HITHOC Treatment for Pleural Mesothelioma

German doctors began researching HITHOC treatment for pleural mesothelioma to see if it would provide patients with a safe alternative. At the conclusion of the study, these researchers deemed HITHOC a safe alternative.

What is HITHOC?

This form of treatment uses a specific type of chemotherapy to treat this cancer that most commonly arises from exposure to asbestos. In some cases, specialists have used HITHOC for removing major tumors. After patients have recovered from this form of therapy, the advantage is that you can still use conventional forms of chemotherapeutic treatment as well. Some specialists believe that this treatment could help patients to live longer.

Where Tumors Grow

To understand HITHOC treatment for pleural mesothelioma, we should first have an understanding of how tumors work. These tumors begin to grow in the lining of the lungs known as the pleura, which is where the name for this specific type of mesothelioma comes. As the tumor starts to grow, the pleura thickens and loses flexibility as compared to what it normally is. This loss of flexibility is what can result in difficulty breathing. Eventually, the tumor can spread to the lungs and the other organs. This can cause challenges for surgeons because the tumor tends to be a sensitive area. This is complicated by the fact that if a surgeon is able to remove the tumor from this area, there can be cancer cells left which can continue to grow into new tumors. 

What medical researchers have found, however, is that HITHOC treatment tends to kill off some of the residual cancerous cells, so that new tumor growth is slowed or inhibited. HITHOC treatment can reach some of the microscopic areas where a surgeon is unable to reach. 

Who is a Good Candidate?

Generally, there are a couple of types of patients who will make for an ideal candidate for this form of treatment. The patients who do well with this therapy need to be able to handle an aggressive form of treatment. In other cases, this treatment works well when radiation therapy has been said to be too risky for the patient. For example, maybe a patient had had too much radiation treatment already, that may be an example of where this approach could help. Doctors try to leave both lungs intact, but in some cases, doctors will remove one of the lungs for this treatment. 

Patients who have not experienced spread of the cancerous cells too much can often benefit the most from this form of treatment. This is a systematic form of chemotherapy that may be able to help, depending on the individual’s circumstances. You will have to speak with your doctor to determine if this is the form of treatment that would work best for you. Not everyone will be right for this form of treatment, and having an experienced doctor in this field can help you to determine if you will be good for it.