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Join us for full day of mesothelioma patient education next Friday, September 26. Our research and clinical experts from Penn's Mesothelioma and Pleural Program, with support from the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, will give the latest in mesothelioma treatment and care for those at risk or diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Who should attend?

When, where and what?

Date: Friday, September 26, 2014
Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: The Hub, Cira Center, 2929 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

The full event agenda includes:

• Q&As with Penn and MARF experts
• Information on new clinical trials for mesothelioma
• The latest in new treatment options for both peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma
• An overview of palliative care options
• Early detection and risk factor assessment
• The future of mesothelioma on a genetic level

When treating patients with mesothelioma or pleural disease, Penn Medicine lung specialists offer more treatment options than most other health systems across the country and around the world.

One of those treatment options is photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Mesothelioma Treatment with Photodynamic Therapy

Penn was the first health system in the Philadelphia area to begin researching the use of PDT to treat cancer. Also known as photoradiation therapy, phototherapy or photochemotherapy, PDT brings together light-sensitive medication with low-level beams of light to destroy cancer cells.

Mesothelioma is by definition a disease that is multifocal, meaning it occurs in several places in the lining of the lung simultaneously. This has traditionally made surgery as a treatment for mesothelioma difficult and ineffective.

PDT is used during surgery to increase the effectiveness of the treatment. It works by bringing together a light-sensitive medication with low-level beams of light to destroy cancer cells.  The medication is injected into the bloodstream and absorbed by the cancer cells. A light source is then applied to the area being treated. The light causes the drug to react with oxygen to form a chemical that kills the cancer cells. Photodynamic therapy can also work by destroying the blood vessels that feed the tumor.

PDT can only work in areas that the light can actually reach. It is effective in treating mesothelioma because it is a cancer that affects the lining of the lung. During the surgery, the light is applied to the pleural space, or area surrounding the lungs. Penn researchers continue working on ways to improve PDT’s effectiveness.

Associate Professor of Surgery, Joseph Friedberg, MD, is researchering ways PDT is uses to treat cancer, such as combining PDT with gene therapy or with tumor vaccines to stimulate the immune system to fight cancer.

These are the areas of PDT research today at Penn, and in all likelihood, the innovations of tomorrow that will make mesothelioma easier to treat.

The outlook for mesothelioma patients is improving both in terms of quality and quantity of life, but those improvements depend on being treated at a center that has the expertise and experience to develop the individual treatment plans that are essential to obtaining the best outcomes.
 

Would you like to learn more about treatments for mesothelioma and pleural diseases?

The Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program offers a true multidisciplinary approach, presenting patients with essentially all treatment options offered worldwide and a number of treatments offered only at Penn such as PDT.

For more information about the Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program, call 215-662-9697.

A dedicated patient navigator will assist you with specific questions about mesothelioma and pleural diseases, and can help you schedule an appointment with a Penn specialist.

Helpful links:

• Learn more about the Penn mesothelioma program.
• Learn more about mesothelioma.
• Learn more about treatments for mesothelioma at Penn.
• Find a mesothelioma specialist at Penn.

Penn's Abramson Cancer Center is a national cancer center in Philadelphia providing comprehensive cancer treatment, clinical trials for cancer and is a cancer research center. The National Cancer Institute has designated the Abramson Cancer Center a Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of only 40 such cancer centers in the United States.

Join Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center  a day of information about mesothelioma and pleural disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention as well as a chance to meet others  at the 5th Annual Focus On Mesothelioma Conference.

Get information about mesothelioma and these topics:

• Ask the experts
• Diagnosis
• Chemo and personalized therapies
• Coping
• Integrative medicine and wellness
• Nutrition
• Radiation therapy for mesothelioma
• Research and clinical trials
• Risk, screening and prevention
• Robotic surgery
• Symptom management

Who should attend?

Anyone who is facing a mesothelioma or pleural disease diagnosis as well as their loved ones, are invited to attend this conference.

Register for the Focus On Mesothelioma Conference at Penn

Date: Friday, September 27, 2013
Time: 7 am to 2 pm
Location: Hilton Hotel, 4200 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131
Register: Registration is free.

