Author: Alex Strauss

Alternatives | Chemotherapy | New Studies | Research | Treatments

Clinical Trials Often the Best Option for Malignant Mesothelioma
ByAlex Strauss February 2, 2018

Newly-diagnosed patients with malignant mesothelioma are forced to face a harsh reality early on in their cancer journey – there is no universally effective treatment for this aggressive cancer. In fact, as a highly resistant malignancy, mesothelioma is often unresponsive to even the “gold standard” treatment combination of pemetrexed (Alimta) and cisplatin. But that does not mean that mesothelioma patients do not have options. Clinical trials, the tools scientists use to test promising new mesothelioma treatments, are a good alternative for many patients. Clinical Trials of New Mesothelioma Treatments Although there can be a stigma around drug testing on human subjects, the FDA’s rules governing clinical trials today are strict. No drug can be used on a human subject until…

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Chemotherapy | New Drugs | New Studies | Research | Treatments

Mesothelioma Treatment May Be More Effective Without This Enzyme
ByAlex Strauss January 30, 2018

An international team of researchers has published data they believe could dramatically boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy for malignant mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is a highly lethal, asbestos-linked cancer. One of the reasons it is so difficult to cure is that it is resistant to all of the standard cancer drugs. Now, scientists with the University of New Mexico, the University of Kansas, and Semmelweis University in Hungary say they managed to make mesothelioma cells much more susceptible to chemotherapy drugs in the lab by also administering a drug designed to inhibit cellular expression of an enzyme called AXL. Enzyme “Protects” Mesothelioma Cells from Chemotherapy AXL is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor expressed on the surface of cells. It is one of…

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Multi-Modality Therapy | Radiation Therapy | Treatments

Proton Therapy for Mesothelioma: A Safer Radiation Treatment?
ByAlex Strauss January 27, 2018January 27, 2018

The idea that proton therapy may be a safer alternative to radiotherapy for the asbestos-linked cancer malignant pleural mesothelioma is coming into question in light of recent research. A newly published study of proton therapy in patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer, a cancer with many similarities to mesothelioma, showed no difference between proton-based and standard photon-based radiotherapy in terms of lung toxicity or outcomes. The randomized trial was conducted at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas and involved 149 non-small cell lung cancer patients who received comparable doses of either proton therapy or intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Proton Therapy and Pleural Mesothelioma Although the standard of care for pleural mesothelioma is chemotherapy, many mesothelioma patients also undergo radiotherapy,…

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Chemotherapy | Europe | Holistic | International | New Studies | Research | Treatments

Managing Taste and Smell Changes During Mesothelioma Treatment
ByAlex Strauss January 24, 2018

If you are a mesothelioma patient dealing with changes in how you taste or smell your food, you are not alone. A new study of lung cancer patients in the same situation suggests that healthcare professionals could be doing more to help. Treatment-related changes in taste and smell are common among people with malignant mesothelioma and other types of cancer. Chemotherapy can change a person’s ability to recognize certain familiar smells and tastes. Mesothelioma patients often report no longer liking the flavor of certain foods that they have always found appealing. Others may begin to gravitate toward foods (such as spicy or sweet things) they they did not like in the past. Radiotherapy treatment for mesothelioma can also interfere with…

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Multi-Modality Therapy | New Studies | Prognosis | Research | Statistics | Surgery | Treatments

Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment Disparities Seen in Lung Cancer Patients, Too
ByAlex Strauss January 21, 2018

A new study on treatment disparities among lung cancer patients reflects a trend that has been documented among mesothelioma patients, as well; patients who are black or economically disadvantaged are less likely to get potentially life-saving treatments. Like non-small cell lung cancer, pleural mesothelioma affects the lungs. The standard of care is for patients to have a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. For malignant mesothelioma patients as well as those with lung cancer, surgery may also be recommended. But a study conducted by researchers at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia finds that the standard treatments are often not offered to elderly patients, especially if they are black and live in a poor area. Elderly Lung Cancer Patients May Miss Out…

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New Studies | Prognosis | Research | Surgery | Symptoms | Treatments

