There are a number of mesothelioma awareness events taking place throughout the UK today, on Action Mesothelioma Day. The commemorative event was established in 2006 by the British Lung Foundation, to raise awareness of mesothelioma and to improve the treatment and care of people affected by the disease.

To mark the establishment of the event in 2006 the British Lung Foundation delivered a Charter to the Prime Minister at Number 10 Downing Street, with more than 14,000 signatures. The Charter asks the government to support improved care and treatment of mesothelioma patients, better protection for employees, and more funding for resarch. You can sign the Charter!

In 2009, a goal of Action Mesothelioma Day is to ask the British government to establish an Asbestos Related Disease Research Centre. There is a list of Action Mesothelioma Day 2009 Events at the British Lung Foundation web site.

Of course our friend Debbie Brewer will be active in today’s events, including speaking about Alternative Treatment in Mesothelioma at an event presented by the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund (MKMRF).

She also will join Jackie Lowe of the Roger Lowe Asbestos Mesothelioma Campaign to plant snowdrops in memory of those that have died of mesothelioma. The snowdrops will be planted at Saltram House, where last year Debbie and Jackie planted a tree to honor mesothelioma patients.

The MKMRF uses the snowdrop flower as its symbol, because it works through the depths of despair in the winter to push through the ground in spring to bloom. It represents hope and a promise for the future, and has come to be a symbol of mesothelioma awareness among groups in the UK.

I know a lot of people who follow this blog are excited about the wonderful results our friend Debbie Brewer has experienced as a result of her participation in a chemoembolization trial in Germany, with her tumor shrinking 53 percent, and now essentially “dead.” The trial is spearheaded by Dr. Thomas J. Vogl, who is head of the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at J.W. Goethe University Hospital at Frankfurt University. He has developed the clinical trial to use chemoembolization to treat mesothelioma.

Because there is so much interest in this clinical trial, even though it is currently only available in Germany, I contacted Dr. Vogl to see if he could provide a little more information about the program.

Q: Explain the basic procedure of chemoembolization / locoregional therapy in the treatment of cancer. How does it work?

A: The basic principle of chemoembolization/locoregional therapy is to achieve a transarterial approach to the tumorous lesion. In the treatment of mesothelioma we have to find the direct supply to the cancer. Then the chemoembolization material can be selectively inserted directly to the lesion. A concentration of cytotoxic drugs of up to 20 times higher can be achieved compared to systemic chemotherapy with reduced adverse events. By cutting off the vascular supply, chemotherapy can be retained in the affected region for several weeks.

Q: How did you learn that this treatment is effective for mesothelioma?

A: During treatment of patients with primary and secondary lung cancer we learned that locoregional therapies are effective for the treatment of mesothelioma.

Q: When did this clinical trial begin? (or how long has it been going on?)

A: The clinical trial started three years ago and will be continued for the next two years.

Q: What are the goals of the clinical trial for this treatment?

A: The goals of the clinical trial are to improve local tumor control, to reduce clinical symptoms like breathing problems and pain, and to increase survival.

Q: How many people with mesothelioma are you currently treating in this clinical trial?

A: Currently we treat 300 to 400 patients with primary and secondary lung cancer per year, and we treat about 20 patients with mesotheliomas.

Q: What are the general / overall results you are seeing in the trials?

A: Clinical symptoms and clinical status of the patients have improved. Local tumor control has improved as well.

Q: What is involved in evaluating a person to see if they are a good candidate for this type of treatment? (What is a good candidate?)

A: Normally we need the following material from the patient before treatment: histology of the cancer, therapy protocols so far obtained, images showing the extension of the tumor. A patient with a localized pleuromesothelioma in one half of the chest is a good candidate.

Q: Explain the procedure for someone receiving this treatment – what happens during a typical treatment visit? How long does it take?

A: After local anesthesia, the femoral vein, which is located in the inguinal region, is punctured. Then a small femoral sheath is usually inserted in the vein through which different catheters can be inserted. After displaying the caval vein, a catheter is pushed forward into the tumor feeding vessels after trespassing the pulmonary arteries. For preventing pain analgetic drugs are administered. Then the chemoembolization as well as the embolizing material are applied. Towards the end of the procedure, the catheters and the sheath system are removed and a compression bandage is applied in order to prevent complications in the inguinal region such as hematoma. After surveillance of 6 to 24 hours, in which complications might be detected and treated, the patient will be discharged. Up to 24 hours after the procedure a CT scan is performed in order to evaluate response to treatment or complications.

