An ingredient in traditional Korean medicine has been found to inhibit lung cancer metastasis, and future research may reveal that the same is true for malignant mesothelioma and other cancers. The discovery is yet another example of how traditional Korean and Chinese medicines may have functional use in the treatment of disease and in improved
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive form of cancer that combines a remarkably long latency period with a short survival time once diagnosed. Decades go by between patients being exposed to asbestos and first manifesting symptoms, yet once patients start to feel sick they usually die in less than two years, sometimes in
Exposure to asbestos can lead to a wide range of deadly diseases, including malignant mesothelioma, and that exposure does not need to be direct. According to a lawsuit filed by Lorraine Sprague, not only did asbestos cause the lung cancer that killed her husband David back in 2003, but now it has led to her
According to a recent study conducted by physicians at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, mesothelioma is not an equal opportunity disease in terms of either its prevalence or in the way that physicians provide treatment. Publishing their findings in the journal Clinical Lung Cancer, the study’s authors determined that women diagnosed with mesothelioma
Speaking at the 18th Annual Winter Lung Cancer Conference, noted mesothelioma researcher Anne S. Tsao, MD told the virtual gathering of physicians that recent advances in the frontline treatment of malignant mesothelioma have made clear the need for further clinical trials evaluating optimal sequencing of checkpoint inhibitors for patients in the salvage setting, as well as
Carboplatin and cisplatin are both platinum-based chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma, but there has long been debate on which is the best option for patients. While cisplatin has been associated with better overall survival, it imposes uncomfortable side effects that reduce patient quality of life. By contrast, carboplatin causes fewer adverse
Patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma generally receive a chemotherapy cocktail of pemetrexed and cisplatin or carboplatin as a first line of treatment. If they are considered good candidates they may also have surgery and/or radiation therapy and then they are followed and maintained on various treatments designed to hold back the disease’s return. Second line
Exercise may be the last thing on your mind after receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis, but you may want to adjust your thinking. A retrospective study has shown that regular physical activity may be a factor in quality of life and survival time in patients with lung disease. Though the study, published in the journal Cancer Nursing,
Palliative care has been proven extremely effective in the treatment of cancer patients of all types, including those diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. According to a new study, over the last several years the time between diagnosis and first use has decreased. That has resulted in lowered costs and improved survival in those who have utilized
In the face of a terminal illness, many patients seek alternative treatments, and this is as true for malignant mesothelioma as for any other type of intractable cancer. Some of the solutions being offered are little better than snake oil – witness the fruitless search for a miracle that actor Steve McQueen pursued when he