Mesothelioma: New Treatments

Anti-angiogenesis Drugs
This is a new approach to the treatment of malignant mesothelioma patients departing from the traditional methods like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy or combination of these three. Notwithstanding early detection and improved treatment, mesothelioma remains incurable and its effective treatment difficult. More is now known by the researchers regarding the different natures of normal and cancer cells that have led to development of drugs that reduce the adverse side effects of chemotherapy. One such group of drugs called Anti-angiogenesis drugs targets only the malignant tumor cells without adversely impacting the normal cells of the body thus avoiding side effects caused by chemotherapy drugs.

Immunotherapy
This therapy also known as biological therapy lends protection against mesothelioma by utilizing the immune system of the body. Body’s immune system has been found to discriminate between healthy and malignant cells and can eliminate the cancerous cells. This natural anti cancer functions of the body’s own immune system is enhanced and repaired by the immunotherapy to effectively treat mesothelioma patients. This therapy by using BRM (Biological Response Modifiers) improves the body’s defense against cancer by changing the interaction pattern between body’s immune system and cancer.

PDT
PDT or photodynamic therapy treats mesothelioma on the principle that by using photosensitive drugs, unicellular organisms can be destroyed as they cannot survive light of particular frequency. The malignant mesothelioma cells are destroyed in this therapy by exposing them to light of a fixed frequency that activates these photosensitive drugs deposited in body tissues. Intravenous injecting of the photosensitive drugs is done in PDT. After a few days, the drug gets concentrated only in cancerous cells which are then exposed to light from laser to activate the drug. The normal cells remain unaffected. PDT also has some side effects like skin and eye sensitivity caused due to injecting the body with photosensitizing agent. The patient has to be away from sunlight for quite sometime to avoid side effects of PDT.