| |

Five New Year’s Resolutions All Mesothelioma Patients Should Make

ByAlex Strauss
new year's resolutions

For people who received a mesothelioma diagnosis in recent years, making new year’s resolutions can seem like a futile thing to do. 

But mental health experts say healthy resolutions can help us focus on the future and stay positive. Positive mesothelioma patients may experience less pain and enjoy a higher quality of life. In light of that, here are five new year’s resolutions for mesothelioma patients to consider.

New Year’s Resolution #1 – Look for clinical trials

There is no cure for malignant mesothelioma. Even the best standard treatments, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are often only minimally effective. 

One of the best ways for mesothelioma patients to connect with new and emerging treatments is to participate in a mesothelioma clinical trial. Providers often let patients know about open clinical trials for which they might qualify. But patients can search, too. Clinicaltrials.gov is the best place to start searching for a mesothelioma clinical trial. 

New Year’s Resolution #2 – Be honest about pain

One of the most common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma is chest pain. As mesothelioma spreads across the membrane around the lungs, it becomes harder and more painful for the lungs to expand. Patients with the peritoneal form of mesothelioma may experience abdominal pain. 

Many patients come to regard this pain as inevitable. But pain-relieving technologies and medications are evolving. 

Palliative medicine is a branch of medicine focused on relieving symptoms like pain. If you or a family member is experiencing life-limiting pain because of mesothelioma or treatment, resolve to talk to your doctor about palliative options. 

New Year’s Resolution #3 – Stay active

Malignant mesothelioma and its treatment can be draining. But there is good evidence that patients who manage to stay active through their treatment have the best outcomes. 

A 2018 Australian study showed exercise helped mesothelioma patients battle issues like fatigue, poor sleep, depression, and reduced appetite. Exercise can also strengthen the immune system and reduce nausea. 

Australia’s Clinical Oncology Society calls exercise “a safe and effective intervention” for dealing with the adverse effects of mesothelioma. The COSA guidelines recommend at least two-and-a-half hours of moderate exercise each week. They also recommend two to three weekly resistance exercises. 

New Year’s Resolution #4 – Pay attention to diet

Nutrition has a direct impact on quality of life for mesothelioma patients. A 2019 study of 4,500 mesothelioma patients found that malnourished patients had the worst treatment outcomes. 

Previous studies have shown that patients with the best nutritional status live longer with mesothelioma. The 2019 nutrition study found that more than half of older mesothelioma patients were malnourished. 

Cancer experts recommend a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and lean proteins to maintain nutritional status during mesothelioma treatment. Learn more about lifestyle and dietary habits for mesothelioma in “Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers” by Paul Kraus.

New Year’s Resolution #5 – Keep yourself informed

Mesothelioma is not curable yet. But researchers around the world are continually searching for a way to combat asbestos cancer. Every week, scientists publish new information that could lead to new mesothelioma treatments.

Patients and their loved ones should resolve to advocate for themselves by staying informed about new studies. Surviving Mesothelioma is committed to bringing you the very latest mesothelioma research news.  Check back regularly to learn about new and emerging treatments and theories. 

Source: 

Cormie, P, et al, “Clinical Oncology Society of Australia position statement on exercise in cancer care”, May 7, 2018, The Medical Journal of Australia, Epub ahead of print

De Pinho, NB, et al, “High prevalence of malnutrition and nutrition impact symptoms in older patients with cancer: Results of a Brazilian multicenter study”, September 9, 2019, Cancer, Epub ahead of print, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cncr.32437

“What is Palliative Care?”, https://getpalliativecare.org/whatis/

Similar Posts

Chemical in Wine May Improve Mesothelioma Treatment
|

Chemical in Wine May Improve Mesothelioma Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

There’s new evidence that a compound found in red wine may help improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Last year, a team of Korean researchers released the world’s first study on the mesothelioma-fighting power of resveratrol, a natural phenol derived from the skin of red grapes and found in red wine and grape juice. Now, the same team says resveratrol also appears to enhance the chemosensitivity of malignant mesothelioma cells. Study author Yoon-Jin Lee and colleagues discovered  a synergistic cancer-fighting effect in mesothelioma cells treated with both resveratrol and clofarabine, a prescription drug often used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Together, resveratrol and clofarabine “induced a strong cytotoxic effect” by influencing levels of the tumor suppressor,…

