Mesothelioma Cancer Research - Malignant Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma Cancer Research
Mesothelioma cancer research plays an integral role in the development and implementation of new treatment modalities designed to combat malignant mesothelioma, a fatal cancer that has thus far been incurable. Traditional methods used to treat mesothelioma are similar to those used to treat other cancer types and include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Mesothelioma research has been focused on the development of new chemotherapy drugs. Newly developed drugs must endure a clinical trial process that culminates with approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and commercial distribution rights. Mesothelioma clinical trials that have recently garnered a great deal of attention include those involving Alimta (pemetrexed), Onconase (ranpirnase) and Veglin.
Clinical Trials
Any drug that is developed must endure the clinical trial process before it can be distributed. Clinical trials are separated into four phases:
Phase I: the first phase of any clinical trial involves testing the newly developed drug in the treatment of a small group of people, while simultaneously measuring its safety, dosage range and any side effects.
Phase 2: the second phase of any clinical trial involves testing the drug on a larger group of people.
Phase 3: the third phase of any clinical trial involves comparing the drug to commonly used treatments in order to determine its effectiveness versus that of standard treatment modalities.
(A drug is approved by the FDA between Phase 3 and Phase 4)
Phase 4: the fourth and final phase of any clinical trial follows FDA approval. The drug is branded and marketed for distribution. Long-term studies monitor any latent side effects.
Clinical trials are not reserved for the testing of drugs; rather, they can include testing for newly developed treatment modalities. In the case of malignant mesothelioma, some of the newer mesothelioma treatments to undergo clinical trial testing include gene therapy, immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).
Mesothelioma Support
Sources of mesothelioma support include family and friends who can help sufferers deal with the emotional and physical strains that take their toll throughout the diagnostic and treatment process.
Mesothelioma treatment centers provide a unique environment through which one or more highly specialized mesothelioma therapies are administered. Mesothelioma sufferers not wishing to undergo traditional methods of treatment can take a more proactive approach that can include tri-modal therapy (combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy), extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery (removal of the pleura and affected lung) or decortication (partial removal of an internal organ).
The average post-diagnosis survival time for mesothelioma sufferers is between one and two years, suggesting why many patients opt to pursue a more proactive and aggressive type of treatment.
Mesothelioma Metastasis
The most common type of malignant mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, a cancer that causes tumor growth on the mesothelial tissue lining the lung cavity (pleura). Pleural mesothelioma is often detected after a sufferer visits a doctor complaining of chronic chest pain; this pain is the result of fluid buildup inside the pleural space and is called pleural effusion.
Pleural mesothelioma is often misconstrued to be a type of lung cancer because of the disease’s close proximity to the lungs. Pleural mesothelioma metastasis can lead to the development of a secondary lung cancer; however, such a secondary lung cancer would be a disease of its own, completely removed from the mesothelioma cancer of the pleura.
A great deal more information regarding mesothelioma types and causes can be accessed through one of our many mesothelioma links.