Improving Life Quality for Mesothelioma Patients: Lessons from Non-Drug Treatments
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Improving Life Quality for Mesothelioma Patients: Lessons from Non-Drug Treatments

ByHolly Zink

Living with mesothelioma is hard and researchers are trying to find ways to make life better. A recent study looked into non-drug treatments to help people with mesothelioma. The results of this study bring hope and support to those dealing with mesothelioma. Understanding the Study Figuring out how mesothelioma affects daily life is tricky. Traditional studies have a hard time finding the best treatments. So, researchers used a special method called network meta-analysis to dig deeper into non-drug options. This new study focused on 13 different non-drug treatments. Researchers looked through English databases until January 2019. They searched for terms related to these treatments. Researchers wanted to see how each treatment affected the quality of life for patients with advanced…

Improving the Health and Lifestyle of Mesothelioma Patients
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Improving the Health and Lifestyle of Mesothelioma Patients

ByHolly Zink

Mesothelioma patients often have bad health outcomes and poor health-related quality of life. Common symptoms reported by mesothelioma patients are appetite loss and weight loss. Poor nutrition and low body mass index are also common. Most mesothelioma patients would welcome exercise and nutrition advice. This advice might help them cope with their cancer, and its symptoms, better. But there are barriers to getting this kind of information into the hands of people who need it. A clinical team from North Tyneside Hospital in the United Kingdom is looking into this. They have a new study called Help-Meso: Health and Lifestyle of Patients with Mesothelioma. Patients, caregivers, and health professionals will take part in the study. Symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma and…

Personalized Exercise Program Improves Mesothelioma Quality of Life
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Personalized Exercise Program Improves Mesothelioma Quality of Life

ByAlex Strauss

A new case study suggests that a personalized exercise program could improve the quality of life for people fighting malignant mesothelioma. An estimated 2,500 Americans receive a mesothelioma diagnosis every year. Most of them are over 65. This population is typically less active than younger people anyway. It can be even harder to get enough physical activity when they are depleted by cancer and treatment. Research shows that physical activity does more than make patients stronger. It can also help them fight cancers like malignant mesothelioma. But many patients still do not get enough. The new report shows how a custom exercise program can help mesothelioma patients feel and function better. Physical Activity and Mesothelioma Treatment Pleural mesothelioma is a…

Exercise and Nutrition Advice Could Help Some Mesothelioma Patients
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Exercise and Nutrition Advice Could Help Some Mesothelioma Patients

ByAlex Strauss

Most mesothelioma patients would welcome exercise and nutrition advice that might help them cope with their cancer and its symptoms better.  That news comes from a study in the Journal of Geriatric Oncology. Researchers wondered if seniors with lung cancer or mesothelioma would even be open to recommendations about their exercise and nutrition.  The study found that they would and that it would probably help them feel better. But there are barriers to getting this kind of information into the hands of people who need it.  Symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer Pleural mesothelioma is an asbestos-related cancer that affects the lungs. Mesothelioma patients have many of the same symptoms as lung cancer patients. Among other things, they tend…

Exercise Unlikely to Prevent Mesothelioma Development
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Exercise Unlikely to Prevent Mesothelioma Development

ByAlex Strauss

A new Australian study suggests that exercise is unlikely to prevent mesothelioma development in people who have been exposed to asbestos. The study focused on asbestos-exposed mice. Asbestos cancer can take decades to develop. Researchers thought the long latency period might offer an opportunity to prevent mesothelioma development with physical activity.   But even mice that had no mesothelioma symptoms were less likely than mice their same age to be physically active. How Mesothelioma Develops Over Time Malignant mesothelioma has one of the longest latency periods of any cancer. The latency period is the time between exposure to a carcinogen and development of the disease. Scientists know that asbestos can cause mesothelioma. But they have not found a way to prevent…

Regular Physical Activity May Boost Mesothelioma Survival
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Regular Physical Activity May Boost Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

There is new evidence that regular physical activity may help patients with mesothelioma live longer.  A Korean professor has just published the findings of his study on physical activity among lung cancer patients. The findings may be relevant for people with the lung-related cancer, pleural mesothelioma.   Dr. Junga Lee analyzed 11 studies. The studies included more than 6 million lung cancer patients and spanned a 19 year period.  Dr. Lee found that patients’ cardiorespiratory fitness, walking speed, and level of physical activity correlated with how long they lived. Even their leisure activities played a role.  Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer Pleural mesothelioma starts in the lining around the lungs. Because it does not arise from lung cancer cells, it is not…