Alternative Treatment Options for Mesothelioma

When a person is diagnosed by malignant mesothelioma, he/she may have many treatment options to choose to combat with this disease. Surgery and chemotherapy are the very first treatment options that are recommended by all the oncologists, but not only these treatments are enough for a mesothelioma patient; there are many effective and exciting ways of alternative treatments, which can be used together with the traditional treatments.

Now, get to the point, here are some really good alternative treatment options that can be really helpful for you:

Art Therapy

Usually all mesothelioma cancer patients experience emotional and physical challenges. To grip with it art therapy is quite a good option! 

Acupuncture

When choosing a palliative treatment, acupuncture is a good alternative. This treatment involves insertion of very narrow and thin needles into the skin at particular pressure points. This is the proven technique to alleviate the pain in many mesothelioma and cancer patients.

Aromatherapy

This therapy uses different kinds of aromatic oils and plants that are used in baths and massage. Because of the fragrances the mood becomes good, which will be really helpful in pain relieving and promoting good health. 

Bowenwork Thearpy

Bowenwork is really helpful in arousing the relaxation response in mesothelioma patients. It is a really good choice when we are trying to get rid of the side-effects related with radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Biofeedback

When dealing with the pain, which are usually faced by mesothelioma patients, biofeedback therapy is a good option. It is also called mind-body therapy.   

Craniosacral Therapy

Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is really useful in managing the pain and the side-effects associated with the traditional treatments for mesothelioma.

Chiropractic Care

When going through traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy, chiropractic care is quite a good alternative in alleviating and managing pain.

Dance Movement Therapy

In mesothelioma patients, many times it is difficult to deal with the emotional issues. For this reason, dance movement therapy is not only good, but it is a very exciting choice to connect with these kinds of problems. 

Emotional Freedom Technique

To help out in alleviating pain and anxiety in mesothelioma patients emotional freedom technique (EFT) is used as a complementary therapy with the other conventional treatments.

Feng Shui

Feng Shui, a very famous Chinese system can also be used as an alternative. In Feng Shui we make changes in patient’s environment and by doing this; we are enhancing the flow of Qi energy. During the mesothelioma treatment this complementary therapy helps the patient.

Health Coaching

Health coaching helps patients to enjoy their life to fullest and also enhance their quality of life, ease their stress and pain. Making some really essential changes in patient’s lifestyle will speed up the recovery process from their mesothelioma treatment.

Healing and Therapeutic Touch Therapy

Healing and therapeutic touch therapy is the most promising therapy and it is used extensively by mesothelioma and cancer patients. The response of relaxation in mesothelioma patient is invoked through this therapy. This therapy can actually help in lessening the negative side-effects related with the conventional mesothelioma treatments.

Herbal and Dietary Supplements

There are some incurable diseases, which can be treated with natural herbs as they contain some natural medicinal characteristics. Oftentimes, there are some dietary supplements, which are used in combination with the herbal curatives to help the body by given that it essential minerals and vitamins so that it can fight the disease.

Hypnotherapy

When a patient undergoes mesothelioma cancer treatment, guided hypnosis sessions play a vital role and also have a significant positive effect on the health of patient. That is why; hypnotherapy is now used increasingly as an alternative therapy when treating cancer. 

Homeopathy

When it comes to managing the adverse side-effects of conventional mesothelioma treatments, homeopathy is the best alternative solution. For this reason, there are many mesothelioma patients are going for homeopathy.

Lymph Drainage Therapy

Lymph drainage therapy (LDT) is a practice that is used to gently reduce the swelling after the radiation treatment or surgery in mesothelioma patients.

Light Therapy

Light therapy or phototherapy (also referred to as heliotherapy) helps to ease anxiety, pain and stress and it is used in the conjunction with the conventional mesothelioma treatment.

Massage Therapy

Massage is an excellent practice for relieving stress and anxiety. It can be done by applying hands physically on the body’s soft tissues. It involves methods like Anma (a Japanese massage), Acupressure (a blend of acupuncture and pressure), Balinese massage; all these types of massage have different effects on the body. Massage therapy really helps in reducing stress in muscle and stir up relaxation that’s why it is quite a better option for the mesothelioma cancer patients.   

Manual Therapy

Manual therapy or manipulative therapy is a physical treatment that is quite gentle and non-invasive therapy. It helps to lessen anxiety, stress and pain in mesothelioma patients.

Meditation

Mediation is a practice in which we move into deep relaxation. It is really beneficial for a mesothelioma patient as it develops a composed mind that makes right decisions and should be at ease with the present health situations. Therefore, it is ideal for a person who is suffering from this disease.

