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  • Home > Mesothelioma Treatments: Non-Traditional/Experimental Therapies

Mesothelioma Treatments: Non-Traditional/Experimental Therapies

Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer primarily caused by asbestos exposure typically affecting the lining of the lungs, is highly aggressive and is resistant to many standard cancer treatments making it a difficult disease to treat effectively.  The prognosis is usually grim: the average survival time varies from 4 – 18 months after diagnosis.

While the traditional therapies of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are still the primary modalities that doctors use in response to mesothelioma, there are other treatment options being investigated by researchers. These new techniques that are still in the experimental stage are most often not cures for the cancer, but  are the subject of clinical trials to improve the prognosis and relieve symptoms.

Mesothelioma Treatments: Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy destroys cancer cells by using the energy from light and may also be effective when combined with surgery. Although this treatment is in the experimental stage for pleural mesothelioma, it has shown promising results in treating other cancers. In the procedure, the patient receives a photosensitizer (a drug which makes cells sensitive to specific wavelengths of light) which collects in cancerous cells but not in healthy cells.

Once the cells have been sensitized, fiber optic cables are placed in the body (usually through open-chest surgery) so that the correct frequency of light can be focused on the tumor. This causes the photosensitizer drug to produce a toxic oxygen molecule which kills the cancer cell.

Mesothelioma Treatments: Gene Therapy

Gene therapy is a novel treatment strategy, currently in clinical trials for the management of a number of cancers. This approach allows treatment to target tumors, rather than destroying healthy cells which is the negative of traditional chemotherapy. In gene therapy, cancer is treated by altering genetic defects that allow a tumor to develop. A “suicide gene” is inserted directly into the tumor, making the cells sensitive to a normally ineffectual drug. The drug is then administered to the newly sensitive cancer cells and it destroys those cells while leaving the healthy cells unharmed.

Mesothelioma Treatments: Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy (or biological therapy) treats cancer by using the body’s own immune system to fight cancer cells. Another name often applies to this therapy: biological response modifiers (BRMs). Though not yet obtainable, promising clinical studies are underway for immunotherapy.

Contact a Belluck & Fox Asbestos Lawyer Today

If you have recently received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, are undergoing treatment or are suffering from symptoms of an asbestos-related disease due to asbestos exposure, you may be eligible to file claims or lawsuits for compensation from the companies responsible for your cancer.

The lawyers at Belluck & Fox pride themselves on their commitment and support to you when investigating your claims. While we can’t find cures or improve your prognosis, we can help you get the compensation you deserve through your litigation. From the initial meeting, your lawyer will explain your legal options and start the research and investigation into the companies named in your claims and lawsuits. We will stay with you throughout every phase of your litigation.

Explore your legal options today. You have a right to file a claim for compensation from those companies that knowingly placed you and your family at risk.

Contact Belluck & Fox so we can advise you of your legal options.

Related Information

For more treatment information, please read the following: