Dastinib: new drug for mesothelioma

Although, there is currently no cure for mesothelioma. Dastinib, a new drug for treating mesothelioma has been discovered and is currently being tested in clinical trials at MD Cancer Center at the University of Texas and other centers in the United States. At Anderson Cancer Center, some patients will receive more attention for better treatment by a panel of doctors who have been assigned specific roles. This team consists of experts in the fields of chest medical oncology, radiotherapy and pathology of the lungs. The drugs Dastanib is used for mesothelioma patients who have failed other treatments or unable to take standard medications for allergic reactions or unusual side effects. Mesothelioma still has no cure, like other forms of cancer. Researchers continue to find a cure for the rare and fatal disease, whose victims find little time for life with the typical treatment for cancer such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, etc. The introduction of Dastanib M.D. Cancer Center at the University of Texas bring the little hope for the patients. It is believed to be the best treatment to prevent progression of mesothelioma.

Early detection for mesothelioma

Early detection is essential for mesothelioma, especially for those people who are exposed to asbestos dust which is a very strong risk factor for this deadly cancer. Once diagnosis is made, treatment will be given. The earlier the treatment was introduced, the better the outcome and survival rate are. People with known risk factor should alert for this condition, look for the signs and symptoms associated with this cancer, and seek for a medical services for health check up regularly.

People who worked in asbestos-related manufacturing industry are at risk and there is a large number of these people affected by mesothelioma. Beside, family members of those who are in close contact with this deadly material also be affected. The reason is they have consistently exposed to asbestos dust in their own clothes.

Even if there is a higher probability that you will have mesothelioma if you are smoking. Usually, risk for most kind of cancers is increased with smoking. But mesothelioma is not necessarily related to smoking. For mesothelioma, exposesure to asbestos directly or indirectly from family members alone can cause the disease. Those who live near these places are also at risk of mesothelioma. Those suffering from mesothelioma do not have any signs or symptoms of the disease at an early stage. For this reason it is very difficult to recognize it early and the time of diagnosis can be from this moment to very late stage of the disease.

Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma are chest pain, weight loss and respiratory problems such as shortness of breath. Sometimes these symptoms can be position dependent. Chest pain may be pronounce when coughing or breathing forcefully. Shortness of breath may be relieved when patients are in upright position. Choosing diagnostic investigation is depend on the status of patients. CT, X-Ray and tissue analysis will be performed on a patient to determine if mesothelioma is present. Tissue samples are extracted with the introduction of a camera through a small channel from the chest wall. Tissue will be sent for microscopic diagnosis which is the definitive method for diagnosis of any kind of cancer. Once diagnosis was made, doctors will discuss with their patient for treatment options and begin the treatment.

Late stage mesothelioma symptoms

Mesothelioma symptoms oftens develop gradually, and such non significant symptoms in early stage of disease often usually mislead physicians from the actual diagnosis. For example coughing, difficulty breathing and chest pain in pleural mesothelioma is often diagnosed as lung infections such as pneumonia. In general, the symptoms are more pronounced when the cancer is very advanced and the treatment less effective.

In advanced pleural mesothelioma, pain in the chest and under the rib cage are more marked, the back pain may be present. Cough may be pronounced along with bloody sputum. Hoarseness and swelling of the face and arms may be occur in case of lymphatic obstruction. Patients may also experience muscle weakness and sensory loss. In advanced peritoneal mesothelioma, abdominal pain symptoms are more pronounced. The symptoms include a swelling or lump in the abdomen, distension of the abdomen by an accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, abdominal pain due to intestinal obstruction, nausea and vomiting, constipation and loss of appetite. If there is a lot of fluid in abdominal cavity, the breathing may become difficult and the feet can be swelling. In advanced pericardial mesothelioma, cough, worsening breathlessness, palpitations and chest pains will be present.

Generally, any type of cancer will cause nonspecific systemic symptoms such as weight loss, loss of appetite and may be fever. Mesothelioma patient will also experience these symptoms. Patients with advanced mesothelioma are usually offered palliative treatment to reduce discomfort from their symptoms. Pleural or abdominal fluid accumulation can be released. Also ,surgery or radiotherapy can be used to reduce some symptoms of the disease. Radiation therapy are effective to relieve pain. New clinical trials are researching for the best symptomatic relief for patients with advanced malignant mesothelioma.