Music Therapy

Music therapy is a technique used to ease not only the painful side-effects of mesothelioma cancer treatment, but it also helps outs in lessen the acute and chronic pain.

Myofascial Therapy

Myofascial therapy is used to manage the pain, which is associated with the mesothelioma and other cancers as well.

Naturopathy

Naturopathy or Naturopathic medicine is an alternative that targets the body’s inherent ability to heal itself and for this it focuses on nature’s cure. Naturopathy supports holistic approach by using diet, mineral and other life-style based cures in treating mesothelioma cancer.

Nutritional Sources

A person who has diagnosed with mesothelioma should lead a healthy life-style with proper and substantial nutrition in his/her diet during the treatment.

Osteopathy

Osteopathy is helpful in reducing awful side-effects of chemotherapy and many mesothelioma patients find it really supportive when it comes to lessen the fatigue and stress.

Pet Therapy     

Pet therapy (animal-assisted therapy, AAT) uses animals specially dogs to relax and soothe mesothelioma patients.

Personal Fitness

Patients that are undergoing mesothelioma treatment should keep up some level of exercise; it will improve their quality and also their views of life. There are personal fitness trainers, who are trained to help people suffering from this disease. 

Reiki

Reiki is one of the most popular alternative treatments that are being used by many mesothelioma patients. It encourages a deep sense of support and relaxation.

Reflexology

Reflexology (zone therapy) helps manage pain in mesothelioma cancer patients. It is done by applying pressure on feet, hands or ears by using oil or lotion.

Sound Therapy

Sound therapy is a non-invasive kind of therapy. Many mesothelioma patients opt for this therapy as it can reduce pain and stress, which are related with conventional mesothelioma cancer treatments.

Thermography

Thermography (Infrared thermography, thermal video, thermal imaging) is special kind of health imaging that is designed to detect problems in body and also observes throughout the healing process.

Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation

Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) is a better option to alleviate the pain. Usually, physiotherapist administrates TENS therapy and it is done by stimulating electrical pulses in different parts of the body and killing the pain, which then lead in the increase in the level of endorphins. This therapy can also be done at home, but if the patient has all the essential documentation for the equipments of TENS.

Yoga

Yoga is basically a blend of meditation and physical exercise. It is originated from Hindu religion.  Yoga induces relaxation and gratification and also improves sense of unity of mind and body.

I am sure if you use these alternative ways in treating mesothelioma cancer with the conjunction of traditional treatments, you will feel the difference in your life! Stay always healthy and enjoy good things in your life.

Side Effects of Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is an excellent option when we are trying to shrink the size of tumor by aiming particles of very high energy at cancerous cells.

After talking over all the radiation therapies, now this is the time to discuss the side-effects of them. As, there are some side-effects, which cannot be overlooked. When the radiation rays are passed through the skin of the patient, there may be a possibility that healthy muscles and tissues can be damaged before reaching the target location. This can also harm the healthy cells and can be the reason for the bladder irritation, nausea, fatigue and changes in skin.

When going through several sessions of radiation therapy, patient may face the problems related to the damaging of tissues. One cycle of radiation therapy may end up to eight weeks, for the duration of which patient may begin to observe the side-effects. These side-effects will be more severe as the treatment advances.

What are the side-effects when treating Pleural Mesothelioma?

• Tenderness in breasts (Seen in female)
• Breathlessness
• Coughing
• Difficult to swallow
• Fibrosis (Scars in the lungs)
• What are the side-effects when treating Peritoneal Mesothelioma?
• Irritation in bladder
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Coughing

The good thing about these side-effects that they are more often temporary and can be usually observed during the treatment. In some cases, they are become chronic and can appear for months or even years after the treatment is completed.

What are the factors that affect a patient to develop side-effects of radiation therapy?

• The area of patient’s body, which receive the radiation
• Daily dose of radiation, which is delivered to the patient
• Total amount of radiation dose
• Genetics
• Overall health of patient
• Number of additional treatment, which are given to the patient

Just to give you more insights there are some very rare, but major complications of radiation therapy. In pleural mesothelioma, there are more chances of these complications like when radiation is directed to the lungs, scar tissue may build up in that area. The good thing is that the procedure is reversible. It has the possibility that due to the radiation exposure can cause inflammation of lungs and the membrane of heart along with heart compression.

Muscle of heart can be damaged when radiation is delivered to the chest; this condition is called cardiotoxicity or cardiac toxicity. When this happens, the ability of heart is reduced to pump sufficient blood to the whole body and it also disturbs the usual beat of the heart. The condition of cardiac toxicity is not only caused because of radiation, but it is also caused by certain chemotherapeutic drugs. Doxorubicin (Adriamycin) is one of the most chemotherapeutic drugs is administrated along radiation therapy in treating mesothelioma cancer.