Q: How often / frequently does a person receive treatment?

A: The patient normally receives the treatment three up to four times in a 1-month interval.

Q: What are typical side effects of treatment?

A: The typical side effects of the treatment are very low. Normally the patient suffers from fatigue. Nausea and an increasing shortness of breathing are also rarely observed.

Q: How would someone apply to participate in this clinical trial? (Is it still open to receive new patients?)

A: If you send me material (medical reports, MR images, CT scans) I can check it and provide a treatment plan thereafter.

If you are interested in learning more about chemoembolization, or being evaluated for possible inclusion in the clinical trial, you can contact Dr. Vogl here:

Prof. Dr. Th. J. Vogl
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology
University Hospital
Theodor-Stern-Kai 7
D-60596 Frankfurt

Email: T.Vogl@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Contact telephone number: 0049-69-6301-7277

A young woman suffering from breast cancer, which later spread to her liver and vertebrae, has been inspired by our friend Debbie Brewer’s success with the groundbreaking chemoembolization trial in the treatment of mesothelioma, and hopes to travel to Germany for similar treatments.

Our readers will remember that Debbie recently announced that her tumor has shrunk 53 percent following the chemoembolization treatments, which she received as a part of a clinical trial under the care of Dr. Thomas Vogl, who is pioneering the procedure at the University Clinic, Frankfurt. Debbie began the treatments in May 2008.

A report in the Plymouth Herald says Stephanie Chouette hopes to raise about £12,000 for a three-month course of chemotherapy with Dr. Vogl. Stephanie would undergo “local chemoperfusion,” which the report says is similar to chemoembolization. Her friends and loved ones are hosting a fund raiser Jan. 23 at the Derriford Hospital leisure centre’s function room.

Following her successful treatments, Debbie has begun spearheading a campaign to bring a chemoembolization trial to the UK. She is asking supporters to sign an online petition asking the Prime Minister to support the initiative, which would “ensure that all Mesothelioma patients get treatment in the UK,” so they do not have to travel abroad for healing.

You must be a British citizen or resident to sign the petition. Deadline to sign is July 6, 2009.

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.

Fabulous news today from Debbie Brewer, our UK friend who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in November 2006. If you’ve been following this site, you know she just went to Germany to find out the results of her fifth round of chemoembolization. The news couldn’t have been better, as Dr. Vogl told her that her tumor has shrunk FIFTY THREE PERCENT, putting her in partial remission!

“Merry Christmas to me!!!” Debbie typed in an email to her friends and supporters.

This is a 10 percent reduction since her last check-up.

She began the chemoembolization treatments in May, and has had good reports at each visit, with her tumor (which she nicknamed Theo) shrinking after each round. Chemoembolization targets the tumor with localized chemotherapy, essentially concentrating the chemo where it is most needed.

The treatment is still in a trial stage for mesothelioma, and Debbie travels from her home in the UK each month to Frankfurt, Germany, where she is under the care of Dr. Thomas J. Vogl, Chairman, Department of Radiology, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology – University Hospital, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, University of Frankfurt am Main.

Read all about it on Debbie’s blog, Mesothelioma & Me.

As part of her cancer treatments, or more accurately in response to her cancer treatments, our friend in the UK, Debbie Brewer, began a mistletoe treatment in May. Debbie was diagnosed with mesothelioma in November 2006, and is currently receiving chemoembolization treatment, for which she travels to Germany.

Mistletoe is in fairly widespread use in Europe as a complementary therapy in cancer care. It is given in conjunction with traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, to strengthen the body’s immune system and build its natural defenses. It is believed mistletoe therapy can help cancer patients cope with the side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

Mistletoe is considered an anthroposophical medicine, which takes into account a total view of the human body and the human being, including physical constitution, the life force, the consciousness and the ego or free will. Mistletoe is harvested from different trees, with different types of mistletoe having different uses. According to the American Cancer Society, the type of mistletoe used in this therapy grows on species of trees native to England, Europe and western Asia. It is NOT the type of mistletoe commonly seen in the U.S. Mistletoe therapy is only available in clinical trials in the United States.

The extract, which comes from the plant’s leaves and twigs but not its berries, is generally given as an injection and after an initial professional application patients can do the treatment themselves at home. Debbie began her mistletoe treatment at The Park Attwood Clinic, which still oversees the process, although she administers her own injections now.

