Most people believe a mesothelioma diagnosis is grim, but a newly FDA-approved treatment might change that.

Novocure’s NovoTTF-100L is the first FDA-approved mesothelioma treatment in more than 15 years. The “TTF” stands for Tumor Treating fields delivery system.

Novocure explains the device “is a non-invasive, antimitotic cancer treatment that delivers Tumor Treating Fields to the region of the tumor. Tumor Treating Fields therapy uses electric fields turned to specific frequencies to disrupt solid tumor cancer cell division.”

In a preclinical trial known as the STELLAR registration trial, 80 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) that could not be removed through surgery were given Tumor Treating Fields plus chemotherapy. Their median survival rate was 18.2 months.

The FDA has classified the NovoTTF-101 as a Humanitarian Use Device (HUD). The FDA created the Humanitarian Device Exemption classification to foster innovative devices that businesses could produce to treat rare diseases that usually lack the funding and research dedication that more common diseases receive.

A rare disease or condition is defined as one that is manifested in 8,000 or fewer individuals in the U.S. per year.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a cancer of the membrane that covers the pleura, which is a sheet-like lining that encompasses the lungs.

Hope for Those with a Mesothelioma Diagnosis

The development of mesothelioma is most often associated with asbestos exposure. Symptoms don’t appear until 15 to 50 years after the person has been exposed the asbestos fibers, which is also when a mesothelioma diagnosis is confirmed. The microscopic fibers are either inhaled or swallowed and become embedded in tissue where they fester for years until cancer cells eventually materialize.

Because the pleura is the protective lining of the lungs, any pleural mesothelioma surgery often means the surgeon must cut through the rib bones to reach the affected area, according to curemso.org. Radiation is most often used as an additional treatment after surgery. Chemotherapy treatment is not seen as a cure, but sometimes helps reduce tumor size and as a result, extend the person’s life.

In the STELLAR trial of the NovoTTF-100L, 62 percent of the patients who had the Novocure device treatment in addition to chemotherapy were alive one year later. The trial found no increase in serious side effects when the two types of treatments were combined. The most common side effect associated with the NovoTTF-100L was mild to moderate skin irritation.

According to Medscape, Mary Hesdorffer, NP, executive director of the non-profit Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, said in a press release that the Novocure device is a new option for mesothelioma patients.

“Typically, mesothelioma patients who cannot have surgery receive palliative care to mitigate their symptoms. NovoTTF-100L provides unresectable MPM patients with a treatment option that may improve survival,” said Hesdorffer.

Workers in certain areas of employment are more apt to suffer asbestos exposure. Shipyard workers, construction workers, talc miners, firefighters, power plant workers, insulators, factory workers and steel mill workers are among those who may be exposed to high levels of occupational asbestos.

Since 1997, any job site has been under asbestos limitations of 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter, according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. In addition, employers must provide protective clothing and equipment to any employee who works with or around asbestos.