Inoperable Pleural Mesothelioma May Have a Possible Treatment Plan

W ith many delicate intricacies of the human body, comes susceptibility to disease. Oftentimes, these diseases are easily cured, and other times they are easily managed, if not completely cured. However, this is not the case for pleural mesothelioma.

Pleural mesothelioma is a rare kind of cancer that attacks the outline of the lungs.

What Does Pleural Mean?

Pleural refers to the pleura. The pleura are large, but thin membranes, that wrap around the outer side of the lungs and line the inner side of the chest cavity. Additionally, there’s a tiny bit of space between the layers of the pleura, and said space normally holds some fluid.

The pleura has two thin layers of tissues. The inner layer is known as the visceral pleura, and it wraps around the lungs. The outer layer is known as the parietal pleura, and it lines the inside of the chest wall.

What Is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer known to be most commonly caused by asbestos. It is found within the mesothelium, a protective membrane that covers most vital organs.

Despite mesothelioma’s rarity, it is found in four major types. One such type of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma.

What Is Pleural Mesothelioma?

Pleural mesothelioma is a type of mesothelioma where cancer attacks the tissues around the lungs. Its symptoms are reminiscent of those of any major lung infection: shortness of breath, chest pain, painful breathing, dry or raspy cough, coughing up blood, and difficulty swallowing.

Some of the more serious symptoms include pain in the lower back or rib area, unexplained weight loss and fatigue, swelling of the face or arms, night sweats or fever, fluid in the lungs, and lumps under the skin on the chest.

Life Expectancy and Survival Rate

Pleural mesothelioma is unfortunately incurable as of yet. However, it can be limited in its growth and be managed with several different cancer treatments, which can allow oncologists to better the life expectancy and relieve painful signs and symptoms to a certain extent.

On average, once a patient is diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, their life expectancy is between four to eighteen months. The survival rate for five years is only 10%.

Existing Treatments

Doctors diagnose an estimated 3000 new people with pleural mesothelioma every year in the United States alone. The treatment plans differ from one individual to another. Some common treatments include:

• Surgery
• Radiation Therapy
• Chemotherapy

While chemotherapy is the most common form of treatment for pleural mesothelioma, surgery is the fastest way to remove cancerous growth. What happens when a tumor is declared inoperable and surgery is no longer an option?

New Research Supports Possible Treatment for Inoperable Pleural Mesothelioma

In a study published in Nature Medicine on November 8 2021, the combination of the immunotherapy agent “durvalumab” with the chemotherapy agents “pemetrexed” and “cisplatin” or “carboplatin” may provide a new and comparatively more effective method of treating patients whose pleural mesothelioma is inoperable.

The results of the study showed a much higher survival rate for patients under this clinical trial as compared to patients with similar medical histories that were not part of this trial. Overall, the median survival rate for patients in this clinical trial was 20.4 months, compared to 12 months seen before for similar patients.

Furthermore, for people with epithelioid tumors, which is the most frequent subtype of mesothelioma detected, the survival rate was 24.3 months.

What Does This Mean for the Future of Oncology?

Oncology is the study of cancer. This new research shows promising results for the treatment of a certain type of inoperable cancer, but the work in the health industry on the topic of mesothelioma is far from complete.

That being said, it is worthy of praise to note that some of the patients who suffered from epithelioid malignant pleural mesothelioma and were part of the clinical trial are, to this day, free from further progression of growth of the tumor, meaning they have successfully managed their cancer with the help of these new findings.

This research is a tribute to the fact that advancements in biology will inevitably bring us all to a day where not just mesothelioma but all types of cancers will either be curable or be manageable, allowing patients to lead long and meaningful lives even with their illness.

This treatment is, however, still under the clinical trial phase.

Final Verdict

For an illness whose diagnosis was once almost a surefire death sentence, it is incredible that the survival rate is now almost two years. The future of patients with inoperable pleural mesothelioma is not as bleak as it once was.

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• cancer
• mesothelioma
• symptoms