Experimental Treatments

Experimental therapies being studied and used in the treatment of various forms of cancer can also be useful for patients with malignant mesothelioma. These treatments may be valuable for patients who have not responded to traditional therapies or they may be used along with traditional treatments to increase the overall effectiveness of the healthcare plan. The experimental treatments that have had the most success so far include: gene therapy, photodynamic therapy, and immunotherapy. Of course, many more treatment methods are currently being studied in various clinical trials throughout the world.

Gene Therapy

Clinical trials for gene therapy are currently underway. As a mesothelioma treatment, this type of therapy attempts to correct the defective genes that make it possible for a cancerous tumor to develop.

» Back to top

Photodynamic Therapy

This new mesothelioma treatment is based on the knowledge that chemicals called photosensitizing agents are capable of killing one-celled organisms (such as cancer) when exposed to light at a particular wavelength.

Several days prior to the surgery, the patient is injected with the photosensitizing drug. Then, during the surgical procedure, a special light is used to destroy as much of the cancer as possible. This treatment is being studied mostly with regard to pleural mesothelioma that is detected at an early stage.

» Back to top

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy uses substances called biological response modifiers to alter the interaction between the body’s own immune system and cancer. The biological response modifiers work in several different ways. They may be used to enhance the immune system’s natural ability to fight cancer cell growth, to make cancer cells more susceptible to destruction by the immune system, to prevent a cancer cell from spreading to other locations, or for other similar purposes.