Generally I do not like to discuss any one disease, because the caregivers who read this blog face many different kinds of sometimes devastating diseases with their loved ones. The disease discussed below is not the disease my husband suffered either. Because of the request of an online group, however, I am going to allow a more informational post today. I am going to allow a guest blog post. The post is about Mesothelioma and what this online organization is doing to promote information and help. Perhaps your loved one is experiencing this disease, or you know someone else who is faced with this disease. The guest post below will speak for itself. Also this is their YouTube account link: www.youtube.com/treatmesothelioma/videos
Can We Cure Mesothelioma… Please?
As
of right now, mesothelioma cancer has no absolute cure, yet. However,
significant progress has been made in the efforts that are aimed at
improving prognosis for mesothelioma patients. Today, there are many
mesothelioma
treatment options
that enable patients to enjoy healthier, longer lives. These
treatments provide hope to mesothelioma patients. In fact,
mesothelioma is no longer a death sentence as it was some years back.
It is now possible for mesothelioma patients to achieve long-term
survival after diagnosis.
Curative
treatments for mesothelioma
For
years, there have been constant mesothelioma diagnoses every year. In
the U.S for instance, about 3,000 individuals are diagnosed with
mesothelioma every year. However, survivor rates have also been
increasing every year. All types
of mesothelioma
remain aggressive and in most cases, prognosis is stated in months.
Nevertheless, there are patients who live more than 10 years after
diagnosis and finding a five-year survivor is not something unusual.
While surgeries provide a more precise treatment, therapies are more
exact. Radiation and chemotherapy are more effective treatments for
mesothelioma if the entire tumor cannot be resected.
Why
there is no cure for mesothelioma
Mesothelioma
refers to the cancer of the mesothelium. Mesothelium is the lining
that cushions or surrounds the major human organs like the lung,
abdominal cavity and the heart. Asbestos exposure is the main cause
of mesothelioma, particularly the brown or amosite and the blue or
crocidolite asbestos. Once breathed in, asbestos particles or fibers
act like sharp, tiny needles that find their way into the mesothelium
via the lung tissue or esophagus.
Currently,
medical researchers do not know how this happens. However, presence
of asbestos fibers in the mesothelium leads to uncontrolled cells
mutation and eventual formation of cancerous tumors. The presence of
asbestos fibers or particles causes many changes in the immune
system. However, the latency period for mesothelioma is very long,
extremely long in some cases. Thus mesothelioma
symptoms
take time before they become apparent. As such, mesothelioma is
diagnosed in its later stages in most cases making it difficult to
treat. Mesothelioma chemotherapy, radiation treatments and surgery
are usually used to relieve pain. However, recovery levels remain
low.
Here
is a great video that talks about all the symptoms of mesothelioma:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYEMwv95BmU&t=15s
Efforts
towards mesothelioma cure
A
blood test for detecting mesothelioma early has been developed by
Japanese researchers. The test is known as Mesomark and it looks for
possible protein markers that are generally associated with cancers.
Mesomark might make preventing the disease from spreading with
surgical procedures when detected early possible. It provides
possibilities for improved success rate.
In
Netherlands, Erasmus Medical Center’s researchers developed an
early-stage mesothelioma vaccine. This vaccine has so far shown
fairly promising outcomes. It uses immunotherapy for dendritic cell,
where the immune system learns to destroy mesothelioma cells.
Ideally, dendritic immune cells from a patient are introduced to the
mesothelioma tumor proteins. Upon reintroduction, the cells lead to
the establishment of a defense mechanism and subsequent attack on the
tumor cells.
Generally,
there are numerous mesothelioma treatments that are currently
experimental. These might provide effective cure for mesothelioma in
the future. Preliminary results indicate that experimental
mesothelioma treatments might provide mesothelioma cure and increase
the overall number of individuals that survive longer after
mesothelioma diagnosis. The best thing we all can do it is help
spread awareness on the dangers of asbestos. It’s widely talked
about but not everyone one understands that every single one of us is
susceptible on developing this rare and terminal disease. Asbestos is
nicknamed the “Silent Killer”… I say it’s time to make some
noise!
Sources
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