Treatment Options For Mesothelioma Patients -- MesoLink.org

This page is dedicated to available treatment options for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma. Patients of mesothelioma are often overwhelmed with information immediately following a diagnosis. For many patients, they are not able to research the available mesothelioma treatments prior to speaking with an oncologist. Our feeling is that knowledge is power. For patients wanting to empower themselves, please read below.

Over the past several months and years, several new therapies and treatment options have become available to patients diagnosed with mesothelioma.

The treatment options include Alimta,Cisplatin, immunotherapy, gene therapy, photodynamic therapy and other multimodality therapies. Whether these treatment options will be available to a mesothelioma patient will depend on several factors including the age of the patient, the staging of the cancer and the overall health of the mesothelioma victim.

Your doctor will be in the best position to determine whether you or your loved one is a good candidate for any of these procedures. We have provided a brief list and synopsis of these procedures in order that the mesothelioma patient can familiarize themselves with them and be in a position to make the best informed decision on your cancer treatment.

ALIMTA

A mesothelioma patient should request information on Alimta. Alimta is a relatively new type of cancer treatment being developed by Eli Lilly. In the past, a mesothelioma patient had to meet strict criteria in order to qualify to participate in the clinical trials of this treatment. However, the good news for patients and their families is that this procedure has recently been approved by the FDA and is the first treatment proven to significantly increase the length of survival in patients while at the same time alleviating significant symptoms associated with this disease.

CISPLATIN

Cisplatin is a form of chemotherapy used to treat mesothelioma. It is in a class of drugs that are designed to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells and is passed into the body intravenously. Because Cisplatin affects good cells as well as cancer cells, patients taking Cisplatin may experience side effects. As with any medication, patients are smart to report any potential side effects to a doctor immediately.

Cisplatin is often used in combination with Alimta. Patients taking Cisplatin in combination with Alimta have longer average life expectancies than patients taking Cisplatin by itself. Cisplatin must only be administered by a certified healthcare professional or caregiver. Alimta (pemetrexed) in combination with Cisplatin (Platinol®) was recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of inoperable malignant mesothelioma.

Your treating physician will let you know if you are a candidate for this type of chemotherapy regimen.

IMMUNOTHERAPY

This type therapy requires the removal of a mesothelioma patient’s affected cells, activation of those cells and reintroduction into the infected peritoneum. This procedure is often done in conjunction with other forms of chemotherapy. It is generally thought that a patient in the very early stages of mesothelioma, would benefit the most from this procedure. In fact, initial studies have shown that in some cases the procedure has been successful in “shrinking” the mesothelioma tumor.

GENE THERAPY

The study surrounding this type of therapy has showed tremendous results in animals, but the affects of the treatment in human trials have been much less successful. This type of Therapy is one that your doctor would need to look at very closely in order to determine if you or a loved one would be a viable candidate. Often times this type of therapy is done in combination with other chemotherapy options. Unfortunately, the results have not been consistent.

PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY

This type of new therapy involves ingesting a drug that makes the cancerous cells extremely sensitive to particular wave lengths of lights. This requires a surgical procedure, and to date, the procedure has not had any definitive results showing increased survival rates.

MULTIMODALITY THERAPY

Mesothelioma is a very difficult cancer for doctors to treat. The medical community is always seeking to learn of new and more effective ways for treating this condition. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are all being studied in order to hopefully find a cure mesothelioma patients. We are proud to join in the fight to help the medical community in this endeavor. If you or a loved one have a specific question as to your best treatment options, we will help you in whatever way we can.

Treatment Options For
Mesothelioma Patients