Register for the 4th Annual Focus On Mesothelioma Conference here. 

About Mesothelioma Treatment at Penn Medicine

The Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program is a unique program that consists of a multidisciplinary team of dedicated specialists with a passion and expertise for treating patients with mesothelioma.

The Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program offers a true multidisciplinary approach, presenting patients with essentially all treatment options offered worldwide and a number of treatments offered only at Penn. Led by a dedicated team of professionals, the Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program has one goal, to provide each mesothelioma patient with comprehensive and compassionate care at the highest level possible, both now and in the future.

Learn more about mesothelioma treatment at Penn here.

Follow on Facebook and Twitter

Follow the Abramson Cancer Center on Facebook, and Twitter at #MesoACC for more information.

Join Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center and the Pennsylvania Lung Cancer Partnership for a day of information about mesothelioma and pleural disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention as well as a chance to meet others  at the 4th Annual Focus On Mesothelioma Conference.

Get information about mesothelioma and these topics:

• Ask the experts
• Diagnosis
• Chemo and personalized therapies
• Coping
• Integrative medicine and wellness
• Nutrition
• Radiation therapy for mesothelioma
• Research and clinical trials
• Risk, screening and prevention
• Robotic surgery
• Symptom management

Who should attend?

Anyone who is facing a mesothelioma or pleural disease diagnosis as well as their loved ones, are invited to attend this conference.

Register for the Focus On Mesothelioma Conference at Penn

Date: Friday, October 12
Time: 7:30 am to 3 pm
Location: Hilton Hotel, 4200 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131
Register: Registration is free.
Register for the 4th Annual Focus On Mesothelioma Conference here.

Mesothelioma is one of the most aggressive and deadliest forms of cancer and is usually caused by exposure to asbestos. Exposure to asbestos typically precedes development of the cancer by anywhere from 10 to 50 years, but once diagnosed, only about 40 percent of U.S. mesothelioma patients survive one year.

Penn Medicine's Mesothelioma and Pleural Program and Penn's Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia, PA bring together internationally renowned experts in medical, surgical and radiation oncology and pulmonology who collaborate in the diagnosis, treatment and research of mesothelioma and pleural disease.

In a study published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, lead author Joseph Friedberg, MD, co-director of the Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program, and Penn thoracic surgeon, found that among patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, treatment with lung-sparing surgery in combination with photodynamic therapy (PDT) yielded unusually long survival rates, with median survival rates up to two or more years longer than is reported with traditional treatments

Stephen Hahn, MD, is chair of the department of radiation oncology and the Henry K. Pancoast Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is board certified in radiation oncology, medical oncology, and internal medicine and is internationally renowned for his work in photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Dr. Hahn recently answered a series of questions related to lung cancer and radiation therapy for TalkAboutHealth.com.

 

 

What is photodynamic therapy for lung cancer?

Photodynamic therapy is a cancer treatment in which a patient receives (typically by vein) a special light sensitive drug followed by the delivery of a specific type of laser light to a tumor. The drug in the tumor is activated by laser light, which kills cancer cells. We can focus the laser light on a tumor and minimize the amount of laser light on the normal tissues thereby limiting side effects. Currently photodynamic therapy is approved by the FDA in lung cancer for the treatment of tumors within the trachea or bronchus (breathing tubes) that are causing obstruction. It is also approved for esophageal cancers that are causing obstruction of the esophagus (swallowing tube) and some precancerous conditions of the esophagus and skin.

When can photodynamic therapy be used to treat cancer?

Photodynamic therapy cannot be used for all cancers because it is not possible to delivery an adequate dose of laser light to some tumors. In other words, they may be inaccessible. At Penn Medicine, we have one of the largest photodynamic therapy research programs in the world and are currently studying its use in patients with a tumor the chest called mesothelioma.

Learn about Treatment for Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma in Philadelphia

At Penn's Abramson Cancer Center, patients with lung cancer have access to every lung cancer and mesothelioma treatment option available, provided by nationally recognized cancer experts.

