Mesothelioma’s rarity as a cancer has made comparing the different treatment methods difficult. In fact, only a few extensive clinical treatment trials have been performed. Furthermore, few doctors have experience treating this disease, which exhibits unique cancer characteristics like tumor growth that does not form as a single mass, but spreads along nearby surfaces, blood vessels, and nerves. This all contributes to a poor average survival rate of just four to 18 months. In fact, just one in 10 mesothelioma patients will survive longer than five years.

With such poor statistics facing mesothelioma patients, largely due to the cancer’s typically late diagnosis, some have sought other treatment paths. Today, many sources of information about unconventional mesothelioma treatments can be found, with websites now focusing on the potential for methods like vitamin supplements, herbal intake, drastic dietary alterations, acupuncture, or massage acting as ways to improve the effectiveness of traditional treatments or even become replacements.

Definitions

The terms “complementary” and “alternative” are often used interchangeably when discussing these unconventional treatments, which can become confusing. To clarify, alternative treatments refer to those that are used instead of conventional treatments doctors would likely prescribe. Complementary treatments are those that are meant to be used with regular medical care.   

Alternative Treatments

Proponents of alternative treatments typically present these as cures for mesothelioma. However, these treatments have not been proven effective and safe in clinical trials, meaning there is a chance they may worsen patient health or have life-threatening side effects. One of the biggest risks of adopting alternative medicine, though, is the patient’s delay or total refusal of proven conventional treatments.

Especially for mesothelioma, which is often diagnosed in its late stages, any delay in treatment can significantly hurt a patient’s chances of long term survival. When patients allow their disease to progress to its later stages after first choosing an unproven alternative therapy, a full range of treatment options are frequently no longer available. As mesothelioma reaches it late stages, the cancer has often grown and spread to the point where surgery is no longer an option due to its extensiveness. Furthermore, late stage mesothelioma often leaves patients and their immune systems too weakened to undergo or properly recover from many treatments, putting them at a great risk of developing an infection or another illness.  

Complementary Therapies

Unlike alternative treatments, complementary therapies are not generally intended as cures for mesothelioma. Usually these therapies are meant to accompany established cancer treatments and help patients feel better. Examples of complementary treatments meant to alleviate disease symptoms and treatment side effects include acupuncture, meditation and various nutritional changes. Advocates of these complementary treatments believe they can help alleviate stress, pain, and nausea. Some practitioners even believe certain complementary treatments have the ability to boost the effectiveness of conventional treatments, like chemotherapy.  

While some of these complementary therapies have been tested and proven helpful, others have not. Some complementary therapies have even been proven dangerous to patients. Like alternative therapies, one of the greatest dangers of complementary therapies is relying on them to the exclusion of proven methods. Doctors warn that the delay or rejection of traditional treatment techniques can worsen a patient’s prognosis and significantly shorten their life expectancie.

Warnings

With so many sources of online information on these alternative and complementary treatments, it is not surprising that many mesothelioma patients have expressed interest in these therapies, which often boast of supreme effectiveness with few or no side effects. However, doctors caution against believing such promises. In most cases, these therapies and treatments remain untested and unproven. Nevertheless, these deceptive claims are a major allure for some cancer patients, especially if standard treatments no longer show a great level of success. In desperation, some mesothelioma patients may be tempted to abandon their better judgment and access these treatments. The American Cancer Society warns patients to avoid treatments that claim to cure most cancers, recommend abandoning established treatments, or require individuals to access the treatment in an unconventional manner, like visiting a foreign nation.

Reference:

The American Cancer Society