Immunotherapy treatments are becoming known alternatives to chemotherapy in cancer patients who have had little success with traditional cancer treatments. With mesothelioma, often times first line treatments have little effect because the cancer is typically in the advanced stages by the time it is detected. While there currently is no[…]
Novel Treatments & Drugs
Determining and Prolonging Survival Rates In Mesothelioma
The average survival rate for mesothelioma after diagnosis is less than one year; however, certain individuals will survive longer than others, but the reason as to why this is, is largely unknown. The latest study to be published in Histopathology investigates what it is in the body that determines a[…]
Trimodality Therapy Increases Survival; Immunotherapy Treatment Approved by FDA
Since mesothelioma is often difficult to treat, scientists and researchers look to combination treatments and therapies to improve chances of patients’ survival. There is no “one” treatment that is used across the board in treating mesothelioma, because patients react differently, whether it is to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or surgery.[…]
Two Potential Mesothelioma Treatments Have No Positive Effect
Tremelimumab Earlier in the spring of 2017, scientists and researchers from the University of Salford in the UK published a special report questioning the effectiveness of the new immunotherapy treatment known as tremelimumab. Trials of the check point inhibitor did not show promising results and there was concern about the[…]
Improvements in Radiation Therapies Give More Treatment Options
When it comes to different treatments for mesothelioma patients, there is no shortage of diversity, as options include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, immune-based therapies, gene-based therapies, and more. Chemotherapy treatments cisplatin and pemetrexed are first line treatments, especially among those who do not quality for surgery. Radiation treatment is available, but[…]
Mesothelioma Patients Receive Zoledronic Acid as Treatment
Known as a bisphosphonate, zoledronic acid is typically used for bone diseases such as osteoporosis, and to treat high calcium levels in the blood that can lead to other health complications. Nitrogen containing bisphosphonates like zoledronic acid are known to have cancer suppressing qualities, and scientists and researchers were eager[…]
Giving Cediranib Another Chance
A Phase I study for cediranib, a VEGFR/PDGFR kinase inhibitor, showed promising results in shrinking tumor size and increasing survival rates for those suffering from malignant pleural mesothelioma. This is not the first time cediranib has been studied as a possible treatment for mesothelioma. In 2011/2012 a Phase II trial[…]
Calretinin More Effective Than Mesothelin in Detecting Mesothelioma Early
Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer that is difficult to diagnose because symptoms often mimic other diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis or lung cancer. Pathology reports and biopsies help distinguish this cancer from other illnesses, but often patients will have already developed more serious symptoms because the cancer has[…]
Success in Lung Cancer Treatment Gives Hope to Mesothelioma Patients
The latest success concerning a treatment for non- small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has scientists and researchers hopeful that the same treatment can be applied to mesothelioma victims. The Phase III trial for Alecensa (alectinib), while currently not recruiting participants, is on-going and results thus far have shown to be[…]
Nintedanib and Pembrolizumab – Hope for Mesothelioma Patients
The latest findings in cancer treatments for the often fatal mesothelioma have scientists and researchers hopeful that they are one step closer in finding a consistent, effective treatment for the asbestos-caused cancer. The LUME-Meso Phase II trial for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma focused on the administration of the triple angiokinase[…]
