How does one acquire mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a unique type of cancer. It is not like other cancers which are genetically linked. It is acquired from the environment through exposure of the body to asbestos. Typically, miners who formerly worked in an asbestos mining have this type of cancer. Asbestos is a mineral that is mined for its durability, flexibility and resistant capacity. Asbestos threads are woven together and made into materials which resist chemicals and extreme heat. Many factories and construction engineers use this material. Asbestos mining is banned from many countries today. Still, many are mining and using it as a prime material for chemical and power plants.
Different alternative treatments for mesothelioma
Anti-angiogenesis therapy. This type of therapy directly affects the blood flow. As you know, cancer cells and tumors started as a single cell that developed into a large mass of tumor over time. How is this so? Cells need blood to thrive, grow and develop. The blood is responsible to give oxygen and nutrition to the cells to keep them healthy. Abundance of blood vessels along the cell pathways makes them very much alive. By cutting the blood supply, the cells will lose the nutrients and oxygen they need in order to grow. This principle is called angiogenesis. Diverting blood supply from a certain group of cells by cutting the blood vessels is called anti-angiogenesis.
Gene therapy.
This therapy modifies the chromosome, RNA and DNA which results a properly arranged nucleic acids. Defective gene means defective proteins. This is the root of genetic disorders such as liver cancer, hemophilia and other genetic mutations.
Since, mesothelioma is not a genetic disorder, gene therapy uses virus by modifying its genetic structure and inject it to the tumor. The modified virus contains drug which is toxic to the cancer cells but not harmful to normal cells. This way, the cancer cells will die. This innovative cell-targeting technique is found to be very effective in so many trials already. This new scientific breakthrough gives new efficiency in curing mesothelioma.
Immunotherapy.
This is a type of manipulation of the immune system. The human immune system kills only foreign bodies like bacteria, viruses and other foreign cells. In the case of cancer, immune system does not recognize it as foreign bodies because it is produced by the person’s own body. What immune therapy does is that it helps the immune system to recognize the difference between defective and normal cells.
Immunotherapy in mesothelioma involves administering vaccines. Typically, vaccines are given to prevent diseases. In mesothelioma, vaccines are given to remove existing cancerous cells and malignant tumors in the body.
The vaccine is made up of cancer cells from which are the patient’s own. These defective cells are modified in the laboratory and made into antigens. The modified cells will then be injected back to the patient. This technique helps the immune system to recognize which cells are cancerous and which are normal.
Finding ways in combating tumors like mesothlioma has come a long way. Alternative ways of treatment has come from the organ therapy up to the genetic and molecular level. Modern medicine is continually searching for the best cure for tumors.
Alternative mesothelioma treatments are giving new ways to effectively eliminating such disease.
