New Mesothelioma Treatments - Immunotherapy

A new mesothelioma treatment option lies in the area of immunotherapy. There is some evidence that mesothelioma cells are susceptible to immune mechanisms, and that the potential exists for mesothelioma to be successfully treated through immunological means. Most studies to date, however, have focused on single-agent therapy and because the tumor has several mechanisms which allow it to evade recognition by the immune system, limited results have been achieved thus far. It is hoped that by combining surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy with immunotherapy, that results will ultimately improve.

Types of immunotherapies may include:

* Active immunotherapies or those which stimulate the body's own defenses to fight disease.
* Passive immunotherapies or those which use immune system components created outside the body.
* Non-specific immunotherapies and adjuvants or those which stimulate the body's immune system in very general ways, but may still show activity against cancer cells.