Sadly there is no known cure for mesothelioma, although there are some treatments that can make patients more comfortable and slow the cancer’s progression if started early. Researchers continue to make strides, however, raising hopes that one day there will be effective treatments available to not only help lengthen lives, but potentially eliminate the disease entirely.
For example, the lung cancer drug Keytruda was shown to be very effective in a clinical study, reducing the size of mesothelioma tumors in 75 percent of the patients who participated.
Common treatments for mesothelioma that can increase a patient’s quality of life and life expectancy include:
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation
- Surgery
- Herbal & Vitamin Supplements
- Holistic & Eastern Options
After a mesothelioma diagnosis, patients must carefully consider their options and choose the path that they feel right about. Many people diagnosed with mesothelioma opt to receive medical treatment or participate in clinical trials hoping a cure will be found in time. However, some people choose to live out the rest of their days as comfortably as possible, opting for palliative treatment to manage their pain and quality of life. A combination of opioid treatments, vitamin therapy, massage, and acupuncture can help ease the pain as the cancer advances.
Choosing whether to fight a cancer with no known cure, especially considering chemotherapy drug side effects can be more painful than the disease itself, is difficult. Family members might feel angry or confused when a loved one refuses chemotherapy treatment, but mesothelioma lung cancer is already known as one of the most aggressive and painful types of cancer to endure.
Holistic and palliative treatments offer an alternative to living out the rest of their days in a hospital bed, allowing them to live out their remaining time however they want to with family and friends. Some patients do choose not to fight mesothelioma, and it is important for friends and family of people who have mesothelioma to be supportive, respecting and honoring their decision. There are some clinical trials that have shown promising results, so we remain hopeful and optimistic that a mesothelioma cure will come one day.
Tazemetostat: Promising Clinical Trials Raise Hope for a Mesothelioma Cure
In Mid August 2016, Tazemetostat was administered to the first patient in the 2nd phase of its international clinical trial. Tasemetostat is an EZH2 inhibitor that in preliminary trials was shown to stop uncontrolled cell replication of pleural mesothelioma cancer cells in people with untreatable mesothelioma or after a relapse. Reserachers hope Tazemetostat will be able to treat the specific mesothelioma cell type that has BAP-1 loss of function, which is unresponsive to chemotherapy and other current treatment.
Mesothelioma cancer with cellular loss of Bap-1 function accounts for about half of all mesothelioma diagnoses in the country, and the prognosis for someone after a diagnosis is between 8 months and 1.5 years. If the clinical trials around the world prove the same as the preliminary trials indicate, the discovery could be a groundbreaking treatment for people suffering from mesothelioma all over the world.
Fight Against Mesothelioma
Although there is currently no cure for mesothelioma, medical researchers continue working hard to find one. At Baron & Budd, we’re continuing our fight for people diagnosed with mesothelioma. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, contact our law firm to see if we can help you file a claim for compensation to asbestos exposure. Chances are you don’t have to even file a mesothelioma lawsuit. Our attorneys can discuss the details of your situation and help you determine what is best for you and your family.