It cannot be easy for an Ohio resident to receive news that he or she suffers from an incurable cancer most likely caused by breathing in asbestos while at work several decades ago. Mesothelioma has no cure, but researchers continue to work on treatments that may extend life and arrest further tumor development for some patients suffering from pleural mesothelioma. One such treatment recently completed its second phase of research, and the results are promising.
People suffering from this type of the disease may not be able to undergo surgery, and this treatment could be a viable alternative if the research continues to show promise. When combined with chemotherapy, ONCOS-102 appears to extend the time a patient can go without the disease progressing. Researchers took an adenovirus and genetically modified it to attack cancer cells. Once inside a cancer cell, it stimulates the patient’s immune system to fight against it.
The increase in immune activity may not be a cure, but it could extend the lives of those suffering from pleural mesothelioma. The company developing the treatment wants to add immune checkpoint inhibitors to it in order to reactivate the immune system, which is arrested by cancerous tumor cells. This could allow an even greater immune response in patients.
Even as researchers continue to work on new treatment options for mesothelioma patients, Ohio residents with the disease must deal with high medical expenses and other financial losses associated with the condition. It may be possible to obtain benefits to help with those costs, but doing so requires some research of their own, which is often challenging. Patients in this position would benefit greatly from working with an attorney experienced in this area of law.
