Mesothelioma is cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, which affects the mesothelium part. It’s most common in people who work with asbestos. The stage of the disease will determine how aggressive the treatment options are and, in general, how long a person with this type of cancer may live.

Mesothelioma can be divided into 3 main stages: localized, distant, or metastatic stages of the disease. There is a 0-5% chance of mesothelioma winning the fight. However, there are proven cases that help us understand why choosing alternate treatments in addition to conventional therapy proved to have improved mesothelioma survival rates.

How long do you live after being diagnosed with mesothelioma?

The percentage of patients alive a certain number of years after their diagnosis is referred to as the mesothelioma survival rate. Interestingly, mesothelioma survival rates are different from person to person and depend on the type of mesothelioma, the stage of disease, and treatment options. The 5-year survival rate for pleural mesothelioma is 9.6%, and the 5-year survival rate for peritoneal mesothelioma is 65%.

Every few years, the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) system publishes mesothelioma survival data. Life expectancy, or the average time a person is expected to live based on birth year, current age, gender, and other factors, differs from survival rate.

Diagnosis of mesothelioma

The primary mode of diagnosis for mesothelioma involves chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation therapy. While all three modes of treatment have been successful so far in improving Mesothelioma survival rates, there will always be exceptions in every treatment. Primary methods may not always work for all patients. In such cases, alternate methods of treatment such as herbal therapy, acupuncture, sound healing, meditation etc are usually considered. In fact, traditional medicine practitioners are always sceptical about their success rate considerably less.

Alternative mesothelioma treatment provides patients with additional options for managing their health in addition to traditional therapies. Alternative treatments may alleviate mesothelioma symptoms, improve overall health, and improve patients’ quality of life. However, these treatments cannot replace conventional treatments.

Alternative therapies to improve mesothelioma survival rates

Treatment approaches that combine surgery with heated chemotherapy or radiation to kill residual cells have yielded some encouraging results and enhanced the survival rate of mesothelioma.

However, in some cases, others choose an alternate way, either as a stand-alone therapy or as a supplement to conventional treatments. A 2007 Harvard study discovered that THC, an active ingredient in marijuana oil, inhibits the migration of certain types of lung cancer cells. Four years later, another Harvard study looked into the role of cannabinoid receptors in lung cancer cells and discovered that cannabinoids can be used to treat lung cancer. It may do the same for mesothelioma, as per anecdotal evidence.

Holistic therapies prioritise proper nutrition, the avoidance of chemical substances, the use of homoeopathic remedies, acupuncture, and meditation techniques. Holistic care techniques have always been non-invasive. Many herbs and medicinal plants have been reported to prevent and inhibit cancer and between 1986 and 2006, 63 of 81 (77.8%) cancer drugs approved were either natural products or mimicked natural products in some way.

Many promising dietary agents or medicinal plants have been identified in eastern countries that modulate inflammatory processes and suppress multiple carcinogenesis pathways. Furthermore, traditional medicine’s holistic approach is now being merged into modern medical care to supplement the shortcomings of the current conventional medical system. Therapeutic approaches such as medicinal plants, acupuncture, traditional exercise, and meditation have become an important part of an integrative oncology setting, based on scientific findings that could increase mesothelioma survival rates across the world.

Mind-Body Therapies that increased mesothelioma survival rates

These therapies are intended to assist the patient both mentally and physically in their battle against cancer. Their applicability is heavily dependent on the patient’s attitude and treatment receptivity. In fact, mesothelioma survival rates significantly increased in survivors when they integrated these mind-body therapies

A) Mind-based therapy

Hypnotherapy

“Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness where a person may experience deep relaxation, heightened attention, and heightened concentration.” This procedure involves a therapist who’s able to manipulate brainwaves. The patient is then put into a state of intense focus before suggestions are made in order to help them overcome their anxiety. 

Music Therapy

Music therapists work with healthcare professionals to come up with treatment plans for mesothelioma, cancer and other serious conditions. Music can be calming and relaxing, subsequently helping patients express or release emotions during this difficult time. Music therapy has been linked to improving a patient’s emotional and physical state. The process can involve listening to or moving to music, singing, playing an instrument, or discussing music. Sound healing therapy with certain sound frequencies showed enhanced mesothelioma survival rates in patients.

