The Search for a Mesothelioma Cure
Why it is so difficult
Unfortunately, no effective cures for mesothelioma have been found. The disease is difficult to diagnose at an early stage and it cannot be eliminated through medical interventions.
While there is no cure for mesothelioma, the earlier it is found, the more effective therapies are in extending a patient’s life. It is best to find it when it is not firmly established and is still susceptible to treatments. Finding a cure for mesothelioma has proved especially difficult for several reasons:
- Mesothelioma has a 10- to 60-year latency period. It develops long after exposure to asbestos.
- Doctors rarely test for or detect mesothelioma before it has had a chance to develop and spread.
- Mesothelioma develops into tumors that spread insidiously along surfaces, nerves, and blood vessels. This makes it impossible for treatment to rid the patient of all of the disease.
Goals for the treatment and cure of mesothelioma
Although a cure for mesothelioma has not yet been discovered, treatments—including surgery, chemotherapy, drugs, and radiation—are available to provide relief from the disease’s symptoms and extend the lives of mesothelioma victims. Recent developments in drugs and medical procedures may extend lives and alleviate pain and suffering.
Steady progress is being made through continued research on asbestos and related cancers. Currently, there are many clinical trials underway, with others on the horizon. There is also government support for the search for a cure for malignant mesothelioma.
New research provides hope
Medical research and clinical trials aimed at finding a cure for mesothelioma are active around the world. Researchers hope for a breakthrough that can cure this disease or at least transform it from a fatal disease into a chronic, but manageable, condition.
The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation—a nonprofit collaboration of patients and families, physicians, advocates, and researchers—is dedicated to researching the prevention of, early detection of, and cures for mesothelioma. Its stated goals are to:
- Offer hope and support to patients and families through education, information on current treatment options, and connecting them to mesothelioma treatment specialists
- Provide patients and families assistance, emotional support, and community with others
- Fund the highest quality and most promising mesothelioma research projects from around the world through rigorous peer review
- Raise awareness of mesothelioma
- Advocate that the public and private sectors partner in efforts to find better detection and treatment methods and cures for mesothelioma
Active clinical trials
Traditional treatment options have not been successful in curing malignant mesothelioma. However, combinations of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation have extended the lifespan of some victims—especially when the mesothelioma was diagnosed at an early stage. New combinations and changes to therapies also seem like promising approaches for doctors and scientists researching a mesothelioma cure.
Many patients participate in mesothelioma clinical trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. These clinical trials test newly developed medications and treatment regimes. Each trial brings medical researchers closer to finding treatments that will make mesothelioma a manageable condition where people can live longer and more comfortably.
Government supported research
Researching a mesothelioma cure is expensive and time-consuming. This disease affects about 3,000 people yearly in the United States. Because it only affects a small amount of people, drug companies and researchers would not find it profitable to invest in research without government support.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted orphan disease status to mesothelioma. This designation provides tax credits and marketing incentives to pharmaceutical companies for researching drugs and treatments with the potential to cure mesothelioma.