Penn's expert care and leading-edge treatments give patients with lung cancer the best chance of an excellent outcome.

Have questions about lung cancer treatments offered at Penn's Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia?


Helpful links:

• Learn more about the Penn mesothelioma program in Philadelphia. 
• Learn more about treatments for mesothelioma at Penn.
• Find a mesothelioma specialist at Penn.

Penn thoracic surgeon Joseph Friedberg, MD, recently led research published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery that found photodynamic light therapy, or PDT, improved median survival rates of patients with mesothelioma to more than 31 months, compared to a median survival rate of 8 months with lung-sparing surgery.

This Sunday, the Philadelphia Inquirer featured a story about Dr. Friedberg and the team of clinicians and researchers at Penn Medicine who are using PDT to treat patients with pleural mesothelioma.

Photodynamic therapy, also known as photoradiation therapy, phototherapy, or photochemotherapy is used to treat certain types of cancer.

It is based on the discovery that certain chemicals known as photosensitizing agents can kill organisms when they are exposed to a particular type of light. PDT destroys cancer cells through the use of a fixed-frequency laser light (an intense narrow beam of light) in combination with a photosensitizing agent

From the Inquirer:

"...for more than two decades, Penn scientists have been doggedly pursuing innovations. They are combining conventional treatments with gene therapy, T-cell therapy, and the laser technology, called photodynamic therapy. Patients come thousands of miles to Penn after exploring their options - or lack thereof."

Read the full article about how Penn is changing the way lung disease is treated.

Would you like to learn more about treatments for mesothelioma and pleural diseases?

The Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program offers a true multidisciplinary approach, presenting patients with essentially all treatment options offered worldwide and a number of treatments offered only at Penn such as PDT.

For more information about the Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program, call 215-662-9697.

A dedicated patient navigator will assist you with specific questions about mesothelioma and pleural diseases, and can help you schedule an appointment with a Penn specialist.

Helpful links:

• Learn more about the Penn mesothelioma program.
• Learn more about mesothelioma.
• Learn more about treatments for mesothelioma at Penn.
• Find a mesothelioma specialist at Penn.

The Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program offers a true multidisciplinary approach, presenting patients with essentially all treatment options offered worldwide and a number of treatments offered only at Penn such as photodynamic therapy, as recently featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

In this video, Penn cancer specialists discuss mesothelioma, diagnosis for mesothelioma and treatment for mesothelioma.



Helpful links:

• Learn more about the Penn mesothelioma program in Philadelphia. 
• Learn more about mesothelioma.
• Learn more about treatments for mesothelioma at Penn.
• Find a mesothelioma specialist at Penn.

Join Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center and 6ABC for a special one-hour live web chat featuring physicians from the Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program this Thursday May 1st from 4-5 pm at 6abc.com/pennmedicine.

Mesothelioma - Did you know?

Mesothelioma is a rare, incurable disease, with approximately 2,000–3,000 new cases diagnosed a year in the United States. Exposure to asbestos accounts for up to 80% of all cases. Mesothelioma is more common in men mostly due to occupational exposure to asbestos.

Veterans, miners, factory workers, and those working in the manufacturing or construction business are at a greater risk of developing mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma Can Be Treated

A popular misconception is that mesothelioma is a disease that can't be treated. Due to the complexity of this incurable disease, a true multidisciplinary approach is needed to ensure the best care available.

The Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program team has expertise in all types of treatment, including Lung-Sparing Surgery and Photodynamic Therapy, Immunotherapy, Proton Therapy, Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy.

It is hard to find a group with the subspecialized experience as the team at Penn Medicine.Patients benefit from Penn Medicine’s ongoing research and our passion to eradicate this disease while providing the highest possible quality of life for each patient and their families as well.

Our Experts Answering Your Questions

Want to know more about:

• Mesothelioma symptoms?
• Is Screening available?
• Penn Medicine's multidisciplinary approach?
• Cutting edge treatment options?
• New breakthrough clinical trials?
• How to improve quality of life after diagnosis?