Meditation

Meditation teaches patients how to quiet their minds from excessive thoughts and emotions, which can help reduce tension and stress. It also has an added benefit for patients with pleural mesothelioma because it frequently includes deep breathing techniques that may help improve lung function. Although it is a time taking process, many individuals were found to have improved survival rates of mesothelioma

Counselling for Mental Health

Psychologists and other mental health counsellors can assist mesothelioma patients with pain management, depression, and stress management. Hypnotherapy, which helps cancer patients focus and concentrate, and cognitive behavioural therapy, which aims to change a person’s thoughts and emotions in order to improve their overall health, are two options for mental health counselling. Hypnosis can impact at the core level by replacing the belief system, impressions and fear about the disease in patients and can greatly improve mesothelioma survival rates.

Body-based therapy

TENS Treatment

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, or TENS, modifies pain perception in mesothelioma patients by electrically stimulating A-beta (sensory stimulation) nerve fibres, which can then block other fibres. This treatment has been shown to be effective as a complementary therapy for cancer pain relief and considerably increased mesothelioma survival rates.

Acupuncture

According to the National Cancer Institute, acupuncture uses very thin needles inserted into specific points on the body to relieve cancer symptoms such as dry mouth, fatigue, and nausea from chemotherapy (NCI). The needles do not hurt the patients and may even make them feel more at ease.

According to the National Cancer Institute, clinical trials studying the use of acupuncture to relieve nausea and vomiting provide the strongest evidence of its benefits. Radiation treatment and chemotherapy methods, which are commonly used to treat mesothelioma, weaken the immune system.

Acupuncture has been shown in some studies to boost the immune system during chemotherapy. Nausea is a common side effect of chemotherapy, which uses powerful drugs to kill mesothelioma cells in your body, such as pemetrexed and cisplatin.

Lymphatic Massage Therapy

Massage can reduce swelling and lead to better function of the lymphatic system, which removes toxins and waste from tissues in the body. Among cancer patients, lymphatic massage may help decrease depression, fatigue, and insomnia and thereby improving the chance of mesothelioma survival rates.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractors treat a wide range of conditions, including cancer-related pain, without the use of medications or invasive surgery. Instead, they manipulate the spine and other joints to relieve pain and discomfort.

Fresh herbs and spices

Herbs and spices, fresh

Turmeric, which contains the active ingredient curcumin, is one of the most potent anti-cancer ingredients, as it has been shown to reduce tumour size and fight colon and breast cancer. Turmeric absorption is enhanced and better able to fight inflammation when combined with easy-to-use black pepper. You can easily use one teaspoon of turmeric powder and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper or more each day in a tonic drink, with eggs, or in a stir-fry of vegetables. Curcumin supplements can also be taken; aim for 1,000 milligrammes per day.

Other immune-boosting herbs include ginger, raw garlic, thyme, cayenne pepper, oregano, basil, and parsley — all of which can be seamlessly integrated into a variety of recipes, juices, and dressings.

Here’s an interesting case of a 49-year-old Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) patient, who exhibited relatively long progression-free survival (PFS) following a Korean herbal medicine treatment (KHMT) alone.

With an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status score of 1, the patient’s multidisciplinary care team recommended surgery-based multimodal treatment that included an extrapleural pneumonectomy, left pericardial resection, diaphragmatic resection, and reconstruction. However, because the treatment was highly aggressive and the surgery’s expected benefit was unclear, he declined it in favour of close observation. Check this below link for more information.

Chemotherapy effects have been severe and chemotherapeutic agents for him with MPM were limited too, hence he opted for traditional Korean medicine.

Traditional Korean medicine (TKM)

Cancer, according to TKM, is caused by an imbalance of the body, mind, and spirit, necessitating a multimodal treatment approach that includes lifestyle changes, herbal prescription, acupuncture, moxibustion, traditional exercise, and meditation to restore balance.

Korean herbal medicine treatment involves the use of medicinal herbs and other plants that have recently been found to work effectively against anticancer effects, alleviate adverse effects, and have protective and sensitizing effects in chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

TKM suggests that cancer arises from the stagnation of Qi, the functional disharmony of energy in the body, and develops slowly over many years, passing through several steps involving consecutive stagnation of dampness, heat, phlegm, blood, and food. Whereas modern medicine has developed chemotherapy drugs targeting a single gene, the medicinal plants or formulas used in TKM or other traditional medical systems are naturally multitarget agents. The usage of a whole plant instead of a single chemical compound extracted from a plant likely inhibits the adverse effects and drug resistance that plague modern medicine. Gunchil-dan capsule and Bangam-tang decoction are usually preferred.

When ancient wisdom is combined with modern science, a new way to deal with the “emperor of all aliments” can be discovered. Hence ancient traditional methods when integrated with western medicine is undoubtedly the best way to improve mesothelioma survival rates.