Photodynamic Therapy

What is Photodynamic Therapy?

Photodynamic therapy also known as PDT uses photosensitizers, tissue oxygen and light to stop the spreading of cancer and also destroy cancer cells. Unlike other traditional treatments of mesothelioma, this modern way of treatment has very few side-effects. Recently, it is very popular in treating Mesothelioma, skin diseases like psoriasis, acne, skin cancers, oesophageal cancer (esophageal cancer) and non-small cell lung cancers. PDT can target virals and bacteria like Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). PDT is most promising cancer therapies; it is still in its progressive stage. Photodynamic therapy is really helpful to improve quality of life of mesothelioma patient and also ease the symptoms regarding this disease.

Working of PDT

When light of certain type and wavelength is exposed to a photosensitizer, produces oxygen that destroys cancer cells in that particular region. It is also very useful when coming up in damaging the blood vessels, which provide feed to the tumors due to this the growth will stop.  An assumption is being made that PDT can also trigger the immune system of the patient.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved many photosensitizers uptill now. PDT is a two step therapeutic process and the very first step is to administrate these photosensitizers. In the beginning when a patient visits to a hospital, he/she will first inject the drug into the blood. This drug is absorbed by all the cells of the body, but it is more absorbed by the cancer cells as compared to the healthier ones. After this step, the patient should visit the clinic again and this time his/her tumor will be exposed to the laser light (connected to a thin fiber optic thread that can be tucked close to the tumor). Generally, the tumor is being exposed to light for 5-45 minutes. But it all depends on location or size of the tumor and the goal of the doctor. If due to this any dead tissue occurs it will be removed by endoscopy after 4-5 days.  

Are there any side-effects of PDT?

• Anxiety at the place of treatment

• Bruising or swelling

• For one month patient will feel sensitivity towards light, so for this reason he/she should cover himself/herself when going outside and for inside keep the indoor lights dim until the sensitivity stops.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is truly a very promising way of treatment. But it is not yet used as an only treatment although it showed really positive results. More photosensitizers and photodynamic drugs are trying to be discovered by the researchers so that it can target specific cancer cells and deeper tumors.

I am personally really hopeful and optimistic for this way of treatment and what about you?

Immunotherapy

What is Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy (biotherapy) is a very new way of treatment that uses different parts of our immune system for the treatment of the diseases that also include cancers of different kinds. But the thing is that immunotherapy is still in its progressive stage; it is not that much advance as other cancer treatments. The researchers are gathering more and more information about our immune system. The more they know, the more steps will be taken in the advancement of immunotherapy and soon it will become the major treatment option for treating cancers.

How it is administered?

There are two ways Immunotherapy can be done:

Active

It is done by different drugs, which stimulate and improve the patient’s present immune system. So that it can fight the cancer.

Passive

In passive immunotherapy, it includes synthetic protein that is made in a laboratory. Then, this protein is given to the patient that balances his/her present immune system is missing.  

Recently, for the treatment of mesothelioma passive immunotherapy is used because it looks for a specific kind of antigen to stimulate it and not to improve the whole immune system. The use of immunotherapy for the treatment of mesothelioma is still in the phase of clinical trials. Therefore, if a patient wants to opt for this way of treatment, he should go through trial phases to determine whether he is qualified or not. On the other hand, U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved several monoclonal antibodies (mAb or moAb) for the treatment of cancers which also includes Avastin. Avastin was approved by FDA in February 2004 for treating mesothelioma. This drug is used with the combination of chemotherapy for a multimodal regimen. The doctors have hopes that it will extend the life expectancy of a mesothelioma patient.

Immunotherapy also uses cancer vaccinations eliminate the cancer or either to prevent the disease. FDA has not approved any treatment vaccines in U.S. yet. But there are two preventive vaccinations that have been approved by FDA. It is currently reported, a group of Dutch doctors have developed the first treatment vaccination for mesothelioma cancer. They have reported their conclusions and findings to American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (AJRCCM). Lysate-pulsed dendritic cells are used in this vaccine to stimulate the immune system of the mesothelioma patient. The good news is that it shows tremendously positive results during clinical trials!

Papillary Mesothelioma

What is papillary mesothelioma?

