During an interview with Patient Power, an internet radio series hosted by cancer patient and health communications expert Andrew Schorr, Dr. Tsao said treatment at a facility which offers expertise in treating mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer which occurs as a result of asbestos exposure, can be an essential key in ensuring these patient receive care which can prolong survival and improve symptoms.
Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer that occurs when tiny asbestos fibers are inhaled, lodging in the lining of the lung, heart and stomach, where they can cause inflammation, as well genetic changes. The symptoms of mesothelioma may not become evident until many years after exposure, in some cases remaining hidden until 40 to 50 years following exposure. The earliest symptoms of mesothelioma include persistent cough and chest pain.
Non-specializing medial centers, as well as smaller local healthcare centers, may miss some of the symptoms of mesothelioma when it is in its earliest stages, when proper care can add years to some patient’s lives, according to Dr. Tsao, an associate professor of medical oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Clinicians who work at major medical centers that specialize in mesothelioma as well as the treatment of other types of asbestos cancer are also trained in emerging technologies and treatments that can improve patients’ lives, she added.
Specialization is crucial in certain types of treatment, such as extrapleural pneumonectomy, a procedure which can take up to 10 hours to perform and involves removing not only the tumor, but also the lung, portions of the diaphragm, and the pericardium, the lining that surrounds the heart.
Specialists at major cancer treatment centers are also involved in many emerging drug therapies, which are available only through clinical trials at these centers. Many of these novel drug therapies are aimed at targeting the cell processes which allow tumor to grow and invade other areas of the body in a process known as metastasis.
Some of the newest research revolves around a protein known as Src kinase, which affects the pathways required for growth and development of mesothelioma cancer cells. Using chemotherapy drugs such as Dasatinib to interrupt these pathways, clinicians hope they will be able to regulate and even halt the growth of mesothelioma tumors.
Dr. Tsao has been instrumental in pioneering clinical studies using this approach, as well as other chemotherapeutic therapies, in a pre-surgical setting.
