Mesothelioma Treatment Options - Malignant Mesothelioma Sufferers

Mesothelioma Treatment Options - Chemotherapy

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There are a number of mesothelioma treatment options available for sufferers of malignant mesothelioma; unfortunately, none have been able to successfully treat the serious disease. Malignant mesothelioma is a latent cancer that does not present symptoms until the disease has reached an advanced stage. The average post-diagnosis survival time for malignant mesothelioma sufferers is between one and two years.

There are two categories of mesothelioma treatments; traditional mesothelioma treatment options and new mesothelioma treatment options. Traditional methods of treatment include:

Traditional mesothelioma treatment options are the same methods used to treat other types of cancer. Whereas traditional methods have had success in treating some cancers, they have been unsuccessful in treating malignant mesothelioma.

New mesothelioma treatment options are continuously implemented with the hope of succeeding where traditional methods of treatment have failed; thus far they have not been any more successful. New mesothelioma treatment options include:

Of the new mesothelioma treatments, research and development of new chemotherapy drugs has seen the greatest amount of attention.

Mesothelioma Chemotherapy

Mesothelioma chemotherapy is the treatment of malignant mesothelioma using anticancer drugs. Chemotherapy treatments have long been used to treat a wide-variety of diseases, like more traditional types of cancer. Although traditional chemotherapy treatments have experienced some success, new mesothelioma chemotherapy treatments have yet to be successful. Three new chemotherapy drugs currently garnering a great deal of attention are Alimta, Veglin and Onconase.

Alimta is the brand name for pemetrexed, a folate antimetabolites chemotherapy drug used for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. Alimta inhibits three enzymes essential in the formation of DNA and RNA. This inhibition prevents cell growth and stops cancer metastasis (spread).

When used as a single agent, pemetrexed is indicated for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. When pemetrexed is combined with platinum-based cisplatin (traditional chemotherapy drug), it is the only FDA approved drug used for the specific treatment of malignant mesothelioma.

Veglin is an anti-angiogenesis chemotherapy drug that was developed by VasGene Therapeutics, Inc. for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. Veglin targets a family of proteins called vascular endothelial growth factors, inhibiting blood vessel development, and with it, tumor growth. Veglin is undergoing phase II clinical trials for use with patients suffering from malignant mesothelioma, renal cell carcinoma, leukemia and lymphoma.

Onconase is the brand name for Ranpirnase, a ribonuclease protein that helps to enhance the effects of conventional chemotherapy treatments. Onconase destroys RNA, interrupting protein synthesis and inhibiting cell growth (while initiating programmed cellular death). Onconase is developed from the eggs of Rana Pipiens (leopard frogs) and is believed to be useful in the treatment of cardiovascular disease and HIV treatment in addition to its mesothelioma treatment applications.

The University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine is responsible for a great deal of cancer research, currently performing clinical trials for the new chemotherapy drug, Veglin.

Mesothelioma Info

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. This rare disease affects the mesothelial tissue lining three large body cavities; the lung cavity (pleura), the abdominal cavity (peritoneum) and the heart sac (pericardium). Cases of malignant mesothelioma are typed in accordance with the affected mesothelial tissue section:

Looking for more mesothelioma information? Check out one of our other mesothelioma information resources.

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