Alternative Treatments for Mesothelioma Cancer
New Cancer Drugs and Research on Herbal Mesothelioma Cures
The difference between alternative therapy and complimentary therapy is that alternative therapies are used instead of the medical approach, which often calls for chemotherapy and prescription medications. Experimental treatments are currently being tested and researchers are often reluctant to declare any method a success. Complimentary therapies are used to increase patient comfort in addition to another treatment and aren't meant to be a cure for mesothelioma.
Cures for Mesothelioma Cancer
According to the National Cancer Institute's Mesothelioma Fact Sheet, the most common treatments for mesothelioma are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Removing the mesothelium, a layer of tissue that surrounds the internal organs, is the surgical approach most often taken.
Chemotherapy and Radiation Treatments for Mesothelioma
Radiation therapy can be administered internally, by delivering radioactive fluids directly to the affected areas via tubes or externally by machines similar to an X-ray. Chemotherapy is the introduction of anticancer drugs via intravenous fluids. According to the NCI, an experimental mesothelioma chemotherapy cure involves injecting the anticancer drugs directly into the chest cavity, where the cancerous cells are active.
Experimental Treatments for Mesothelioma Cancer
At the time of this writing, there are 33 federally funded clinical trials for mesothelioma treatments. Experimental cures are rarely funded by medical insurance but the low odds of success with traditional treatments make experimental treatment programs more compelling.
Herbal Cures for Cancer
Even though the FDA hasn't approved of any herbal cures for cancer, some herbs are reputed to improve the function of the immune system. The thinking behind many herbal remedies is that it's important to strengthen the body so that it can defend itself against cancerous cells. One caveat to herbal cancer treatments is that none has ever been studied or researched in a laboratory in the way that pharmaceutical medications are.
Cancer Cures for Mesothelioma
According to a study published in the Lung Cancer Journal in March of 2007, the median survival rate of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma patients who underwent chemotherapy patients was four months longer than that of patients who chose basic supportive care. At this time, there is no established cure for mesothelioma cancer.
Medical Marijuana for Mesothelioma
Proponents of medical marijuana don't generally claim that it cures the disease, but in states where medicinal marijuana is allowable, patients may find that it can help stimulate the appetite, commonly lost by chemotherapy, and relieve pain.
New Cancer Drugs for Cancer and Mesothelioma
Several new cancer drugs are undergoing review. The process of approving new cancer drugs is lengthy and expensive. Chemocare.com indexes drugs for cancer treatment and lists over 200 different drugs that treat cancer. None, however, are known to cure cancer.
With low rates of survival regardless of the treatment, alternative treatments for mesothelioma are an option that some patients prefer for comfort and pain relief. Until science is able to beat cancer, mesothelioma patients will continue to suffer.
References:
Muzaffer Metintas, Guntulu Ak, Sinan Erginel, Fusun Alatas, Huseyin Yildirim, Emel Kurt, Selma Metintas: A retrospective analysis of malignant pleural mesothelioma patients treated either with chemotherapy or best supportive care between 1990 and 2005: A single institution experience Lung Cancer - March 2007 (Vol. 55, Issue 3, Pages 379-387
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