Researchers in Scotland have uncovered a new method of treatment for mesothelioma which would reportedly reduce many of the harmful side effects associated with current treatment methods. The new method, which delivers chemotherapy drugs through inhalation rather than through intravenous (IV) contact, would make the treatment process less physically stressful for mesothelioma patients.

According to the research, the new mesothelioma treatment method utilizes a nebulizer to deliver mesothelioma medication in a vaporized form. This allows cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat mesothelioma, and other drugs to be administered more quickly and without much of the discomfort associated with traditional IV chemotherapy.

In addition, IV delivery can increase the risk of side effects such as kidney disease. Researchers believe that delivery through inhalation can eliminate many of these side effects entirely.

According to Dr. Chris Carter, a researcher with the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, the new method of delivering chemotherapy drugs would reduce side effects and provide better treatment to mesothelioma patients. "By delivering cisplatin, one of the most widely used drugs for lung cancer, in a vaporized form, we would be able to get it to the cancerous cells and avoid the damage to healthy cells which can be hugely debilitating to patients," he said. "It would make the treatment far less onerous for them and we hope it would help them to live longer."

Currently, between 2,000 and 3,000 people die from mesothelioma every year in St. Louis and throughout the United States. The only known cause of the disease is exposure to asbestos and asbestos products, which was common in industries such as construction for much of the last century.

Source: Mesothelioma Center, "New Mesothelioma Treatment May Provide Safer Ways to Deliver Drugs," Oct. 12, 2011