Mesothelioma FAQ (Gene Therapy, Immunotherapy, VATS)

How does gene therapy work?body's own immune system to fight against disease
Gene therapy is a procedure for treatment ofin mesothelioma patients. Medical Researchers have
mesothelioma cancers by altering the expression of adiscovered that the body's immune system is able to
person's genes in line a therapeutic goal. Theidentify the difference between healthy cells and
objective and aim of gene therapy is centred onmesothelioma cancers, and destroy the bad or
rectifying disease at DNA level and to compensatecancerous cells.
for the abnormal genes.Immunotherapy as a treatment of mesothelioma is
How does replacement gene therapy work?intended to repair, incite, or improve the body's
Replacement gene therapy displaces a mutated gene,immune system's innate anticancer role.
most often a tumor suppressor gene, and replaces itWhat is VATS?
with a normal copy of that gene which function toLately, the use of video-assisted thoracic surgery
control cell growth and division. The p53 gene, the(VATS) have turned out to be one of the most
most known and common gene altered in cancer hascommonly used techniques in mesothelioma diagnosis.
turned out to be a prime target for replacement ofHere, mesothelioma patients are usually put under
gene, and has been successful in preventing cellgeneral anesthesia, and then several small ports are
growth, preventing angiogenesis that is thecut through the wall of the chest,in the case of
development of a tumor's blood supply, and to inducepleural mesothelioma. Then a small camera, through a
apoptosis.scope is inserted into one of the incision, and tissues
How does knockout gene therapy work?specimens or samples are retrieved from other
Knockout gene therapy aims at the products ofopenings using other surgical instruments.
oncogenes (a gene that can stimulate the formationIn several cases, thoracotomy can be replaced by
of tumour) with effort to rendering them inert andthis video-assisted technique, which needs a much
decrease the growth of cell.bigger port to get access to the chest cavity, and
How does immunotherapy work?because of its minimal invasion, mesothelioma patients
Immunotherapy, often times referred to as biologicalusually have less pain after the procedure and a short
therapy is a new procedure for the treatment oftime to recover. Thoracotomy has been used in
mesothelioma cancers, which applies the use theperitoneal mesothelioma.