Although the complexities of mesothelioma still elude much of the medical community and make it one of the toughest cancers to treat, a handful of specialty centers are paving new ground in this fight.
Malignant mesothelioma cancer is the rare but aggressive cancer caused by microscopic asbestos fibers that are inhaled or ingested and become lodged in the lining of the chest or abdominal cavity. It can take decades before symptoms appear.
The use of asbestos has fallen dramatically in recent decades, but it remains abundant in both residential and commercial structures today. A myriad of products across America still contain asbestos.
The long latency period between exposure and diagnosis means that people who were exposed back in the 1970s – the height of asbestos use in this country -- are just now being diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Surviving Longer Today
But unlike a decade ago, patients are surviving, extending their lives beyond the original cancer prognosis they receive. The gloom and doom and the fatalistic approach that was the norm not long ago, is being replaced by patients with a fighting chance.
Instead of 6-12 months to live, many of today’s patients are surviving 2-5 years and some even longer; life expectancy has been greatly increased. An earlier, more effective way to diagnose the disease has opened the door to more treatment options. Surgery, for those who are candidates, has become more advanced and better performed. The chemotherapy drugs are changing and more effective. The radiation is becoming more precise.
Clinical Trials Provide Access to Latest Advances
And a variety of alternative therapies are emerging. Many of those are available as part of clinical trials being conducted at specialty centers across the country. One of the most promising therapies – and the expected future of mesothelioma treatment – is immunotherapy, where the body’s own immune system can target and destroy the cancer cells.
“I’m a big proponent of immunotherapy,” says Ani Balmanoukian, M.D., director of the Lung Cancer Program at the innovative Angeles Clinic and Research Institute in Santa Monica, Calif. “And with mesothelioma, it’s holding significant prospect for providing an effective option for patients.”
The key to immunotherapy is the ability to unmask the cancer cells and allow the immune system to destroy them without bothering the healthy cells. When the immune system is working normally, it only destroys cells that are recognized as foreign, which is how it fights off a virus or bacterial infection.
Because the cancer cells are produced by the body, the immune system normally ignores them. Researchers are discovering protein molecules now that can mark the mesothelioma cells as foreign, allowing the immune system to do its work.
Also showing promise in early clinical trials is gene therapy, where defective genes are altered by injecting a patient with a modified virus that can target the cancer cells, making them more receptive to chemotherapy drugs.
Author Bio: Tim Povtak has been writing for more than three decades. He spent most of his career at the Orlando Sentinel, before joining The Mesothelioma Center in 2011.
Sources:
Balmanoukian, Ani, M.D., Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, Santa Monica, CA. Interview with Asbestos.com.
Lebenthal, Abraham, M.D., Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston. Interview with Asbestos.com.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/biological
Lebenthal, Abraham, M.D., Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston. Interview with Asbestos.com.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/biological
