Mesothelioma Treatment

Researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada recently found that daily doses of fish oil might make chemotherapy more efficient for those with lung cancer, a disease that can be caused by asbestos exposure.

Some of the specific things tested by the researchers were whether fish oil could improve the survival rate of lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and whether it could reduce tumor size. After following two groups of patients receiving chemotherapy over the course of one year - one receiving daily doses of fish oil and the other not - they found that the former group had better results.

Specifically, the one-year survival rate of the fish oil group was 60 percent compared to the 39 percent rate experienced by the non-fish oil group.

Vera Mazurak, the study's leader and a nutrition expert, said that fish oil may help combat the nutrition problems that many who undergo chemotherapy experience.

"Fish oil may prevent loss of weight and muscle by interfering with some of the pathways that are altered in advanced cancer," she said. "This holds great promise because currently there is no effective treatment for cancer-related malnutrition."

In addition to lung cancer, asbestos can cause malignant mesothelioma and asbestosis.