Source: Cancer Monthly

Mesothelioma with conventional treatment has a median survival rate of 9 to 12 months after diagnosis, which is one of the worst survival rates of any cancer. Yet, there are examples in the medical literature of patients who've lived much longer than this after their diagnosis. Doctors and researchers do not understand why some individuals seem to live so much longer than the average, but they are beginning to look at the role of the immune system as a possible answer.

Paul Kraus is among the most famous of these mesothelioma survivors. In 1997 he was diagnosed with mesothelioma and only given months to live. After consulting with a variety of physicians and refusing to accept the very limited prognosis he faced with conventional treatment modalities, he embarked on a personal research project and developed his own treatment regimen which was based on boosting his immune system's response to the malignancy. Now, ten years later, he's a regular speaker at mesothelioma events and has written a highly-regarded book about his journey and his method: Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient's Guide.

Like Mr. Kraus, other patients have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and have lived years after the doctors said they would, but these are still minority examples in the literature. As scientists begin to study the effects of immunotherapy on mesothelioma, they are finding the results of some clinical trials quite promising. In one study of immunotherapy used in conjunction with chemotherapy, median survival was reported at 29.2 months, greatly exceeding the average survival rate.

Many questions still remain unanswered, but the promising results of these immunotherapy trials offer hope that more effective mesothelioma treatment options are on the horizon.

Labels: mesothelioma