Seattle Cancer Center Using SMART Mesothelioma Treatment

A Toronto-based groundbreaking approach to treating mesothelioma has crossed the Canadian border and is now part of an innovative Seattle cancer treatment center. Officials at the Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle recently adopted the Surgery for Mesothelioma After Radiation Therapy (SMART) approach that originated at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto. The therapy is a significant shift from the traditional lower-dose, radiation-after-surgery method to a more high-intensity approach that has more than doubled the three-year survival rate for pleural mesothelioma patients. Officials at the Swedish Cancer Institute said preliminary results are similar to those reported in Toronto, but they are hoping to exceed those standards. They also endeavor to create a new line of treatment for future mesothelioma patients in the U.S. "Our early results seem to have mirrored those in Toronto. We're very excited about what we're doing here," radiation oncologist Dr. Vivek Mehta, of the Swedish Cancer Institute, told Asbestos.com. "All the theoretical things are interesting, but what's most important to the patient is: 'Does it work?' And the answer is yes, it does." Mehta joined Swedish physicist Susan Richardson, Ph.D., in publishing their recent work involving the SMART approach and quality metrics in Medical Physics. She presented the results this week at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine in Anaheim, California. "Our patients...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Treatment & Doctors Source Type: news