Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that develops in the abdominal cavity. Doctors and researchers have found a clear relationship between this cancer and high levels of asbestos exposure, but they have yet to find a cure.
Because of the low incidence of peritoneal mesothelioma, few studies have been conducted on experimental treatment options for patients. The majority of treatment methods have followed those recommended for pleural mesothelioma.
A multimodality approach to treating peritoneal mesothelioma has shown encouraging results in prolonging the mesothelioma life expectancy of patients. With this method, two or more treatment options are completed at the same time, often involving the combination of surgery, chemotherapy and sometimes radiotherapy. However, this method can only be used for a small percentage of patients that have been diagnosed during an early stage of development.
Those diagnosed during the advanced stages of development can receive palliative treatment to help with comfort, but no standard method has been established for these patients. Palliative treatment options usually involve some form of chemotherapy and are designed to improve the overall quality of life for the patient.
Chemotherapy drugs for peritoneal patients have included but are not limited to cisplatin, doxorubicin, carboplatin and pemetrexed (Alimta). In some cases, such medications have been noted to stall the progression of mesothelioma tumors.
Pemetrexed acts by disrupting the cell replication process of the tumor and slows its progression throughout the rest of the body. In 2004, pemetrexed received worldwide approval to be used in combination with cisplatin for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Studies have shown that pemetrexed also has a positive effect on malignant peritoneal mesothelioma cases as well.
One form of treatment that has had recent success in prolonging the life of patients is hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), a treatment that is still in the developmental process. HIPEC is performed in combination with surgery and involves the use of a heated chemotherapy solution that is circulated throughout the abdominal cavity while the patient is still in the operating room. The high temperature of the solution has been found to increase the chemotherapy drug’s overall impact.
Due to the low number of peritoneal mesothelioma patients diagnosed each year, researching this rare cancer can be difficult. Patients with peritoneal mesothelioma may be encouraged to enroll in clinical trials with the hope of improving their cancer prognosis.
Additional information about mesothelioma may be found through the Mesothelioma Center.
source: www.asbestos.com
