Sunday, July 13, 2008
New approaches to treat malignant mesothelioma are currently being
tested. They often combine traditional treatments or include something
entirely new. They include:* Angiogenesis and Anti-angiogenesis
DrugsAlthough progress has been made in the early detection of cancer,
and in improved treatment options once cancer is diagnosed, there are
still many cancers, including mesothelioma, which can not be cured and
remain difficult to treat effectively. In recent years, researchers
have learned a great deal about how cancer cells differ from normal
cells and, in an effort to find drugs without the potentially severe
side effects of chemotherapy, have now discovered drugs which target
the tumor itself while sparing the body's normal cells. One such group
are the anti-angiogenesis drugs.Learn more about anti-angiogenesis
agents in the treatment of mesothelioma.* Immunotherapy, sometimes
called biological therapy, uses the body's own immune system to
protect itself against disease. Researchers have found that the immune
system may be able to recognize the difference between healthy cells
and cancer cells, and eliminate those that become cancerous.
Immunotherapy is designed to repair, stimulate, or enhance the immune
system's natural anticancer function.Substances used in immunotherapy,
called biological response modifiers (BRMs) alter the interaction
between the body's immune defenses and cancer, thereby improving the
body's ability to fight disease. Some BRMs, such as cytokines and
antibodies, occur naturally in the body, however, it is now possible
to make BRMs in the laboratory that can imitate or influence natural
immune response agents. These BRMs may:o Enhance the immune system to
fight cancer cell growth.o Eliminate, regulate, or suppress body
responses that permit cancer growth.o Make cancer cells more
susceptible to destruction by the immune system.o Alter cancer cell's
growth patterns to behave like normal cells.o Block or reverse the
process that changes a normal cell into a cancer cell.o Prevent a
cancer cell from spreading to other sites.Many BRMs are currently
being used in cancer treatment, including interferons, interleukins,
tumor necrosis factor, colony-stimulating factors, monoclonal
antibodies, and cancer vaccines.More on immunotherapy for
mesothelioma.* Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a type of cancer
treatment based on the premise that single-celled organisms, if first
treated with certain photosensitive drugs, will die when exposed to
light at a particular frequency. PDT destroys cancerous cells by using
this fixed frequency light to activate photosensitizing drugs which
have accumulated in body tissues.In PDT, a photosensitizing drug is
administered intravenously. Within a specific time frame (usually a
matter of days), the drug selectively concentrates in diseased cells,
while rapidly being eliminated from normal cells. The treated cancer
cells are then exposed to a laser light chosen for its ability to
activate the photosensitizing agent. This laser light is delivered to
the cancer site, (in the case of mesothelioma, the pleura), through a
fiberoptic device that allows the laser light to be manipulated by the
physician. As the agent in the treated cells absorbs the light, an
active form of oxygen destroys the surrounding cancer cells. The light
exposure must be carefully timed, so that it occurs when most of the
photosensitizing drug has left the healthy cells, but is still present
in cancerous ones.The major side effect of PDT is skin sensitivity.
Patients undergoing this type of therapy are usually advised to avoid
direct and even indirect sunlight for at least six weeks. Other side
effects may include nausea, vomiting, a metallic taste in the mouth,
and eye sensitivity to light. These symptoms may sometimes come as a
result of the injection of the photosensitizing agent.* Gene therapy
is an approach to treating potentially fatal or disabling diseases by
modifying the expression of an individual's genes toward a therapeutic
goal. The premise of gene therapy is based on correcting disease at
the DNA level and compensating for the abnormal genes.
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