Chemotherapy for mesothelioma

One treatment option widely used to treat cancer is chemotherapy. With this treatment chemicals are used to destroy tumor cells. Chemotherapy treatment inhibits the growth and division of malignant cell, thus limiting cancer spread to other areas.

However, these drugs also kill other cells in the body. They are not very specific to cancer cells. So, there are some side effects. Most common side effects of chemotherapy are vomiting, nausea, hair loss, immune system problems and decline in appetite. If the patients experience the side effects, they should arouse the concern of doctors, which will change the drugs or adding other drugs to reduce the impact of concern.

A large number of ongoing chemotherapy in patients with mesothelioma is more effective and harmless. However, it is better to know all options before opting into a specific chemotherapy. This will help the patients select the best choice for them.

The most appropriate choice of chemotherapy depends largely on the type of the mesothelioma and their stage of disease. Also, the patient's age and health factors also play an important role in selection of chemotherapy.

Including more than 100 chemotherapy drugs, but only a few have been proved effective to fight against mesothelioma. In some cases, doctors add multiple drug combinations to treat the patient. Commonly used chemotherapy drugs are Alimta, cisplatin, carboplatin, vinorelbine, gemcitabine, and Onconase. These drugs are usually intravenous or oral. Modern methods, heated chemotherapy is also used widely.

There is no effective treatment has been found to date in patients with mesothelioma. Chemotherapy can only help to control the disease. Shrink tumors and help to improve general conditions. Combination of chemotherapy with other treatment modalities is proved to be effective to extend the survival time. Only time will tell us how effective chemotherapy, they are still only in experimental level currently.

Surgical treatment options for mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos. There are three types of surgery for mesothelioma. However, only two are really used for the treatment.

The first type of surgery is performed by thoracoscopy. This is not actually used for the treatment of the patient. Instead, the scope is inserted surgically in the chest to inspect the mesothelium, lung, and heart. After a visual inspection, a much better position can be evaluate to make a possible method of treatment.

The second type of surgery is a pleurectomy. The purpose of this operation is to remove cancer cells in the pluera. In human terms, this means removing the cell layers covering the lungs. If the cancer cells can be removed totally before spreading to adjacent or distant organs, the prognosis will be much better.

The third operation is known as an extrapleural pneumonectomy. This is simply explained as a surgery to debulk the tumour cell as much as possible. Pleural may not be resected totally, only where the tumour cell affected will be resected. Part of a lung, the diaphragm and the sack around the heart will be removed as necessary. This is a very aggressive surgery and only the skilled surgeons are able to perform this treatment. Only the patients in advance stage undergo this operation.

Each case of mesothelioma is different, so you cannot assume that a particular operation works. Discuss the options with a qualified physician, they will help you select your best choice.

Mesothelioma prognosis

Mesothelioma prognosis is difficult for some patients. Some physicians conclude the truth that the chances of survival are small. The prognosis of mesothelioma depends on how the body reacts to treatment.

Mesothelioma is similar to other variants of cancer. Certain intrinsic qualities of the patient has a special role. Once mesothelioma was diagnosed, prognosis can be given. The earlier the diagnosis and treatment has been started, the better the prognosis. Here's the problem, the condition cannot be diagnosed so easily. It is usually in advanced stages of cancer that tests show that the patient actually suffers from mesothelioma.

There are several factors affect that mesothelioma prognosis. Some of them are listed as shown in the remaining text. The place where the mesothelioma is known to play a major role is the pleura, peritoneum, pericardium and the testis. Among these, the most commom form is pleural mesothelioma. However, all of them are fatal type of cancer. If the condition is found by appropriate tests in the early stages and has been treated with appropriate surgery and therapy, the patient can be saved.