Papillary mesothelioma or WDPM (Well-Differentiated Papillary Mesothelioma) is a form of epithelial mesothelioma that is somewhat rare. More often it is diagnosed in women particularly when they are in their procreative or reproductive stages. It doesn’t mean that only women are the target of this type of tumor, men are too not safe enough.

Where the tumor is localized?

Typically papillary mesothelioma affects the membrane of abdominal cavity or it is also called peritoneum. The good thing about this tumor that it is not dangerous to health, in other words it is quite benign. This tumor is also present in the membrane of lungs (pleura) as well as it can be in the male reproductive system, it is more often seen in tunica vaginalis.

Usually no pain is caused due to papillary tumor. On the other hand, this type of mesothelioma is not necessarily linked with the exposure of asbestos like other types of mesothelioma.

Treatment

This is a relatively a rare kind of mesothelioma, so there are no particular standards in terms of treatment. In this type of malignant mesothelioma oncologists usually shrunk the tumor by radiation therapy or chemotherapy or they remove the tumor through surgical process. Surgery is generally preferred because it is somewhat rare that the tumor spreads out in other part of the body. In many cases, re-occurrence of the disease may perhaps happen. However, this doesn’t mean that it will develop in a mesothelioma cancer.  

So be informed and take a good care of your health!

Biphasic Mesothelioma

Biphasic/ Mixed Mesothelioma are now becoming the most major type of mesothelioma. About 46-63% cases of mesothelioma are now seen having biphasic type of tumor. This type of tumor is basically is the combination of epithelial mesothelioma and sarcomatoid mesothelioma. Furthermore, this tumor consists of two different types and also the tumor is present in different parts. Eventually this makes a lot easier to diagnose rather than the diagnosis of sarcomatoid and epithelial mesothelioma. It doesn’t have a distinctive cell structure because it is consists of two different cell types. To sum up briefly if a patient is diagnosed with the biphasic/mixed tumor, basically it is diagnosed by both tumors that are sarcomatoid and epithelial mesothelioma.

Treatment

The treatment options for the biphasic mesothelioma are the same as epithelial mesothelioma and sarcomatoid mesothelioma. The treatments can be used alone or can be in combination of different options of treatment.

Mesothelioma treatment can be divided into two wide categories. These comprise of traditional mesothelioma treatment and new mesothelioma treatments.

Traditional treatment includes radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy. In some cases all the three approaches are applied to the patient keeping in mind his/her condition and stage of cancer. This is done to achieve the very best results, to live a quality and a better life and to increase survival rate. These traditional treatments, I have already discussed in my previous post!

Now from my viewpoint the most interesting way of treatment something very new!!!!!!

The new ways of treatments include gene therapy, IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy), immunotherapy, PDT (photodynamic therapy) and also advancements of new chemotherapy agents. The great thing which I consider about these treatments like immunotherapy, gene therapy and photodynamic therapy, gives us a lot hopes to live a very healthy life! These treatments are used in combination with the traditional ones but these are the major breakthrough in the field of medical science.

Sarcomatous Mesothelioma

What is Sarcomatous Mesothelioma?

The least common type of mesothelioma is Sarcomatoid or Sarcomatous Mesothelioma. Only 10-20% cases of this type of cancer are recorded up till now. The tumor cells of Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma are usually mistaken by other types of cells. Furthermore, their oval and irregular shapes make them more difficult to identify under a microscope as compared to biphasic or epitheliod tumors. 

As a result of the diagnostic delay, Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma becomes the most fatal type of mesothelioma. After the diagnosis, life expectancy is more or less of six months.

But if someone is diagnosed by this type of tumor so what treatments are best for him/her?

Treatment

Even though the treatments are similar to the other types of tumors which are epithelial and biphasic but the worst thing about Sarcomatoid tumor that it is the most resistive one. To be very honest the treatments which are given to patient of sarcomatoid mesothelioma is not curable. It is just the treatment has a focus on that how can make the life comfortable and prolong as much as possible for the patient who is suffering from this tumor. 

The patients of sarcomatoid mesothelioma have treatment options like surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Not only they can opt for these treatment options they can also go for immunotherapy (use to destroy tumors) and gene therapy.

Ask your physician for clinical trials if you are suffering from Sarcomatiod mesothelioma. So that he can provide you with the best and modern treatment option according to your present condition!