New Therapies

Researchers, doctors and others are constantly on the lookout for innovative methods for treating mesothelioma. The following treatment innovations, though not cures for mesothelioma, are promising new ways of helping to treat the disease.

• Alimta
  Alimta, when given with another chemotherapy drug called cisplatin, is a chemotherapy drug recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.
• Photodynamic Therapy
  Photodynamic therapy uses special drugs and a special type of light to kill cancer cells during surgery. A drug that makes cancer cells more sensitive to light is injected into the patient’s vein several days before surgery. During surgery, a special light is used to locate the cancer. This treatment is being studied for early stages of mesothelioma.
• Immunotherapy
  This type of treatment harnesses the body’s own immune system. Immunotherapy is currently being researched as a treatment for mesothelioma.
• Gene Therapy
  In studies of gene therapy for cancer, the goal is to increase the body’s natural ability to fight mesothelioma directly or to make the cancer cells more sensitive to other types of therapy.
• Brachytherapy
  Brachytherapy is radiation therapy applied from within the body as opposed to from outside the body. Radioactive sources are put in or near the site of the cancer, giving a high radiation dose to the tumor while reducing radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. This precision can help reduce side effects.
• Clinical Trials
  During a clinical trial or clinical research, researchers are studying human volunteers in an effort to answer specific health questions. Clinical trials help discover treatments that are effective in people as well as ways to improve health. Interventional trials help determine whether new treatments or new ways of using existing therapies are effective and safe under controlled environments. Observational trials are designed to address health concerns in larger groups of people or even in populations in natural settings. If you are interested in becoming part of a clinical trial, consult your doctor to find out if this would be an appropriate option in your case. For additional information about clinical trials, visit http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/info/whatisTypically, clinical drug trials are conducted in phases:
  
  • Phase I
    The first step in testing the effectiveness and safety of a new drug is known as a Phase I trial. Researchers seek to determine specific things about a given drug’s effect on the disease, as well how it affects the patient. Researchers are trying to ascertain the drug’s correct dosage, its safety profile and the side effects, among other things.
  • Phase II
    At Phase II trials, researchers select a relatively small number of patients in an effort to study the effects of a pre-determined dosage. Phase II studies also typically focus on a certain type of disease.
  • Phase III
    During Phase III trials, doctors and researchers will compare the value of the new, experimental drug against therapies already being used. Patients are typically randomly assigned to different therapeutic groups in order to cut the possibility of human bias. Phase III trials are often large, consisting of patients from across the country.