Treating Mesothelioma – Chemotherapy - Navelbine

Treating mesothelioma depends on the overall health and age of the patient, the heart and lung health, the type of mesothelioma cancer cells and how they appear under a microscope, the stage of the mesothelioma, the size of the tumor, the amount of fluid in the abdomen or chest, and whether or not the mesothelioma has been diagnosed recently or if it has recurred. To determine these and other factors, a number of tests and procedures may be used such as a physical examination, a chest x-ray, a complete blood count or CBC, sedimentation rate, a bronchoscopy, or a cytologic exam. A biopsy such as a fine needle aspiration biopsy or FNA, thoracoscopy, laparotomy, or thoracotomy may also be performed.

As mentioned, treating mesothelioma also depends on the stage of the disease. In order to determine if a cancer patient is in one of the four stages including stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, or stage 4, doctors must follow one of several different staging systems currently being used to determine the severity of the disease. These staging systems include: the Butchart Staging System, the TNM Staging System, and the Brigham Staging System. Each system uses the four different stages criteria to determine the level of the disease.

Once the stage, type of mesothelioma, and overall health of the patient have been determined, the doctor will explore the various treatment methods. The treatments and methods used for treating mesothelioma can be divided into two types: traditional mesothelioma treatments and new mesothelioma treatments. Traditional mesothelioma treatments include: surgery (pleurectomy/decortication or P/D, extrapleural pneumonectomy, pleurodesis, peritonectomy), chemotherapy (anti-cancer drugs such as Navelbine, which are usually injected into a vein), and radiation therapy or radiotherapy.

Navelbine, also “Vinorelbine” or “Vinorelbine Tartrate” is classified as a plant alkaloid and it is typically used for non-small cell lung cancer as well as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and Hodgkin’s disease. Navelbine is available in a clear, intravenously administered fluid and in capsule form, taken orally. In either case, the administration of Navelbine must be carefully monitored by a physician and patients must follow a strict regimen of dosage.

Chemotherapy may involve several types of anti-cancer drugs either injected directly into the lungs, taken in pill form or intravenously. Because different chemotherapy drugs work in different ways, it is common to mix several types of chemotherapy drugs to best target cancerous growth.

Navelbine works specifically by inhibiting the development of cell structures; without microtubule structures, cells do not function properly and die. Essentially, Navelbine tells the cell to develop without this crucial element, causing the cell to abort, halting further growth. Used in combination with a drug, such as Cisplatin, that shrinks cancerous tissue, Navelbine can effectively reduce cancer and work toward remission in a patient.  Navelbine is just one option in the arsenal against mesothelioma.

Navelbine, like all chemotherapy drugs, may disrupt the growth of cancer cells in patients with malignant mesothelioma. Unfortunately, Navelbine can damage normal healthy cells as well and can cause unpleasant side effects ranging from hair loss and nausea to anemia and hemorrhaging.

New mesothelioma treatments include gene therapy, photodynamic therapy or PDT, immunotherapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy or IMRT, the development of new chemotherapy agents, angiogenesis therapies, antineoplaston therapy, mesothelioma clinical trials, interferon and interleukin therapy, and radiofrequency ablation.

'Treating Mesothelioma – Chemotherapy - Navelbine' Resources:
  1. Chemocare.com, a program of the Scott Hamilton CARES initiative, Chemotherapy Drugs - "Navelbine
  2. Cancer Backup, Cancerbackup.org.uk - "Vinorelbine (Navelbine®) "
  3. Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference (35th edition). Eds. Sweetman et al. Pharmaceutical Press, 2006.
  4. The David Law Firm, MesotheliomaWeb.org - "Resources for Mesothelioma Patients"