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Informative Articles

Asbestos and Mesothelioma
Asbestos is the biggest work place killer today. Those who have worked with asbestos or who are regularly in contact with someone who has are at risk from asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. All these are fatal respiratory diseases which are...

Asbestos Testing- Search For The Devil
Asbestos Testing – Why? Asbestos testing seeks to detect the presence of asbestos in any given material. When any asbestos containing material is disturbed, it releases very thin invisible fibers that may remain suspended in the...

Help With Mesothelioma- Need Of The Hour
Help with mesothelioma refers to assisting those people who are suffering from mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a serious form of cancer that affects the lining of abdominal organs and lungs. Asbestos exposure is the major cause behind these deadly...

How is Mesothelioma Diagnosed?
Diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions. Diagnosis begins with a review of the patient's medical history, including any history of asbestos exposure. A complete physical...

Mesothelioma Cancer Diagnosed- Dealing With Emotions
People deal with and react to having cancer in different ways. There really isn't a right or wrong way to behave or feel regarding this disease and it is easily forgotten that partners, family and friends will need support as well. Initial...

 
Treatments And Clinical Trials For Mesothelioma

For years, chemotherapy has been used as treatment for mesothelioma to shrink tumors. More recently, doctors have used surgery in combination with chemotherapy with more success.

In addition, newer chemotherapy drugs in combination with surgery has increased survival rates of mesothelioma patients.

Radiation has been used to control cancer symptoms such as pain, but it is not a primary treatment for mesothelioma. It is also used in combination with other treatments for mesothelioma and may possibly assist in killing cancer cells after surgery to prevent further growth of cancer cells in the chest area.

Much more research is required to improve treatment options through clinical trials. Clinical trials are used to evaluate new cancer treatments and their effectiveness. They are an important aspect of improving treatments and the ultimate prognosis of cancer patients.

Mesothelioma patients who participate in clinical trials are able to receive new treatments before they are available to other patients.

Clinical trials have three phases. Phase I trails are the first studies of a new treatment. The goals are to determine the correct dosage and the side effects. Phase I


trials are only offered to patients who haven't responded to other approved treatments.

Phase II trials are further studies of treatments proven to be effective from phase I trials. They are a continuation of determining treatment safety and effectiveness on a particular type of cancer.

Phase III trials are used to compare a new treatment method with a currently used treatment program. Doctors can thus determine if the new treatment is more or less effective than the already approved treatment.

A patient must be willing to partcipate and provide written consent prior to starting a clinical trial. The use of clinical trials is very important in improving the treatments used in the fight against mesothelioma.

Over the past few years treatments have improved for treating mesothelioma, but further clinical trials are needed to continue mesothelioma treatment methods.


About the Author: Jill Kane is an author for http://www.mesothelioma-101.org/

Source: www.isnare.com