The Penn Medicine Mesothelioma and Pleural Program brings together internationally renowned experts. Representing the full spectrum of the Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program are director Joseph S. Friedberg, MD, Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and co-director  Daniel Sterman, MD, Director of Interventional Pulmonary Services, Evan W. Alley, MD, PhD Interim Chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology Hematology-Oncology and Charles B. Simone, MD an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

These Penn Medicine experts will be answering user-submitted questions in a live online chat next Thursday May 1st, from 4 - 5pm.

2012 was an exciting year for the Abramson Cancer Center. We are featuring blogs featured on the Focus On Cancer blog that highlight cancer treatment breakthroughs, coping tips and ideas, education and inspiration. Today, we are highlighting photodynamic therapy for mesothelioma.

Penn was the first health system in the Philadelphia area to begin researching the use of PDT to treat cancer. Also known as photoradiation therapy, phototherapy or photochemotherapy, PDT brings together light-sensitive medication with low-level beams of light to destroy cancer cells.

Mesothelioma Treatment with Photodynamic Therapy

When treating patients with mesothelioma or pleural disease, Penn Medicine lung specialists offer more treatment options than most other health systems across the country and around the world.

One of those treatment options is photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Penn was the first health system in the Philadelphia area to begin researching the use of PDT to treat cancer. Also known as photoradiation therapy, phototherapy or photochemotherapy, PDT brings together light-sensitive medication with low-level beams of light to destroy cancer cells.

Mesothelioma is by definition a disease that is multifocal, meaning it occurs in several places in the lining of the lung simultaneously. This has traditionally made surgery as a treatment for mesothelioma difficult and ineffective.

PDT is used during surgery to increase the effectiveness of the treatment. It works by bringing together a light-sensitive medication with low-level beams of light to destroy cancer cells.  The medication is injected into the bloodstream and absorbed by the cancer cells. A light source is then applied to the area being treated. The light causes the drug to react with oxygen to form a chemical that kills the cancer cells. Photodynamic therapy can also work by destroying the blood vessels that feed the tumor.

PDT can only work in areas that the light can actually reach. It is effective in treating mesothelioma because it is a cancer that affects the lining of the lung. During the surgery, the light is applied to the pleural space, or area surrounding the lungs. Penn researchers continue working on ways to improve PDT’s effectiveness.

Associate Professor of Surgery, Joseph Friedberg, MD, is researchering ways PDT is uses to treat cancer, such as combining PDT with gene therapy or with tumor vaccines to stimulate the immune system to fight cancer.

These are the areas of PDT research today at Penn, and in all likelihood, the innovations of tomorrow that will make mesothelioma easier to treat.

The outlook for mesothelioma patients is improving both in terms of quality and quantity of life, but those improvements depend on being treated at a center that has the expertise and experience to develop the individual treatment plans that are essential to obtaining the best outcomes.
 

Would you like to learn more about treatments for mesothelioma and pleural diseases?

The Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program offers a true multidisciplinary approach, presenting patients with essentially all treatment options offered worldwide and a number of treatments offered only at Penn such as PDT.

For more information about the Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program, call 215-662-9697.

A dedicated patient navigator will assist you with specific questions about mesothelioma and pleural diseases, and can help you schedule an appointment with a Penn specialist.

Helpful links:

• Learn more about the Penn mesothelioma program.
• Learn more about mesothelioma.
• Learn more about treatments for mesothelioma at Penn.
• Find a mesothelioma specialist at Penn.

Penn's Abramson Cancer Center is a national cancer center in Philadelphia providing comprehensive cancer treatment, clinical trials for cancer and is a cancer research center. The National Cancer Institute has designated the Abramson Cancer Center a Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of only 40 such cancer centers in the United States.

Cancer Information From a Reliable Source

Thank you for a fantastic 2012. The Focus On Cancer blog is committed to provide people with cancer and their caregivers educated information from a reliable source, the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine. Please subscribe to our blog to get updates about new cancer treatments at Penn, credible information from cancer experts at Penn, and inspiration from other people with cancer.