Treating Mesothelioma - Gene Therapy

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Advancements in treating mesothelioma have resulted in the creation of a number of different treatment options and techniques that are available to all mesothelioma patients today. The types of treatment options and techniques for treating mesothelioma will, however, depend greatly on a variety of factors. These include the overall health and age of the patient and the heart and lung health, as well as the type of mesothelioma cancer cells, 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.

These and other factors can be tested using a wide range of procedures that will help bring the physician one step closer to designing the most effective treatment plan to help manage the patient’s mesothelioma. Diagnostic methods and procedures for diagnosing mesothelioma include physical examination; chest x-ray; complete blood count, or CBC; sedimentation rate; bronchoscopy; and a cytologic exam. A biopsy can also be performed. The different types of biopsy methods used include fine needle aspiration biopsy or FNA, thoracoscopy, laparotomy, and thoracotomy.

Once the type of mesothelioma, stage, 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. New mesothelioma treatments include gene therapy, photodynamic therapy or PDT, immunotherapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy or IMRT, and the development of new chemotherapy agents. Traditional mesothelioma treatments include: surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy or radiotherapy. In many cases a trimodality approach is employed, which means several treatments are combined for the best outcomes, for a better chance at long-term survival, and/or a better quality of life.

In the future gene therapy may be used in treating malignant mesothelioma in an attempt to correct cancer at the DNA level. It is typically used to treat fatal and disabling diseases. Replacement gene therapy replaces a missing or mutated gene with a healthy clone of the gene. This helps to manage cell growth and division.

It should be noted that the p53 gene is the most common gene mutated in cancer. This gene is at the center of gene replacement. While other newer methods have met with little success, p53 gene replacement shows promise in treating aggressive forms of cancer. It inhibits cell growth, it inhibits the development of the tumor’s blood supply (angiogenesis), and it induces cell death or apoptosis. Possible side effects of gene therapy may include nausea, vomiting, fever, and bleeding.

In addition to gene therapy, there are several other new asbestos cancer treatments available including angiogenesis therapies, antineoplaston therapy, mesothelioma clinical trials, interferon and interleukin therapy, and radiofrequency ablation. A wide variety of complementary and alternative mesothelioma treatments also exist such as herbal products, special diets, homeopathic medicine, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, high dose vitamin C, laetrile (amygdalin, extracted from fruit pits), and Eastern medicines.

New mesothelioma treatments such as gene therapy, as well as photodynamic therapy (PDT), and immunotherapy offer new hope for doctors and mesothelioma patients. Doctors, scientists, and researchers are attempting to further develop these new treatment modalities, with the hope that they will be successful where traditional treatments have failed. To date, these new treatments for mesothelioma have not quite measured up to traditional methods, but they are currently being used in conjunction with traditional methods and they are, of course, constantly being monitored and assessed.

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