Breakthrough in fight against mesothelioma

 

Australian experts are offering new hope to mesothelioma sufferers, claiming a breakthrough in the treatment of the aggressive cancer.

Specialists at the Austin Health Centre in Victoria have discovered a new radiation technique which can improve the life expectancy for sufferers.

Every year, around 700 Australians find out they have mesothelioma. The deadly cancer, which attacks the lungs, is mostly caused by exposure to asbestos.

On average sufferers are given just two years to live after diagnosis.

Dr Malcolm Feigen, a Radiation Oncologist at the Austin Health Centre in Victoria, has for the past seven years been developing new techniques for treating mesothelioma, involving high doses of radiotherapy.

"Gradually with new technologies and better equipment we've been able to increase our doses and look at the results by doing PET scans before they start the radiotherapy and PET scans after they've finished to see what difference we've made," he said.

"And we've been very impressed that in most cases there's a considerable improvement in the activity of the tumour masses that we've given high doses of radiotherapy. And most patients have got through the course of treatment with no major side effects and some have had long-term benefits."

Dr Feigen says patients treated only with chemotherapy mostly have short-term benefits and then the cancer comes back.

"But with radiotherapy it doesn't come back in the same area and if we find patients early enough we may be able to stop any further developments of their disease," he said.

All up, 13 patients were involved in the pilot program.

Dr Feigen says most had surgery prior to radiotherapy. He says the treatment has given the patients an average two years more to live.

"Some patients go on to have a number of good years before sometimes the tumour comes back in areas that we haven't been able to give radiotherapy to," he said.

"Some have had chemotherapy before they see us or afterwards and that does provide an additional benefit, but not always, and we think that most of the symptoms are relieved more effectively by high doses of radiotherapy than these other alternatives."

Dr Feigen will present his findings to a national oncology conference on the Gold Coast next week.

He is hoping to encourage other leading cancer centres to take part in further research.

The CEO of the Cancer Council of Australia, Professor Ian Olver, says the findings are promising and he welcomes the push for further studies.