Early diagnosis of mesothelioma is key to providing a patient with the best treatment available to improve prognosis. Treatment options for mesothelioma include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery. Newer treatment methods, like gene therapy, are currently being tested to determine their effectiveness for patients.
One new treatment for mesothelioma that has been found to have some potential is the use of radiotherapy after a patient receives surgery. In a study from Egypt that tracked 2,000 mesothelioma patients and their treatment success over a 10-year period, many of the patients who received radiotherapy after surgery lived longer than those who did not receive radiotherapy. However, this was not true in all cases.
Dr. Omar Abdel-Rahman examined the cases of 2,166 mesothelioma patients who received treatment between 2000 and 2013. Of these patients, 469 received radiotherapy after their surgery. For most of these patients, receiving radiotherapy correlated with a greater survival rate. Unfortunately, for patients with sarcomatoid mesothelioma, a rare and deadly form of mesothelioma, there was no such correlation.
A study from Mount Sinai Medical Center confirmed Dr. Abdel-Rahman’s findings. In a study of 14,000 mesothelioma patients and their treatment, the Mount Sinai team found that one third of the patients who received radiotherapy after surgery were still alive two years after receiving treatment, compared to 19.1 percent of those who did not receive radiotherapy after their surgery. Even after adjusting for other factors that can impact a patient’s survival outlook, such as the patient’s age and whether the cancer has spread to their lymph nodes, the team found that subjects who received both radiotherapy and surgery had a lower mortality rate than patients who received only one type of treatment. The Mount Sinai Medical Center researchers concluded that radiotherapy plays a useful role in multi-modal mesothelioma treatment.
If you are suffering from mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos in Philadelphia, you could be entitled to recover compensation for your illness-related damages through an asbestos exposure claim. To learn more about seeking compensation this way, complete our online form or call Brookman, Rosenberg, Brown & Sandler today at 215-569-4000 or toll-free at 800-369-0899 to schedule your initial consultation in our Philadelphia office. Our team proudly represents clients from Delaware County, Chester County, and Philadelphia County.
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