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Posted on Monday, Sep 27, 2010

“Hitchhiking” May Extend Survival Time for Mesothelioma Patients

By Nancy Meredith
Many patients that are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma are told by their doctors to get their affairs in order and to reconnect with family and friends as they face a grim prognosis of just several months left to live.  Unwilling to accept this fate, patients are opting for aggressive treatments, clinical trials and even non-traditional cancer therapies to extend their lives.  CureToday calls this “hitchhiking” and says cancer patients have been able to extend their lives by moving from one treatment to another.

Although ongoing research is being conducted to find a cure for mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer typically affecting the lining of the lungs caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers, it is still considered to be an incurable disease in the medical community.  Recent breakthroughs and an increased knowledge among medical professionals, however, have improved both the survival time and the quality of life for some mesothelioma patients.

20 percent of U.S. cancer patients are diagnosed annually with an advanced stage of the disease.  Among these typically terminally ill patients, physicians are seeing a growing group living longer as they seek out the most current treatments.

Penny Damaskos, LCSW, coordinator and clinical supervisor in the department of social work at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, says once patients begin experiencing symptoms after being stable from one treatment, they will return to start another treatment or begin a clinical trial. Damaskos added “it’s not farfetched and fantasy to live with the hope that there will be another new treatment that may not cure them but will give them more time with less symptoms.”

While the average survival time varies from 4 – 18 months after diagnosis of mesothelioma, many factors determine the life expectancy. These factors include type and stage of mesothelioma, whether the patient has ever smoked, the lifestyle, diet and fitness level of the patient, as well as age, sex and family traits.

If you are one of the 3,000 Americans diagnosed with mesothelioma each year, clinical trials may offer the best available treatment as well as the opportunity to receive new, potentially more effective therapies.  For open clinical trials see ClinicalTrials.gov.