By Ranjan Bhaduri
Mar 12, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Mesothelioma is a fatal type of cancer that is mostly caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos. Recently, it claimed the life of Merlin Olsen, a former Los Angeles Rams’ player. However, the patients of the disease can look forward to a breakthrough therapy that is being tested and the doctors think it is devoid of any side effect. So far the therapies for mesothelioma have not been much effective in extending the life span of the victims and even chemotherapy cannot do much in this regard.

The vaccine that is being developed for combating this fatal disease has been tested in Netherlands by researchers. They conducted the test on 10 patients suffering from the disease and found that it succeeded in inducing immune system response. The results were published in a leading medical journal earlier this month. The medicine is still under development and it may take some time before the researchers can come up with the final product. However, the medical community is pretty charged up about the development as the initial findings of the research is being considered to be positive.

The vaccine uses antigen from the tumor of a person suffering from the ailment and infuses it thereafter to the dentritic cells of the person. This may increase the survival time and with time researchers aspire to make a drug that may altogether prevent the disease. Even though asbestos usage has been banned in the USA since the 1980s, a lot of people develop the disease after years of being exposed to asbestos. That makes the disease even more fatal in nature.