Malignant Mesothelioma Resource

MESOTHELIOMA LINKS

The Malignant Mesothelioma Resource site is an education-based resource to assist individuals who may be at risk for mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related pleural disease. Our Web site contains sections explaining the dangers of mesothelioma, the medical issues involved, available treatment options, links to cancer societies and support groups, as well as legal remedies for victims of this form of lung cancer.

DETECTION AND TREATMENTS

What are the Signs of Mesothelioma?

The signs of asbestos-related cancer can remain undetectable for up to forty years after the initial exposure. This long period of latency becomes marked by progressively worsening inflammation of the lungs. Tell tale symptoms include difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, coughing, fatigue and loss of weight, loss of appetite and chest or abdominal pain. Initial symptoms often include coughing up blood (hemoptysis), pain in swallowing (dysphagia), fever, chills, weakness, severe fatigue, drenching sweats, nausea, vomiting, pleural effusion, a continually raspy voice, and abdominal swelling.

If you or someone that you care about have experienced any of these symptoms and think you may have been exposed to asbestos fibers, consult a physician immediately.

How is Mesothelioma Diagnosed?
The first step in diagnosing the disease involves taking a chest and abdominal X-ray. During a doctor visit, the physician can detect for a build up of fluid in the lungs (pleural effusion) or the abdomen (ascites). Testing that shows high levels of CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) may indicate lung cancer instead of mesothelioma.

Often, however, microscopic examination of this fluid does not provide enough information to give a definitive diagnosis. In these cases, the doctor may make a very small incision between your ribs or in your abdomen, and insert a scope into your chest cavity (thoracoscopy) or abdomen (peritoneoscopy). Such a scope allows the doctor to view the surface of the mesothelium and to withdraw tiny samples (biopsies) for examination in a laboratory. Before the test, the patient will be given a local anesthetic (a drug that causes a loss of feeling for a short period of time). A CT (computed tomographic) scan visually indicates the degree to which the tumor has spread to other parts of the body.

If tissue that is not normal is found, the doctor will need to cut out a small piece and have it reviewed under a microscope to see if there are any cancer cells. This is called a biopsy. Biopsies are usually done during the thoracoscopy or peritoneoscopy.

The chance of recovery (prognosis) depends on many factors, including the size of the cancer, where the cancer is located, the degree to which the cancer has spread, whether the cancer responds to treatment, as well as the patient's age and health condition.

How is Mesothelioma Treated?

Malignant mesothelioma has no definite cure. If you are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, you may require surgery to remove the cancerous pleura (in the chest) or peritoneum (in the abdomen). In some cases, it is necessary to remove a lung. The typical course of action involves utilizing a combination of therapies in conjunction with the removal of the malignant tumor. The complexity of the surgery to remove the mesothelioma depends on the duration of exposure and the amount of asbestos inhaled.

If malignant mesothelioma has spread extensively, treatment may be limited to measures that help relieve uncomfortable symptoms. The pain may be treated with narcotic painkillers, and oxygen can relieve the shortness of breath.

The three most popular therapies use in concert with surgery include:

Chemotherapy: Uses specific and usually very toxic drugs to try and kill the cancer. Chemotherapy may be administered by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in the vein or muscle. Chemotherapeutic agents can be administered either systemically (through the blood stream) or intrapleurally (in the pleural cavity). When it is administered intrapleurally, the treatment is localized at the site of the tumor.
Radiation therapy: uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external radiation therapy) or by putting materials that produce radiation through thin plastic tubes in the area where the cancer cells are found.
Photodynamic therapy: The patient is given special medicines that make the cancerous cells very sensitive to light. During a surgery, the surgeon uses a laser that creates a chemical reaction to kill the cancer. The Photodynamic therapy is still under investigation for treatment of malignant mesothelioma.

There are several new experimental treatments that attempt to strengthen the immune system's ability to combat malignant mesothelioma. These include gene therapy and the use of cytokine proteins such as interferons and interleukins. These treatments are being tested in combination with chemotherapy and other treatments (L-NDDP, onconase).

Immunotherapy (or biological therapy) is based on the theory that it is possible to mobilize the body's own immune defenses against cancerous cells.

Gene therapy, which is still in clinical trials, uses an adenovirus for delivery a "suicide gene" that is inserted directly into the tumor. This gene makes the cells sensitive to a normally ineffective drug, such as glanciclovir. Treatment with the drug then destroys the cancer cells, thereby leaving the healthy cells unharmed.