One thing to be noted if a patient receives highly specialized form of radiation therapy, he/she may rarely face these complications.  There are some very specialized methods of radiation therapy, which can reduce the possible side-effects:

• Proton Therapy
• Smartbeam Image Modulated Radiation Therapy
• Stereotactic Radiation Therapy

      Case Study of Side-Effects of Radiation Therapy on Mesothelioma Patients

      

In the year 2000, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has carry-out a study of these effects of radiation therapy, but before going through the surgical process on 88 patients of pleural mesothelioma.  Multiple symptoms are experienced by most of the patients. There are 55 patients complained about vomiting and nausea, 55 reported skin irritation and 54 felt fatigue. On the scale of side-effect severity, they were measured from scale 0, which is the mildest and up to scale 4, which is the most severe one. The good news is that most of the patients ranked 0 or 1; only four of them are on scale 4. 

So, choose the most specialized method of radiation therapy to avoid these side-effects and keep smiling!

External Beam Radiation Therapy

The therapy which I am going to discuss in this post is the most common one, which is external beam radiation therapy. The reason for the frequent use of this therapy as it uses a machine outside the patient’s body to perform the treatment. LINAC (Linear Accelerator) is the most common machine used in this therapy. 

How does it work?

Photon beams of radiation light are guided on the place of the tumor and destroying the cancerous cells and through this stops them to spread and develop. These photon beams are constitutes of x-rays that is of a bit low energy level or either it can be of gamma rays that is highest energy level.

The radiation oncologist, who uses this treatment for cancer and mesothelioma, is a well- trained physician. It can take up to several weeks to complete the course of treatment. Patient receives this treatment at the hospital or clinic, but does not need to stay overnight.

How does it work for Mesothelioma?

External beam radiation therapy is used in treating the most common types of mesothelioma that are pleural mesothelioma (which affects the lungs) and peritoneal mesothelioma (which affects the abdominal cavity). But, surgery is the primary treatment for it; it means, a patient will undergo the surgical process and then opt for the secondary treatment that is radiation therapy. The radiation treatment is done to eradicate and damage the remaining cancerous cells, which were left behind after the surgical process.  

When pleurectomy/decortications surgery (P/D) is done on pleural mesothelioma patient, administrating radiation is really hard as there is much risk of damaging of lungs not only this there may be chances of inflammation of lungs (pneumonitis).

If a patient undergoes extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery (EPP) there is a great chance of lengthens survival rates. In this surgical process, the affected lung is removed and the radiation can be easily delivered to the cavity without damaging the healthy lung. But, there is still possibility of inflammation of lungs. 

Image Guided Radiation Therapy

Image-Guided Radiation Therapy, also called IGRT, is another specialized radiation treatment, which is very precise when targeting the tumor by delivering the radiation beam on the affected area without harming the tissues and organs that surrounds the tumor. The image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) is done by the radiation oncologist by using a very precise imaging system or equipment and LINAC (Linear accelerator) to deliver the radiation onto the tumor. This imaging system is really helpful as it let the radiation oncologists to observe the tumor before, during and after the treatment. In other words, one can see the every step of the treatment.

When starting the therapy session for mesothelioma cancer, first the patient is lay on the treatment table so that marks can be made on the treatment area, which are in position with the path of the radiation beam. Then, the images are being taken, first for the preliminary stage when the therapy is being started for the patient. With the use of computer software these images are then compared and analyzed throughout the therapy sessions. All these comparisons are being made just to ensure whether the adjustments need to be made to the position of patient and also for the path of radiation beams. Sometimes adjustments are needed then; we have to take new set of images, which are then compared with the old set to make sure the tumor is being targeted really precisely. 

What are the equipments used in taking images?

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

 

Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI is a kind of imaging process that uses a radio waves and magnetic field to create three dimensional images. These images came very handy if we want to view from variety of angles.

Computed Tomography (CT Scan)

 

CT scan or CAT scan makes use of multiple images, which are then combined by the computer to show the cross-sectional and three dimensional views of the tumor.

Ultrasound

 

Transducer is a small device, which is being passed all along the area, which is to be tested. Sound waves are being produced by this device through bouncing off the tissues that produce echoes.

Positron Emission Tomography

 

In Positron Emission Tomography or PET scan, a very small quantity of a radioactive material is given to the patient either via breathing in, injection or orally. Eventually, this radioactive material collected in the affected area and can be acknowledged as a bright spot on the scan. 

This therapy can offer better understanding of the movement of tumor before, during and after the treatment in the near future, which I truly believe.