What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma, a disease caused only by exposure to asbestos, only strikes an estimated 3000 US citizens a year, but it’s effects can be felt by each and every one of us throughout the entire population.

What really hit’s home with the stories of those suffering from Mesothelioma, however, is how much they are just like everybody else; they worked for years to provide for their families, the people we see each morning at the coffee shop, the man who repairs your car with a smile, the elderly wife you see in the aisles of the local grocery store, your next-door neighbors, your friends.

They are no different than anyone of you, and yet they are fighting each and every day for their survival.

A mesothelioma diagnosis is generally tested for in one of two ways. Depending on the condition of the patient, the doctor may want to do a minimally intrusive procedure called a needle biopsy. The procedure allows the doctor to abstract cells suspected of cancer infection from the lining affected area. The doctor can run tests on the mesothelial cells to determine the proper diagnosis for the patient. There are several ways in which the doctor can perform a tissue biopsy in order to run tests for mesothelioma. A thoracoscopy or laparoscopy entails making a small incision and using a tiny camera to look at the affected area. At this time a small tissue sample can be taken. The tissue samples will be sent away to a pathologists for further tests. Your doctor may decide to do a needle biopsy, where a hollow needle is inserted through the skin and into the chest cavity. However, needle biopsies can be less than precise.


The second more common way that doctors test for mesothelioma is to surgically enter the patients body, at which time they cut a small piece of infected tissue for biopsy purposes. This test is known as an "open biopsy". The abstracted tissue is then sent out for testing by a specialist. This process generally takes several days. If this test reveals the presence of mesothelioma the doctor will determine whether the diagnosed mesothelioma is benign or malignant.

Generally, the oncologist will start the patient on a series of chemotherapy treatments to slow the growth of the mesothelioma. If the doctor determines, after running tests, that the patient is not a candidate for chemotherapy, the oncologists may prescribe medication to help the patient with pain management.

 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.