramatically increases lifespan, which is the news that all patients and professionals have been awaiting for many years. And with new diagnostic tests, such as this blood test, being discovered and introduced it means that both diagnosis and effective treatment is likely to improve over the next few years.

Many more cases of mesothelioma are expected over the next couple of decades, and developing ever-increasingly effective treatments and tests is of the utmost importance. It is hoped that this deadly disease can one day be considered as non-terminal through the discovery of treatments that will prove effective no matter how advanced the disease is.

Mesothelioma Breakthroughs:New Tests & Treatments

Mesothelioma Breakthroughs:
New Tests & Treatments