Mesothelioma is one of the four main types of asbestos disease caused by extensive exposure to asbestos. It is a form of cancer and, as such, along with asbestos-related lung cancer, is the disease most feared by those awaiting a definitive prognosis of asbestos illness.
So is there a cure for mesothelioma? There is currently no cure for mesothelioma (or ‘meso’ as it is commonly known). It is also an incurable illness that, once diagnosed, has a poor outlook.
The early stages of mesothelioma often don’t cause any symptoms. So, it might be that someone with pleural mesothelioma has less than 12 months to live when they get a diagnosis. During this time, they have to try and come to terms with their predicament, make plans for their family’s future and make the best of the time they have left with one another.
One of the questions our asbestos disease solicitors get asked most frequently is whether there is a cure for meso? After being told there isn’t a cure, the next question moves on to what, if anything, can be done to extend a mesothelioma patients’ life expectancy. The final question asked is whether there is any possibility a cure to mesothelioma will be discovered soon?
Is there any form of treatment that can extend the life expectancy of a mesothelioma sufferer?
There are four stages of mesothelioma, and as with all cancerous diseases, the sooner it is diagnosed, the more chances of treatment working to the best extent possible. Stage 1 is the earliest stage at which meso can be diagnosed, with stage 4 the most advanced.
When we talk about available ‘treatments for mesothelioma’, bear in mind that sadly we do not mean a cure. Here are the most common types of treatment available to mesothelioma patients:
- Chemotherapy
- Surgery: this involves the removal of cancerous tumours and lymph nodes affecting the lungs or stomach, as appropriate.
- Radiation therapy
- Multimodal therapy: the use of a mixture of treatments.
In the case of mesothelioma diagnosed at stages 1 and 2, all four types of treatment mentioned above can positively reduce the size of the tumour and spread of meso, thus extending the survival period. Surgery is usually not offered to patients with stage 3 mesothelioma, with chemotherapy the only treatment provided at this stage. The exceptions are those who, aside from their mesothelioma, are otherwise in good health overall and for whom surgery may still have life-extending outcomes.
When a patient reaches stage 4 mesothelioma, chemotherapy and palliative treatments are provided to ease symptoms.
Is there any possibility a cure for mesothelioma may be discovered soon?
Whilst standard mesothelioma treatments can extend patients’ lives, researchers worldwide work tirelessly to achieve a breakthrough and find a cure for meso. Mesothelioma patients are frequently invited to undergo new drugs trials.
The end goal is to find a drug that will completely cure mesothelioma. At the same time, scientists continue to research new medicines that can extend the length of time a mesothelioma patient survives their disease. This has the dual purpose of providing meso patients with both extended life expectancy and the possibility of surviving long enough to take advantage of a breakthrough in finding a cure for mesothelioma.
What is immunotherapy, and is it a cure for mesothelioma?
Immunotherapy uses drugs to stimulate a cancer patient’s immune system to recognise cancerous cells and kill them. Immunotherapy uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer naturally. It is now preferred as a treatment to chemotherapy because the latter kills both healthy and cancerous cells, whereas treatment with immunotherapy targets just cancerous calls.
One specific type of drug used in immunotherapy treatment is known as Pembrolizumab. However, it is usually referred to by its brand name of Keytruda, and it is proving to be particularly effective as a treatment for pleural mesothelioma.
Immunotherapy extends the life expectancy of mesothelioma patients but is not a cure for meso. However, researchers work to find the best means of using immunotherapy drugs in conjunction with existing treatments to produce the most effective recovery outcomes for patients with meso.
A comprehensive treatment programme of immunotherapy is expensive, at around £84,000 per patient at full list price.
Some mesothelioma victims can claim compensation for asbestos exposure against former employers. In those cases, the cost of immunotherapy treatment can be recovered from the negligent employer’s insurance company.
Before the insurers make payment, evidence from a cancer expert (oncologist) will be required through a medical report. The report must outline why the expert believes the cost of immunotherapy is justified in a particular case.
Mesothelioma patients who cannot recover the cost of immunotherapy from a former employer are left with the unenviable prospect of paying for the treatment themselves. With the price of immunotherapy treatment so high, getting access to it is impossible for many who would benefit from it.
Thankfully, in 2020, the National Institute for Health Care and Excellence, NICE made a statement that was welcomed by mesothelioma patients all over the country.
NICE announced that immunotherapy would be made available on the NHS for mesothelioma patients following successful drug trials.
The decision was more than timely. It signalled that immunotherapy treatment was to be made available to all meso suffers irrespective of financial circumstances or whether they could claim asbestos compensation from a former employer.
The announcement also meant treatment could be provided at home, unlike chemotherapy, which is only administered in a hospital setting.
The funding of NHS treatment is due to be reviewed on 31st March 2022.
It would be unwise to pin all hopes on immunotherapy being the long-term cure for mesothelioma. As of yet is a life extender, not a cure. However, there seems to be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for mesothelioma sufferers.
