Upcoming Treatments For Asbestos Cancer
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer which occurs in the cells surrounding our organs called the mesothelial cells. Mesothelioma occurs most frequently in the area of tissue covering the lungs and is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos.
Asbestos related cancer usually takes until 20-50 years after the exposure to be diagnosed and due to the negative prognosis it has, in recent years there has been more and more research into alternative treatments which can be used to eradicate the disease from sufferers’ bodies or improve their quality of life.
Many of the treatments are still in research and testing stages, but a number of sufferers are willing to take the risk and undergo treatment.
Vitamin C was trialled as a cure at the Vale of Leven Hospital in Scotland and was reported to have ‘excellent results’. A chief surgeon administered relatively high doses to cancer patients in this study, although in other studies no efficacy has been reported.
Iscador is the trade name for a certain species of mistletoe, Viscum album, which, it has been said, can reduce the effects of cancer. A reduction in tumour size has not been reported, but the benefits are stimulation of the immune system, improved general well being, and a reversion of cancerous cells into less damaging types.
Astragulus is another plant based remedy emerging into the market, and it is a native Chinese plant which has been trialled as a remedy in China. One such trial concluded that if Astragulus was injected alongside traditional chemotherapy then it would result in the development of tumours being inhibited and the immune system would improve.
None of the alternative therapies mentioned have been fully endorsed yet, but the fact we have made these discoveries and advancements into new ways of treating and reducing the effects of asbestos cancer suggests that researchers and doctors are getting close to finding ways of increasing life expectancy in patients, or even producing a cure.
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