Tumor cells are known to spread to surrounding cells or migrate to another place and begins to attack normal cells in other region. This is called metastasis of the tumor. It happens in late stages and plays an important role in mesothelioma prognosis. The condition is known to be associated with other symptoms. Smoking habits and alcohol drinking will also influence the prognosis in mesotheliomas as well.

The patient must take the medicine actively without missing any pills. Never lose hope because without hope, the chances of recovery are low. Miracle always happens, and if diagnosed early, the chances of survival are enormous. Family members should support the patient psychologically and socially. The survival rate after 5 years of diagnosis as published by some of the medical journal is only about 10 percent. People undergoing treatment for mesothelioma, are known to live about five or six years after the first detection. That's impressive comparing to other forms of cancer.

Below is the information regarding the chance of survival after each year of mesothelioma diagnosis.

- Year 1 mesothelioma survival rate: 39 percent
- Year 2 survival rate: 20 percent
- Year 3 survival rate: 11 percent
- Year 4 survival rate: 10 percent
- Year 5 survival rate: 9 percent

Asbestos and mesothelioma

Asbestos was used in construction of more than 30 years. Asbestos has been used as fireproof materials. The material was found in the insulator of electrical appliances, ceiling, walls and most stakeholders in the sectors of construction. Asbestos was also found in concrete, mortar, adhesives and construction materials. In 1970, there was a ban on the use of asbestos, but there were no laws in place to permanently restrict the use of this hazardous materials.

In occupations, people at risk of exposure to asbestos are workers of the shipyards and industries that use boiler making. Asbestos has been used extensively for shipbuilding, fire fueled boilers for propulsion and electricity generation. Asbestos has been introduced in the outer layer of high temperature boiler and the steam pipes in all areas of the ship. The greatest danger is that if the repair of the boiler or steam pipes has been made with asbestos removed. If you or someone you know has worked in a shipyard setting, please inform them of the results.

Exposure to asbestos is extremely important in steel and metals recycling, such as the use of molten metals. Steel and aluminum plants were the main users of asbestos. Asbestos has been hailed as a miracle material because of the extreme values of insulation. Daily use of asbestos gloves still in affect until early 1980. There is no doubt that asbestos products improve quality of lives. However, long-term concern can not be ignored.

If you or someone you knows worked in steel mills or metal in the 50s to the 70s, please contact your physician and explain the history of working related to industrial plant. You have the legal rights and you have the right to seek compensation for damage if you have contracted any type of mesothelioma.

Treatment options for mesothelioma

Treatment of mesothelioma is very similar to other types of cancer. There are three treatment options available, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery. These treatments are normally conducted in combination to ensure the most effective treatment. Start with the operation. The operation can be performed on patients with mesothelioma aiming to enchance their quality of life and try to eliminate the disease.

The most common procedure is plurectomy. During a plurectomy, the mesothelium lining the patient's chest is removed away. A similar procedure known as extra pleural pneumonectomy involves removal of the lining of the chest, the pericardium, half of the diaphragm and lining of the lungs. Surgery alone is usually not the cure mesothelioma. However, when surgery is performed in combination with post-operative treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the chances of survival are much improved.

Time to chemotherapy. It is important to understand that chemotherapy alone can not handle mesothelioma. Chemotherapy is usually administered as tablets or injections. Mesothelioma patients may have drugs inject in the area where the disease is present. These two drugs that usually use with the patient is pemetrexed and cisplatin. These drugs are known to have a negative impact to trigger nausea and vomiting. And this is one of the main reasons why many people choose not to receive chemotherapy.

Finally, treatment by radiation is another option today. Radiation is a good choice for patients who are unable to cope with chemotherapy and surgery. Radiation only, like the two previous treatments can not remove the mesothelioma. Radiation is a kind of palliative treatment that reduces symptoms of mesothelioma. The majority of patients undergo external beam radiotherapy, which is given for several weeks. For maximum benefit, in some patients, treatments with all three of these options can raising the hope of being recovered.

How to diagnose mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a two-layer coating that surrounds internal organs in the chest and abdomen. It acts as a lubricant wall, and institutions in motion with minimum hassle. How does this cancer occur? The most common cause is the exposure to asbestos. You may have seen this in 60 minutes and other TV programs.