Mesothelioma Survival After Talc Pleurodesis
ByAlex Strauss January 21, 2018

Pleural mesothelioma patients considering pleurodesis for excess lung fluid should know that there is very little data on how this procedure may affect survival or even quality of life. That is the conclusion of researchers at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York. Scientists with the Institute for Translational Epidemiology combed the medical literature for studies demonstrating mesothelioma survival after talc pleurodesis for lung fluid buildup. They did not find much useful information. Given how often the procedure is used to treat lung fluid accumulation in mesothelioma patients, they say more study is needed to help patients and doctors to make more informed decisions. Talc Pleurodesis in Pleural Mesothelioma Talc pleurodesis is one of the methods used to alleviate pleural…

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Chemotherapy | Immunotherapy | Mesothelioma Breaking News | New Studies | Research | Treatments

Another Win for Mesothelioma Immunotherapy Drug Keytruda
ByAlex Strauss January 16, 2018

There has been another win for one of the most promising new drugs for mesothelioma, the immunotherapy drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab). The makers of Keytruda today announced that, when combined with the mesothelioma drug Alimta (pemetrexed) and the platinum-based drug cisplatin, it significantly extended the survival of lung cancer patients. According to Bloomberg, the news will likely make Keytruda an even more popular choice among immunotherapy drugs, which are believed to offer the greatest chance for curing cancers such as lung cancer and malignant pleural mesothelioma. Keytruda and Cancer Survival Keytruda inhibits a protein called PD-1, which is produced by lung cancer and mesothelioma tumors as a way to evade detection by the immune system. PD-1 inhibitors have become an important…

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Alternatives | Europe | Holistic | International | New Drugs | Treatments

Long-Term Mesothelioma Survival with Mistletoe Extract
ByAlex Strauss January 13, 2018

Mesothelioma researchers are calling for more study of compounds extracted from European mistletoe after a German pleural mesothelioma patient survived for more than four years with no other treatment. Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Although many different types of new mesothelioma treatments are under investigation, there is no cure. An Alternative Mesothelioma Treatment? Most mesothelioma patients receive some combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation. But a new report in the Journal of Thoracic Disease suggests that long-term mesothelioma survival might be possible with an alternative treatment modality called viscum album extracts (VAE). VAE is extracted from the European mistletoe plant and is known to stimulate the immune system, downregulate cancer genes, and inhibit the…

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Europe | International | Multi-Modality Therapy | New Studies | Research | Treatments

Radical Multi-Modal Mesothelioma Treatment: Is it Worth It?
ByAlex Strauss January 10, 2018

A team of Egyptian researchers is calling on mesothelioma doctors and patients to rethink their approach to treating this aggressive, asbestos-linked cancer. Scientists with Ain Shams University in Cairo conducted a review of studies on radical multi-modality approaches to malignant mesothelioma treatment and concluded that, despite what some other studies seem to suggest, this may not always be the best approach. What Are Radical Multi-Modal Mesothelioma Treatments? The standard treatment for malignant mesothelioma – and one which almost every mesothelioma patient receives – is platinum-based chemotherapy. In the US, most patients have a combination of pemetrexed (Alimta) and cisplatin. But many patients also have at least one other type of mesothelioma treatment, such as surgery, radiation, immunotherapy, or photodynamic (light-based)…

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Alternatives | Europe | International | New Studies | Prevention | Research

Could Tanning Beds Help Prevent Mesothelioma?
ByAlex Strauss January 7, 2018

Italian researchers have released a controversial report suggesting that, despite the fact that tanning beds have been associated with an increased risk of skin cancer, they might actually reduce the risk of other cancers such as malignant mesothelioma. In an article in the journal Advances in Clinical Chemistry, researchers from the University of Verona and the Academic Hospital of Parma are calling for large, randomized studies to “establish whether the unfavorable effects of indoor tanning exposure on skin cancers may be outweighed by the still unexplored benefits attributable to amelioration of vitamin D status.” The Connection Between Vitamin D and Mesothelioma A number of studies have already documented a strong association between levels of vitamin D in the blood serum…

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