Mesothelioma Symptoms May Benefit from Tuberculosis Drugs
|

Mesothelioma Symptoms May Benefit from Tuberculosis Drugs

ByAlex Strauss

Pleural effusion is the one of most uncomfortable and life-limiting symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. The buildup of fluid in the pleural space around the lungs, which can happen in late stage mesothelioma as well as several other types of cancer, limits breathing and can be painful. Effusion is often one of the primary reasons that mesothelioma patients in the late stages of the disease have trouble taking a full breath and complain of chest pain and fatigue. While pleural fluid can be drained off through thoracentesis or chemically absorbed through pleurodesis, these treatments are painful, risky, and not always effective. Now, a team of researchers in China say they may have discovered a non-invasive method for dealing with pleural effusion caused…

Green Tea, Vitamin C, Chemo Fight Mesothelioma ‘Synergistically’
|

Green Tea, Vitamin C, Chemo Fight Mesothelioma ‘Synergistically’

ByAlex Strauss

Another study has found that the beneficial compounds in green tea may be powerful mesothelioma fighters – especially when combined with other drugs and nutrients. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant polyphenol in green tea and is a potent antioxidant. A number of studies have suggested that it may help the body combat various types of cancer, including mesothelioma. Recently, a group of Italian mesothelioma researchers combined EGCG with Vitamin C and a chemotherapy drug called gemcitabine to create a treatment combination called AND (Active Nutrients/Drug). To test the mixture, they administered AND to various mesothelioma cell lines in the laboratory. The result was a “synergistic cytotoxic mechanism”, meaning the ingredients in AND seemed to increase each other’s cancer-fighting properties…

Green Tea Component Fights Mesothelioma
|

Green Tea Component Fights Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Another study appears to confirm the idea that a compound found in green tea may be a powerful tool for combatting malignant pleural mesothelioma. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a potent antioxidant found in abundance in green (though, not black) tea. It has long been thought to help fight cancer and other diseases by reducing the so-called free radicals produced during oxidative stress. Now, a new study conducted in Japan and published in Cancer Cell International finds that EGCG triggered cell death in five different human mesothelioma cell lines by doing just the opposite. “We found that EGCG induced apoptosis (cell death) in all five mesothelioma cell lines in a dose-dependent manner,” write the authors in a summary of their findings. “We further…

Medicinal Plant for Mesothelioma?
|

Medicinal Plant for Mesothelioma?

ByAlex Strauss

A new study suggests that a plant used for centuries in Indian Ayurvedic medicine may be a powerful weapon in the fight against deadly malignant mesothelioma. The bioactive compound Withaferin A (WA) is isolated from the root of Withania somnifera, a plant in the nightshade family also known as Indian ginseng.  A number of previous scientific studies have found evidence to suggest that WA has anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulatory, anti-angiogenic, and anti-cancer properties. In the latest study, published online in the open-access peer-reviewed journal PLos One, researchers at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit tested the compound in live mice (in vivo) as well as in mesothelioma cells taken from human patients (in vitro). Their objective was to determine whether WA would have…

Mesothelioma Patients May Be Low in Antioxidants
|

Mesothelioma Patients May Be Low in Antioxidants

ByAlex Strauss

New research suggests that the antioxidant vitamins found in abundance in fruits and vegetable may have a protective effect against malignant pleural mesothelioma. The news comes from a University in Turkey, where environmentally-induced mesothelioma is alarmingly common due to high erionite content in some small towns. Erionite is a naturally-occurring mineral that is structurally similar to asbestos, the primary cause of mesothelioma around the world. Erionite not only exists in the soil in these Turkish towns, but is also incorporated into hundreds of homes built from erionite-laden rocks. In an effort to evaluate whether or not certain key antioxidant vitamins might protect people against the deadly cancer, Turkish researchers enrolled 160 subjects, 42 of whom had been diagnosed with malignant pleural…