One of the biggest problem of mesothelioma is treatment. It is a bad form of cancer for two reasons. The first is the period of latency. 50 years may elapse before it begins to cause symptoms. At this stage it is often too late to do something. The second reason is that it is difficult to diagnose, the symptoms are similar to those of many other health problems and are less dramatic. In many cases, the disease is in fact initially diagnosed as something else. Only when the treatment options do not work, an accurate diagnosis was made.

So how do you diagnose mesothelioma? It usually starts with a chest radiograph. Lung function tests are then performed. No blood, because this form of cancer has no biomarkers. According to the result, the doctor may then also request a magnetic resonance imaging of an area of the body. Mesothelioma is difficult to find.

If there's a suspicious of mesothelioma, a biopsy will be ordered. There are different types of biopsies for different areas. The area in question is viewed and small samples will be taken. Samples will be sent to patholoist. Laboratory tests if cancer cells are present or not. Biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing mesothelioma.

What are symptoms of mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma affects the body in different stages and most of these stages are relatively well hidden from the patient. Only in the later stages, the body begins to show symptoms. Some typical symptoms of mesothelioma are described in this article. People can develop pain in the chest and abdomen at any time. But most patients ignore the symptoms and continue their daily lives.

An obvious symptom of this disease is persistent cough, specifically dry cough. If most persons, cough always accompanied by sputum. However, in the form of dry cough, there is a marked absence of mucus. For this reason, persistent cough can cause diseases of the esophagus and this could lead to blood spitting. Once the area is a rough place, then the patient can be difficult to swallow food and other liquids. All these symptoms are interrelated and are often observed for pleural mesothelioma.

The pain in the neck prevented the food intake resulted in weight loss. Sometimes patients may be sweating in the night and this is also a symptom of the disease. Since the quantity of food intake is reduced, general fatigue and sleepiness occur coupled with the slowness. Since the state is known to affect the pleura, it may cause chest pain, especially on one side of the chest. This problem will lead to problems with breathing and shortness of breath.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma is another form of asbestos cancer, but affects the stomach and abdomen. The symptoms are the same, but there is a severe inflammation of the stomach. Digestive problems and anemia are symptoms of abdominal mesothelioma. Constipation also the result of peritoneal mesothelioma, and it could also lead to vomiting.

Mesothelioma can also occur in the pericardial sac around the heart. In this case, the symptoms of mesothelioma are: - irregular heart beat and skipping heartbeat. The patient can also pain on the left side of the chest, above the hearts. This chest pain can cause problem in breathing, as we have already seen in pleural mesothelioma. The condition may also develop on the testicles, although it is one of the rarest types of cancer from exposure to asbestos. The symptoms may begin occurring after an interval of 10 to 20 years. It is better to seek for a thorough physical examination so that we can be sure that you are not suffering from cancer caused by asbestos.

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a kind of cancer developed in the mesothelium, which is cell layer lining the internal organs of the human body. Most cases of mesothelioma is proven to be associated with exposure to asbestos, a natural material that is used in buildings and ships. Mesothelioma can occur in outer lining of the lung (pleural mesothelioma), the lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneal mesothelioma) or cell layers lining the heart (pericardial mesothelioma)

Most mesothelioma patients have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber. They can even expose to the material indrectly by inhaled asbetos particles from family members working in the industry.

Symptoms of mesothelioma are dyspnea, chest pain when breathing, and other constitutional symptom such as anorexia and weight loss. Diagnosis is made by chest x-ray, CT scan and can be definitely diagnosed by biopsy of the pleura.

There are three treatment options currently used in mesothelioma patients. Surgery will be done to debulk most of the cancer cells from the body. Chemotherapy is used to eliminate the residual cancer cells. And radiotherapy will help prevent local recurrent and spreading.

Prognosis for mesothelioma is not good because mesothelioma is oftens diagnosed when the disease is in advanced stage. Early stage mesothelioma patient usually don't have strong signs and symptoms that urge physician to detect this deadly disease promtly. Rate of survival to 5 years after diagnosis may not exceed 10 percent.