Mesothelioma Cancer Treatments

Is there any promising research or are there promising drugs for mesothelioma?

New approaches being studied

New approaches to treat malignant mesothelioma are currently being tested. They often combine traditional treatments or include something entirely new. They include

• Promising drugs




• L-NDDP (Platar): Intrapleural administration of this platinum product is designed to overcome the toxicity and drug resistance currently limiting the usefulness of platinum drugs like Cisplatin. NOTE: A recent trial produced remission in two patients.




• Endostatin has been shown to work with angiostatin in destroying a tumors' ability to grow blood vessels without harming normal cells.




• Lovastatin is a cholesterol drug shown in a recent study to potentially inhibit mesothelioma cancer cell growth.




• Intrapleural interferon gamma is the direct administration of the anti-cancer drug interferon gamma.




• Photodynamic therapy kills cancer cells using the energy of light.




• Immunotherapy treats cancer by helping the immune system fight the disease.




• Gene therapy treats cancer by correcting the genetic deficits that allow tumors to develop. A September 1999 study found that interferon interleukin prevented the growth of mesothelioma cells in mice.

Research is being conducted at various cancer centers all over the United States.

A recent study involving L-NDDP produced two cases of remission in mesothelioma patients. Another study found that a drug known as Lovastatin may hold promise for mesothelioma patients.

To learn more about mesothelioma clinical studies and journal medical journal articles, visit the Mesothelioma Web (http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org)

What other kinds of information is available for people with mesothelioma?

There are numerous cancer web sites, some specific to mesothelioma. Because they are often difficult to locate, we have listed some relevant medical web sites that have information about mesothelioma.

American Institute for Cancer Research 

(http://www.aicr.org)

American Thoracic Society 

(http://www.thoracic.org/)

Canadian Cancer Society 

(http://www.bc.cancer.ca)

MesotheliomaWeb 

(http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org)

Mesothelioma At A Glance

• Mesothelioma is a cancer that arises from the cells lining the chest or abdominal cavities.
• Mesothelioma typically results from exposure to asbestos.
• When mesothelioma affects the chest, the doctor may look inside the chest cavity with a special instrument called a thoracoscope.
• When mesothelioma affects the abdomen, the doctor may look inside the abdomen with a special tool called a peritoneoscope.
• Mesothelioma is diagnosed by a biopsy.
• The outlook for patients with mesothelioma depends on how early the disease is detected and how aggressively it is treated.