Mesothelioma Treatments

Mesothelioma Treatment

For your convenience, we have consolidated mesothelioma treatment information for your review. This section is updated on a weekly basis.
Conventional Therapies

Conventional mesothelioma therapies include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. You should keep in mind that if you choose one course of action for mesothelioma treatment, you may preclude other courses. All of your options should be considered as soon as possible.
Alternative Treatments

Many of those being treated for serious illness find comfort in different alternative therapies such as massage and acupuncture. These untraditional methods of disease management can complement conventional therapies and allow the patient to be more at peace and comfortable during this difficult time. Meditation and Yoga are common methods used by many to reach a state of relaxation, and release endorphins, our body's natural pain relievers.
Experimental Therapies

Several forms of mesothelioma treatment such as the drug Alimta®, gene therapy, immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy and multimodality therapy are still in their experimental stages. We invite you to read the following articles on experimental therapies for malignant mesothelioma.
Treatment by Stage

This section lists typical treatment strategies based on the stage (using the Butchart staging system) of a pleural mesothelioma.
Leading Doctors

We have become familiar with medical doctors who specialize in aggressively treating malignant mesothelioma. Some of these doctors will review your medical records for free to see if you are a candidate for their mesothelioma treatment protocol.
Cancer Centers

Top Cancer Centers for mesothelioma treatment have been listed alphabetically by state for your convenience. Listings include contact information and Web site links where available.
Clinical Trials

Information about current studies of promising new or experimental mesothelioma treatments.
Ask Your Doctor

As you deal with your cancer and the process of treatment, you need to have honest, open discussions with your cancer care team. We have listed some questions that you might want to ask in this section.
Medical Support for Veterans with Mesothelioma

A diagnosis of mesothelioma cancer is a devastating reality for a veteran and his or her family. There are many treatment options available for veterans, and many avenues for veterans seeking medical support.
Articles & Abstracts

Selected abstracts relating to malignant mesothelioma from PubMed, the National Library of Medicine's search service.
Resources

Links to helpful resources on the World Wide Web for victims of mesothelioma and their families.
Mesothelioma Alerts
Despite Onconase Trial Results Quintessence Moves Ahead

WTN News - Madison, WI
June 6, 2008

In an article posted in this column a few weeks ago, it was reported that researchers at Madison-based Quintessence Bioscience were waiting for the results of a Phase IIIb clinical trial from Alfacell Corp., a significant East Coast competitor, on an anti-cancer therapeutic compound, Onconase. QBI-139, Quintessence's lead drug candidate, is very similar to Onconase but has not yet gone through clinical testing.
A Case Report: Malignant Mesothelioma with Unexpected Contralateral Mediastinal Shift

7thSpace Interactive
May 1, 2008

An unusual clinical feature of mesothelioma is the presentation of contralateral mediastinal shift due to pleural mesothelioma tissue, rather than a pleural effusion.
Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy Developed by Renowned Surgeon

Mesothelioma.com
April 29, 2008

Dr. Paul Sugarbaker, renowned oncologic surgeon specializing in mesothelioma at the Washington Cancer Institute, developed a leading-edge surgical procedure to treat mesothelioma called heated intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy.
Comprehensive Approach for Treating Peritoneal Mesothelioma is Described

Cancer Consultants, ID
April 9, 2008

Researchers have reported that combination resection, intraperitoneal chemotherapy, and whole abdominal radiation therapy is effective for treating malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.
Source

National Cancer Institute - Treatment Options for Malignant Mesothelioma
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/malignantmesothelioma/Patient/page5