Debbie’s treatment success featured on BBC News
18 Dec 2008 by Wendi Lewis under News, People, Research/Treatment
The success of chemoembolization in the treatment of our friend Debbie Brewer’s mesothelioma has been featured in national press in the UK, covered by BBC News and picked up by The Press Association. In the report, Debbie calls for the pioneering treatment to be brought to the UK. Currently, she must travel to Frankfurt, Germany, for the treatments.
Readers of myMeso have been following Debbie’s story for a while now, and know that the chemoembolization treatment has been successful, resulting in an overall 53 percent reduction in the size of her tumor, which she humorously nicknamed Theo. Her last visit to the clinic was Dec. 12, when she received the great news that she is now in partial remission as a result of the tumor shrinkage.
Chemoembolization is traditionally used to treat liver cancer. Debbie says the Frankfurt program sees a 60 percent success rate in the treatment of mesothelioma using the process, which introduces chemotherapy drugs directly into the tumor.
Diagnosed with mesothelioma in November 2006, Debbie was initially told she had only a few months to live. It is believed that Debbie contracted mesothelioma from contact with asbestos on her father’s clothes when he unwittingly brought the substance home from work. Determined to beat the odds, she began researching mesothelioma treatments. In addition to the chemoembolization, Debbie uses mistletoe therapy, injecting the extract twice a week.
Read more about Debbie at her blog, Mesothelioma and Me.
