The relative rarity of mesotheliomal cancers presents difficulties for researchers seeking to discover new treatments for the disease.  Additionally, the competitive struggle for obtaining funding sources may cause other, more common cancers to be funded ahead of the comparatively rare (and possibly decreasing) mesothelial cancers. 

However, scientists have suggested several possible advances that may become advantageous in the treatment of mesothelioma.  Given mesotheliomas’ poor response to surgical, chemotherapeutic, and radiotherapeutic treatments, it is clear that the discovery of mesothelioma specific treatments would be preferable.

Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is one possible weapon being investigated for its usefulness in the fight against mesothelioma.  The idea is that the body’s immune system could be somehow convinced to identify and target the abnormal cells for destruction.  This process would be stimulated by the introduction of agents designed specifically for causing this behavior in the immune system.

Immunotherapy can be designed with the intention of achieving varying end results.  One form of the treatment is intended to activate the body’s own immune system and instruct it to attack the diseased cells.  This type of therapy is referred to as “active immunotherapy.”

Another form of immunotherapy involves giving the patient preformed antibodies that are designed to attack the cancer cells.  This type of therapy is called “passive immunotherapy,” and is sometimes referred to as adoptive immunotherapy in reference to the body’s adoption of an externally produced immune response.

When a person receives nonspecific immunotherapy, a generalized immune response is activated in the body.  This approach is also commonly referred to as adjuvant immunotherapy, because it is sometimes used to improve the effectiveness of another cancer treatment.

The advantages of immunotherapy over radiotherapy and chemotherapy include the decrease of damage to normal, healthy cells.  Immunotherapy would distinguish between cancerous and normal cells, unlike the other methods of treatment.

Gene Therapy
The potential use of gene therapy in the treatment of mesotheliomas is also an area of interest to medical researchers.  Gene therapy is especially attractive in the case of mesotheliomal tumors because of the cancer’s tendency toward localization, since this allows the therapy to be delivered with relative ease.

There are many approaches toward gene therapy currently being investigated for the treatment of mesotheliomas, including the “suicide gene,” genetic immunopotentiation, combination suicide gene/tumor vaccine, replication virus, and mutation compensation.

• Suicide gene.  Immunotherapy using the “suicide gene” involves the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene.  This gene coordinates with a drug known as ganciclovir to create a toxic reaction in certain cells.
• Genetic immunopotentiation.  Genetic immunopotentiation causes an exaggeration of the body’s natural immune response to a tumor.
• Combination suicide gene/tumor vaccine.  With this combination immunotherapy, cancerous cells are targeted for death along with the simultaneous increase of the body’s immune response.
• Replicating virus.  Gene therapy with a replicating virus introduces specific viral strains capable of destroying tumor cells.
• Mutation compensation.  Mutation compensation uses genes to assist in the increased response of tumor suppressing agents.

In general, gene therapy is an experimental process that, in one way or another, alters the patient’s genetic response in order to fight a disease or prevent further damage.  In pleural mesothelioma, the genetic agent would be injected directly into the patient’s chest area.

Photodynamic Therapy
Photodynamic therapy, also known as PDT, involves the use of light and a light sensitivity stimulating drug to destroy cancer cells.   These two mechanisms work together to stimulate a destructive reaction in the abnormal cells.  Currently, research is being conducted in various countries with the intention to determine photodynamic therapy’s effectiveness in the treatment of mesotheliomas.