Additional Novel Therapies

An Outline of Alternative Medicines

Doxorubicin (Adriamycin)

  • General Information for Doxorubicin (Adriamycin) Doxorubicin is used widely in the treatment of cancers, including breast, ovarian, bladder and lung cancer, as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and sarcoma. Doxorubicin is the chemical name for the drug. One of the most common brands of doxorubicin is Adriamycin. More...

  • Valproate-doxorubicin: promising therapy for progressing mesothelioma. A phase II study In vitro data suggested that valproic acid (VA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), had pro-apoptotic effect and synergized with doxorubicin (D) to induce apoptosis in mesothelioma cells. Study aims to determine response rate of combined VA and D in patients with unresectable mesothelioma failing after platinum-based CT. More...

Chelation

  • Chelation clears minerals from the body with a chemical called ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). This substance is administered through an IV needle.
    Chelation Therapy (8/21/01)

Photodynamic Therapy

Lovastatin

  • Lovastatin-Induced Proliferation Inhibition and Apoptosis in C6 Glial Cells1 (2/22/00)
  • Lovastatin Induces Apoptosis in Mesothelioma Cells: Rubins JB, May 22, 1998
  • Cholesterol Drug May Help Treat Mesothelioma, But More Research Needed RGW (5/1998)

Immuno-Augmentative Therapy Clinic

  • ITL Cancer Clinic was formally the Immuno-Augmentative Therapy Clinic (IAT). Objective is to activate the body's immune system to target and kill the cancer cells. The treatment protocol involves the use of a serum that is administered daily based on an analysis of the patient's blood.

Cancell

  • Cancell is effected in an untraditional manner--by reducing the amount of oxygen to the cancerous cells, thus enabling the body to dispose of the cancer through natural processes.

Gersen-Research

  • Using diet (fresh, raw juices consumed continuously for 13 hours a day ), enemas (including coffee enemas) and other therapies, the Gerson Therapy clinics claim to detoxify the body and restore its natural cancer-fighting abilities.

American Biologics - Mexico SA Medical Center, Tijuana, Mexico

  • The first mesothelioma patient to be treated at American Biologics was the actor, Steve McQueen, back in the early 1980s. Since then, there have been anecdotal reports of the success of their treatment, but no conclusive evidence.

Gefitinib

  • Estrogen Receptor β Exerts Tumor Repressive Functions in Human Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma via EGFR Inactivation and Affects Response to Gefitinib. (12/3/2010) This study describes a role for ERβ in the modulation of cell proliferation and EGFR activation and provides a rationale to facilitate the targeting of a subgroup of mesothelioma patients who would benefit most from therapy with therapeutic agent Gefitinib alone or in combination with Akt inhibitors.

Fish Oil

  • Fish Oil Supplements May Help Lung Cancer Patients Maintain Their Weight During Treatment. (4/16/2011)According to the study, involuntary weight loss is a major contributor to mortality in patients with advanced cancer. Approximately 69% of patients receiving fish oil gained or maintained muscle mass, compared to only 29% of patients that did not receive fish oil. More...

Temsirolimus

  • Renal Cancer Drug Temsirolimus Shows Promise Against Mesothelioma. (5/2011) A drug commonly used to treat kidney cancer may increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy for mesothelioma either in combination with chemotherapy or as second-line treatment after chemotherapy failure. The researchers found that temsirolimus strongly blocked mTOR-mediated signals and had a cytostatic, or growth-stopping, effect on all mesothelioma cells. More...

Curcumin

  • Spice extract may suppress growth of mesothelioma cell. (5/2011) Curcumin, the major component in the spice turmeric, alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutics has been under investigation for a number of cancers. In this study, we found that curcumin targets cell cycle and promotes apoptosis to suppress mesothelioma growth in vitro and in vivo and its future exploitation in effective management of resistant malignant shows promise. More...