According to a recent issue of the British medical journal, The Lancet, researchers have been studying the effect of chemotherapy on mesothelioma. Since chemotherapy is not considered a successful treatment for mesothelioma cancer, but rather a treatment for mesothelioma signs and symptoms medical professionals continue to debate the usefulness of the procedure on controlling symptoms.

Researchers studied 409 patients all of which were suffering from malignant pleural mesothelioma in different parts of the world. The patients were randomly assigned an active symptom control treatment or a treatment that included an active control treatment with one of two chemotherapy medications. According to the study, "the active symptom control treatments included steroids, bronchodilators, analgesic medications and palliative radiotherapy."

Following the study, the patients with both treatment options were compared and, according to researchers, "the addition of chemotherapy to active symptom control presented no significant benefit or advances in survival rates or quality of life" among mesothelioma victims.

What are Mesothelioma, Chemotherapy?

Mesothelioma is a disease in which malignant cancer cells develop in a thin layer of tissue that lines the chest cavity covering the lungs, which is also known as the pleura, or the peritoneum, which is the tissue lining the abdomen and most of the organs, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), chemotherapy is a treatment method that uses chemicals commonly administered via a catheter, pill, injection, or port, which is usually a round, metal or plastic disc, that is provided when abnormal cancerous cells begin to develop and rapidly divide uncontrollably. Chemotherapy is given for a variety of reasons but it is given based on certain factors such as the stage of a cancer, the health of a patient and the age of a patient. For mesothelioma patients, chemotherapy is not a curative method of treatment, but is actually administered to mesothelioma patients for several reasons including the following:

• stop growth and spreading of a cancer, to control the cancer
• minimize or shrink tumors - this method is also known as neoadjuvant chemotherapy
• palliative chemotherapy in which pain and other symptoms are meant to be reduced
• the destruction of microscopic disease that remains after a surgical procedure, also known as adjuvant chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is administered either as a catheter placed into a large vein in the body or a catheter attached as a port that is placed into the chest area under the skin for a period of time.

Living With Mesothelioma

Unfortunately, victims of mesothelioma continue to receive setbacks for their life-threatening condition, as there are currently no successful treatments for the deadly cancer. However, an individual has the opportunity to participate in an array of clinical trial treatment groups as well as the opportunity to develop a mesothelioma lawsuit to derive monetary compensation as a means of repayment for the condition, which is often associated with extremely expensive medical bills.

Speaking with a qualified medical attorney who can offer a free legal consultation as to the creation of mesothelioma litigation can offer a mesothelioma victim peace of mind and insight into overcoming the financial burden of their condition.