Emerging Treatments for Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers that lodge in the lining of the lungs, abdomen, or heart. For decades, the treatment of mesothelioma has remained the same: consisting of a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

Surgery

Surgery has long been the generally accepted means of improving a mesothelioma patient’s life expectancy. Many doctors believed that removing visible tumors and nearby tissue was the best way to kill the cancerous mesothelioma.

Using the maximum amount of radiation and chemotherapy was also a prevalent approach to treating mesothelioma.

But that approach is now changing. Many doctors are now taking a more “targeted” approach to treatment.

“Targeted” therapy consists of treating only the cancerous cells. This frequently is achieved by using certain drugs and minimally invasive surgeries like pleurectomy with decortication—a procedure that spares the lungs. The new approach has an underlying philosophy of doing the least amount of harm to the patient while causing the most damage to the cancerous mesothelioma cells.

Some Emerging Treatments

In recent years, the medical field has changed and expanded its approach to mesothelioma treatment. For example, “immunotherapy” is a novel approach to treatment that has been achieving some very positive results.

Immunotherapy a type of “targeted treatment” that uses drugs to stimulate the body’s immune system to fight the mesothelioma. New studies suggest that immunotherapy can be effective as a patient’s initial treatment when combined with chemotherapy.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors are other targeted treatments that can achieve good results. While the success rate is mixed, this therapy targets the tumors directly. Some reports indicate that the patient survival rate is increased by combining angiogenesis inhibitors with other drugs.

These and other therapies being used to treat even late-stage mesothelioma have been seeing some success.

While mesothelioma remains a very difficult illness to treat, patients that were once considered “a lost cause” are now living longer than ever before. There is hope.

Local Louisiana Mesothelioma Attorneys.

At the Day Law Group, we are local counsel serving our local community. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, come talk to us. We offer FREE consultations and we do not get paid unless you win. We have offices in Baton Rouge, and we serve Baker, Denham, Gonzales, Port Allen, Prairieville, New Orleans, and Zachary. So call 225-200-0000 or email us here.