Innovative Approaches To Treatment Of Mesothelioma
Currently, many experimental mesothelioma treatments are being investigated. This includes, but is not limited to the following: photodynamic therapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, and multimodality therapy. Photodynamic therapy administers photosensitive drugs into mesothelial cells, followed by addition of laser light which activates the drugs to destroy cancer cells. The premise behind gene therapy is to correct the disease at the DNA level and many varieties of gene therapy are being examined for mesothelioma treatment. The goal of immunotherapy is to improve a person's immune system and its natural ability to ward off development of cancer. In immunotherapy, health cells are removed from the affected patient, and then these cells are exposed to cytokines and antibodies. Once these healthy cells are "enhanced," they are re-deposited into the peritoneum, where they aid in the body's cancer defense. Lastly, multimodality therapy is the combination of any surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy to treat mesothelioma.