Mesothelioma Remission
When any type of cancer doesn’t go away but does not spread, it is said to be in remission. That is, the cancer is in a near dormant state for an extended period of time.
There have been well-documented cases of mesothelioma remission in the past decade. In some cases, the remission has been spontaneous. In others, advances in medical technology as well as copious use of complementary and alternative medicine treatments have made mesothelioma remission even more commonplace.
Types of Remission
There are two types of remission for any type of cancer:
- Partial Remission -- Also called partial response, this is when the cancer partially responds to treatment but has not disappeared completely. Many long-term mesothelioma survivors are considered to be in partial remission when the tumors have not spread.
- Complete Remission -- Also called complete response, when treatment completely removes all signs of cancer, the patient is in complete remission.
Examples of Remission
Medical research shows that there are many cases of partial and complete mesothelioma remission. These have been documented in the U.S. National Library of Medicine:
Peritoneal Mesothelioma
A 21-year-old woman underwent surgery to resect peritoneal tumors and was given doses of chemotherapy. While the tumors initially shrunk, they returned 12 months later. She underwent several rounds of radiation, and the tumors have been gone for six years.
Pleural Mesothelioma
A 68-year old man underwent treatment with various chemotherapy drugs and surgery on the pleura, the membranous layer around the chest area. He has been in partial remission for more than four years.
Pericardial Mesothelioma
A 47-year-old woman was treated with high doses of chemotherapy and pericardial drainage. After treatment, her mesothelioma went into complete remission, and she returned to her regular activities.
Unconventional Treatments
In addition to cases documented in scientific literature of patients using mainstream medicine, others have used novel approaches:
Caffeine Treatment
A 71-year-old woman with peritoneal mesothelioma was in complete remission with a combination of chemotherapy and intravenous caffeine injections. While she eventually discontinued the caffeine injections, she continued with the chemotherapy and surgery. The cancer was found to be in complete remission. She later died of respiratory failure.
Electrocardiology
A construction worker diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma followed a regime of avoiding all salty foods, eating 10 servings of fruits and vegetables and napping on a pulsating magnetic mattress for three hours a day. Under the supervision of Mexican physician Dr. Demetrio Sodi-Pallares, the patient went into complete remission.
Your Chances of Remission
One of the best ways to increase your chances of remission is to seek cancer treatment at one of the best medical centers and take part in CAM therapies that are aimed at making your body stronger and healthier. In some cases, good genetics also play a major role in remission.
Sherrie Moore, 55, is a good example of treatment and genetics working hand-in-hand. Moore, who lives in Missouri, was diagnosed with Stage IV pleural mesothelioma. The cancer has spread to both her lungs. Knowing her options where limited, she traveled to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas where she was treated by famed mesothelioma doctor Anne Tsao.
“I told Dr. Tsao, ‘For every cancer, there has been someone who has been cured, and there had to be a first. Let me be your first,’ ” Moore said.
Too sick to undergo surgery or radiation, her only hope was chemotherapy. After undergoing 28 grueling chemotherapy treatments, Moore was proclaimed to be cancer free. Moore has been in total remission for more than a year.
Sources:
- American Cancer Society. When Cancer Doesn’t Go Away. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/treatment/survivorshipduringandaftertreatment/when-cancer-doesnt-go-away
- Schoenemann, Lauren, “Mesothelioma Survivor Finds Hope, Appreciation for Aging.” MD Anderson Cancer Center. Retrieved from http://www2.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/2012/01/mesothelioma-survivor-finds-hope-appreciation-for-aging.html
- U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. Triplet chemotherapy for malignant pericardial mesothelioma: a case report. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16533802
