Key Takeaways
- While new mesothelioma treatments are being developed, there is a significant lag between clinical trial approval and widespread availability. Improving existing treatments — not just creating new ones — is essential for helping patients now.
- p53 is a tumor-suppressing protein encoded by the p53 gene. A 2024 study found that introducing p53 via a powder supplement during chemotherapy enhanced the benefits of chemotherapy — slowing tumor growth, reducing side effects, and at higher doses, producing effects similar to chemotherapy itself.
- 3D printing of the pleural cavity is being developed using CT scan data to create physical models of a patient’s chest. While initially designed for photodynamic therapy (PDT), the technology has broad applications for surgical planning and radiation targeting — allowing doctors to visualize and rehearse procedures before operating.
- Current standard treatments — chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and immunotherapy — all carry significant physical tolls. Enhancing these existing approaches to improve outcomes and reduce side effects is as important as developing entirely new therapies.
Current Mesothelioma Treatments
Current mesothelioma treatments include chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, immunotherapy,
and clinical trials. While this isn’t an exhaustive list, these techniques are most used by doctors
and healthcare providers—other techniques like gene therapy and vaccines are still decently
experimental and relatively expensive. Of these techniques, there isn’t a “gold-star standard” that
doctors always opt for first; different techniques are employed for different severities and
different medical contexts. Most times, doctors have to analyze the risks associated with each of
these techniques before implementing them, as most of them come with a significant toll to the
patient’s body. For instance, chemotherapy attacks all cells, regardless of whether they’re healthy
or cancerous, so patients feel debilitating fatigue, experience weight and hair loss, and are
immunosuppressed, among other serious side effects. Even though chemotherapy is the closest to
that “gold-star,” it’s a serious enough process for doctors to weigh the risks versus benefits.
P53 to Enhance Chemotherapy
p53 is famously known as the “tumor suppressor protein,” and is encoded for by the p53 gene.
Extensive (and decades-long) research has established functional p53 as critical for helping the
body prevent the instance of cancer (beyond mesothelioma). Although p53 is implicated in
cancer—generally—there has been a notable lack of research on p53 in the context of
mesothelioma treatment.
A recent study (2024) piloted an introduction of p53 via a powder for mesothelioma patients
undergoing chemotherapy. Their results were exciting: after ingestion of the powder, patients
experienced enhanced benefits of chemotherapy, which can be operationalized as slowed tumor
growth and fewer side effects. The researchers also found that a higher dose of p53 seemed to
have a similar effect to chemotherapy itself.
3D Printing of Pleural Cavity
Although developed in the context of improving photodynamic therapy (PDT), a 3D
visualization of the pleural cavity is widely applicable, especially for surgery and radiation. The
researchers used CT scans of mesothelioma patients—CT scans compile small splices of tissue,
organ, and bone images to provide a texturized, digital image—in order to map the 3D print.
The aforementioned are just a few examples of the ways in which conditions are improving for
more traditional mesothelioma treatments. By taking advantage of technological
breakthroughs—even if they’re not directly related to mesothelioma—researchers can improve
the patient conditions and outcomes.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please call 1 (800)-505-6000 or fill
out our form. We are here to help you navigate the legal process of filing a claim to receive
compensation for your mesothelioma diagnosis. We help mesothelioma victims and their
families in Pennsylvania.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is enhancing existing treatments important if new treatments are being developed?
There is a significant lag time between when a new treatment completes clinical trials and when it becomes widely available to patients. Many emerging therapies — including vaccines, gene therapy, and immunotoxins — are still experimental, expensive, and not accessible to most mesothelioma patients. In the meantime, improving the effectiveness and reducing the side effects of existing, widely available treatments like chemotherapy and surgery can immediately benefit patients who are being treated right now.
What is p53 and how can it improve chemotherapy?
p53 is a tumor-suppressing protein — often called the “guardian of the genome” — that plays a critical role in preventing cancer by stopping damaged cells from dividing. It is encoded by the p53 gene, and decades of research have established its importance across many types of cancer. A 2024 study tested introducing p53 as a powder supplement for mesothelioma patients undergoing chemotherapy and found promising results: patients experienced slower tumor growth and fewer side effects. At higher doses, p53 alone produced effects comparable to chemotherapy itself — suggesting it could eventually reduce a patient’s dependence on the most toxic aspects of chemo treatment.
How does 3D printing help with mesothelioma treatment?
Researchers have used CT scan data from mesothelioma patients to create 3D-printed models of the pleural cavity — the space around the lungs where pleural mesothelioma develops. While originally designed to improve photodynamic therapy (PDT), these physical models have broad applications: surgeons can use them to visualize and rehearse procedures before operating, radiation oncologists can use them to plan more precise beam targeting, and care teams can better understand the unique anatomy of each patient’s disease. This personalized approach could improve surgical outcomes and reduce damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
What are the current standard treatments for mesothelioma?
The primary standard treatments include:
- Chemotherapy — typically pemetrexed combined with cisplatin, the most widely used first-line treatment
- Surgery — pleurectomy decortication (P/D) or extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) for resectable tumors
- Radiation therapy — IMRT or EBRT, used before or after surgery or for palliative care
- Immunotherapy — checkpoint inhibitors like nivolumab and ipilimumab
Each of these carries significant physical tolls — chemotherapy affects all cells, surgery is major, radiation can damage nearby tissue, and immunotherapy can trigger autoimmune responses. This is why enhancing these approaches to improve results and reduce harm is so important.
What is photodynamic therapy (PDT)?
Photodynamic therapy is a treatment that uses light-sensitive drugs and a specific wavelength of light to destroy cancer cells. After the drug is administered and accumulates in cancer tissue, a light source is directed at the area — activating the drug and triggering a chemical reaction that kills the targeted cells. While not yet a standard mesothelioma treatment, PDT is being studied as a potential option, and the 3D-printed pleural cavity models were originally developed to improve PDT’s precision and effectiveness.
What should I do if I’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma?
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, understanding the full range of treatment options — including both standard and emerging approaches — is an important step. Your oncologist can help determine which treatment plan is most appropriate for your specific diagnosis and health. For information about your legal options, call (800) 505-6000 or fill out our contact form for a free consultation.
