Researchers announce "breakthrough" for asbestos mesothelioma sufferersVictoria, Australia - A team of Australian researchers is claiming that they have made a major breakthrough in battling mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer linked to exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is a very aggressive form of cancer that typically has a latency period of several decades. Mesothelioma is incurable, but mesothelioma treatment methods like chemo and radiotherapy may help some patients in their fight against the mesothelioma cancer.
Specialists at the Austin Health Centre in Victoria, Australia, now say that they have developed a new radiation treatment that can provide a longer life for those battling the rare cancer. Dr. Malcolm Feigen, a radiation oncologist at the Austin Health Centre, says that by using higher doses of radiation, he is seeing great results.
"Gradually with new technologies and better equipment we've been able to increase our doses and look at the results by doing PET scans before they start the radiotherapy and PET scans after they've finished to see what difference we've made," he said. ''And we've been very impressed that in most cases there's a considerable improvement in the activity of the tumor masses that we've given high doses of radiotherapy. And most patients have got through the course of treatment with no major side effects and some have had long-term benefits."
The results from Dr. Feigen's tests are encouraging, and the CEO of the Cancer Council of Australia, Professor Ian Olver, says that he hopes the research will continue. "I think it's an important finding that radiation has a useful role along with other therapies, not so much on its own, so they've really found the niche for radiotherapy in this disease," he said.
