Saturday, September 5, 2009

Mesothelioma Treatment Options for Malignant Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma treatment options for malignant mesothelioma can relieve
pain and provide hope for the future. In many cases, new mesothelioma
treatment options can increase mesothelioma life expectancy beyond
original expectations. Even if advanced malignant mesothelioma has
reached a seemingly incurable stage, participating in clinical trials
gives a breath of hope to the future generations of mesothelioma
cancer patients.

Treatment for malignant mesothelioma can start with surgery, although
this is not always recommended in mesothelioma treatment options since
older patients may have a difficult time with surgery. The objective
is to remove the tumor, or at least most of it, and slow down the
disease. With advanced mesothelioma, the tumor has often tragically
spread throughout the body and has invaded life-giving organs, making
surgery more risky than living with cancer itself. However in the
early stages of malignant mesothelioma, a localized tumor is more
likely to be successfully removed.

Radical surgery is a mesothelioma treatment option for advanced
malignant mesothelioma that has been used in small clinical trials,
but has resulted in almost half the patients (48%) living at least
five years past their predetermined mesothelioma life expectancy date.
"Extrapleural pneumonectomy" involves removing the internal body parts
that mesothelioma cancer cells love to invade. Surgery removes the
parietal pleura (pleural mesothelioma), the pericardium (pericardial
mesothelioma) and the diaphragm, as well as the removal of a lung.
This surgery is combined with pre and post operative chemotherapy and
radiotherapy. Cancer Research UK is funding a "MARS" clinical trial
(mesothelioma and radical surgery) to formally undergo pilot testing.
Since the patients must be followed for five years, the results are
not yet available and the success of these mesothelioma treatment
options has yet to be discovered. UK medical reports do claim that US
trial results have thus far demonstrated that a heavier dose of
radiotherapy after the EPP surgery extends mesothelioma life
expectancy.

Mesothelioma treatment options almost always include chemotherapy.
Progress is seen in mesothelioma treatment when chemotherapy is
combined with drug therapy. There are clinical trials for mesothelioma
treatment options around the world that are seeking to find the
chemotherapy and drug mix that can prolong mesothelioma life
expectancy. Clinical trials are listed at many cancer organizations
and research hospitals, and many seek mesothelioma patients wanting
mesothelioma treatment options for advanced malignant mesothelioma. In
advanced malignant mesothelioma, participating in a clinical trial can
be a lifesaving mesothelioma treatment option.

Mesothelioma treatment options for advanced malignant mesothelioma can
also be found in clinical trials for anti-angiogenic therapy.
Anti-angiogenic mesothelioma treatment options are biological
therapies that revolve around blood vessel growth. A cancer needs its
own blood supply to grow. Two primary chemicals contribute to growth,
VEGF and FGF-2. Mesothelioma patients with advanced malignant
mesothelioma have higher levels of VEGF compared to patients suffering
from other cancers. The theory the clinical trials are hoping to prove
is that blocking VEFG will stop the blood vessel growth that supports
the cancer growth.

Mesothelioma treatment options for malignant mesothelioma also
includes clinical trials in phototherapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy
and other therapies. Medical specialists are scrambling to find the
mesothelioma treatment options for malignant mesothelioma that can
protect and cure the projected increase in mesothelioma patients of
the future. Participating in clinical trials can extend mesothelioma
life expectancy and provide hope for future generations.

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