Medical Device Offers Pain Relief for Mesothelioma Patients
Mesothelioma is a disease primarily caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was widely used until the 1980’s in many manufacturing, industrial and commercial products. When asbestos is inhaled, the fibers get into the body and, decades later, lead to the incurable cancer known as mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma can occur in the lining of the lungs (pleural), around abdominal organs (peritoneal), or in the lining of the heart (pericardium). Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form, accounting for approximately 70% of all mesothelioma cases. All forms of mesothelioma create pain and suffering, as do some of the therapies used to treat the illness.
Many patients who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and who undergo treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiation will need some form of pain management in order to improve quality of life. Often narcotics, such as morphine, Demerol, Vicodin, Percocet and Acetaminophen, are used to relieve the pain; however the relief comes with side effects. Some patients fear the side effects, such as drug dependency, and will avoid such therapies, suffering more pain than is necessary.
Competitive Technologies (CTT) has announced a new form of non-invasive pain therapy that does not include side effects common to narcotic painkillers and other pharmaceutical drugs used to relieve symtpoms of mesothelioma. The device was cleared in February by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States and has Medical Device CE certification from the European Union.
Currently clinical investigators at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center are using CTT’s pain therapy medical device to examine it’s effectiveness at decreasing pain associated with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). CIPN is damage caused by chemotherapy agents to the peripheral nervous system, which transmits information between the brain and the rest of the body. The medical device is also being sent to other major U.S. cancer centers and distributed for use by palliative, pain, and hospice care providers.
The device provides non-invasive pain therapy without side effects by using a multiprocessor to simultaneously treat multiple pain sites by applying surface electrodes to the skin. This approach to pain relief is biophysical and without chemicals, therefore has no accompanying harmful side effects.
The medical device provides hope to thousands of cancer patients, including those with mesothelioma and other asbestos related cancers, of an alternative source of pain relief without use of toxic or addictive narcotics. Patients suffering extreme pain from mesothelioma and its treatments should consult their clinician regarding use of this device, especially those who have not responded to standard pain therapies.