Other Mesotheilioma Treatments
Surgery and chemotherapy are the most commonly used treatments for mesotheilioma, but there are several other medical options, including radiotherapy, photodynamic therapy, and gene therapy, as well as a variety of alternative treatments for symptomatic relief.
Medical Treatment
As with surgery and chemotherapy, these mesotheilioma treatments are not usually administered for curative purposes. They can relieve symptoms, improve quality of life, and extend lifespan for several months or even years, but cannot provide a cure.
Radiotherapy uses the power of ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells. This treatment can slow down the rate of spread of cancer, but is typically not a curative for mesotheilioma. It may be administered following surgery (in which case it is an alternative to chemotherapy), or may be used as a stand-alone treatment. In most cases the type of radiotherapy used is called external beam radiation, where tumors are targeted by radiation from an external source. A newer version called brachytherapy utilizes tiny radioactive rods which are implanted within tumors to produce a concentrated, targeted dose of radiation. This can be particularly effective, as it causes fewer side effects.
Photodynamic therapy is an unusual type of treatment which uses light energy to kill cancer cells. This involves first sensitizing the cells with an intravenous injection of a special solution, followed by exposure to light of a specific wavelength that selectively kills cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells intact. Photodynamic therapy has most often been used to treat skin cancer, as the light cannot penetrate very far through the body. However, it can also be an effective treatment for early stage mesotheilioma.
Gene therapy for mesotheilioma treatment involves forcing cancer cells to undergo a form of suicide. The therapy involves exposing patients to a non-infectious virus which has been genetically altered to produce a special protein. The protein sensitizes cells to a chemotherapy drug, and the virus is engineered to infect only cancer cells. A treatment with the virus then causes cancer cells to produce the protein, and the follow-up chemotherapy kills the cancer cells. This treatment is only available via clinical trials.
Immunotherapy tries to manipulate the patient’s immune system to kill cancer. Normally the immune system does not kill cancer cells, but via immunotherapy is it sometimes possible to “trick” the immune system so that it sees cancer cells as harmful. If the treatment is successful, the immune system is activated to destroy cancerous cells.
Alternative Treatment
The following treatments are considered alternative, rather than medical treatments. These are palliative treatments – they cannot slow the spread of cancer, or cure the disease, but can provide relief from pain, stress, and other symptoms.
Acupuncture has become an accepted treatment for many conditions both physical and psychological, to the extent that it is covered by many insurance companies. An acupuncture treatment involves the insertion of fine needles into defined pressure points on the body, for the relief of pain, inflammation, stress, and anxiety.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS therapy) is similar to acupuncture, but instead of the fine needles utilized by acupuncture, TENS therapy delivers very small electric shocks to pressure points on the body. TENS therapy is unusual in the world of alternative treatments as it has FDA approval; however this doesn’t mean it is guaranteed to provide a cure or even extend life – it only means the FDA has deemed it to be a safe.
Aromatherapy uses fragrance to improve physical or psychological well-being. Certain scents are known to be calming and relaxing, and these are used to provide stress and anxiety relief.
Massage promotes blood and lymphatic circulation, stimulates the nervous system, can help relieve symptoms of chronic pain, and can reduce stress and anxiety, and enhance overall mental well-being. Massage therapy can be combined with aromatherapy, where the treatment involves massage with carefully selected scented oils.
Meditation is an effective method of stress reduction, and many alternative therapy experts even believe advanced meditation can help manage pain.
Dietary supplements and nutrition are important for people with mesotheilioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Proper nutrition helps the body retain strength even when under considerable stress from medical treatments such as chemotherapy as well as from the cancer itself.