Debbie says she learned about the treatments from a couple who visited her web site, Mesothelioma & Me. She began the mistletoe therapy at the same time as her chemoembolization treatment, which uses targeted chemotherapy applied directly to her tumor and contained with the tumor. For about two years, she also has been struggling with alopecia, which had caused her to lose large patches of her hair.

“Since I started the mistletoe and the chemoembolization, I have noticed within the last two months my hair has grown back and is its natural color,” she wrote to me in an email. “The mistletoe boosts the immune system and also is very good at quelling the side effects of the chemo, although the side effects with chemoembolization are not as bad as the normal chemo.” She said mistletoe is offered on the German health care system, but it is not recognized by the UK system.

Debbie gives herself the mistletoe injections twice a week.

“I would have to say that a lot of the benefits I have had over the last five treatments is down to the mistletoe,” she says. “It works very well alongside the chemo treatment.”

She left today to travel to Germany for the sixth round of her chemoembolization treatments, and will learn the results of the fifth round, which she received November 6. So far, she has experienced tumor shrinkage after each round of chemoembolization.

Our friend Debbie Brewer, who lives in the UK, reported another good result with her mesothelioma treatment after a visit to Professor Vogl’s team last week in Germany. After three procedures during which she is undergoing chemoembolization, Debbie has seen a 33 percent decrease in the size of her tumor!

The procedure, which is still in a trial stage, targets the tumor with localized chemotherapy. Debbie must travel to Frankfurt, Germany, for the procedure, under the direction of Dr. Thomas J. Vogl, Chairman, Department of Radiology, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology – University Hospital, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, University of Frankfurt am Main.

Debbie reports that her tumor (Theo, as she calls him) shrunk 18 percent with the first two procedures, and 15 percent after the third treatment. She also says Dr. Vogl is exploring the idea of bringing a mobile unit to the UK that would give people there access to the new therapy. Check out her blog for the latest updates!

In June, we reported the wonderful news that our friend in the UK Debbie Brewer’s mesothelioma tumor had shrunk by 10 percent following an initial round of a special treatment called chemoembolization, which she is undergoing in Germany.

She had her first round of chemoembolization therapy in May, and a second in June. Since the June treatment, her tumor is now 18 percent smaller! Debbie returns to Germany for another round of treatment this month, and is hopeful that the tumor has continued to shrink.

In July, the BBC featured Debbie in an interview, talking about chemoembolization. She hopes to spread the word about this treatment so that more people might explore it’s possibilities for mesothelioma. Click here to view the BBC video.

Debbie shares her mesothelioma story on her blog, www.mesothelioma-and-me.com. She was diagnosed with meso in November 2006. It is suspected that she contracted meso as a result of being exposed to asbestos dust on her father’s work clothes as a child. He was a lagger and would often scrape asbestos from pipes during his day’s job.

According to the web site www.radiologyinfo.org, chemoembolization is a combination of chemotherapy and a procedure called embolization, to treat cancer. Debbie is being treated by Dr. Thomas J. Vogl, Chairman, Department of Radiology, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology – University Hospital, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, University of Frankfurt am Main.

In this procedure, Dr. Vogl catheterizes the tumor and administers localized chemotherapy directly into the arteries feeding the tumor. Once the chemo has been administered, other agents can be administered to block off the blood supply to the tumor.

We look forward to another stellar report following Debbie’s visit to Germany this month!

In April I shared a web site, Mesothelioma and Me, by UK resident Debbie Brewer, who was recently diagnosed with mesothelioma. The site is Debbie’s personal journal about her experiences as she battles mesothelioma, as well as shares stories about her family and daily life.

Some of you who are following Debbie on her journal have already heard the good news – on June 20, she learned that her tumor (which she wittily nicknamed Theo) has shrunk by 10 percent after the first of three scheduled chemoembolization treatments. She had her first treatment May 20, and the second June 20, when she learned Theo had gotten smaller.

According to www.radiologyinfo.org, chemoembolization is a combination of chemotherapy and a procedure called embolization to treat cancer, most often of the liver. According to the web site, catheter embolization is the deliberate introduction of foreign (“embolic”) material such as gelatin sponge or metal coils to stop bleeding or cut off blood flowing to a tumor or arteriovenous malformation.

Debbie traveled to Frankfurt, Germany, to have the procedure, which is still a trial, done by Dr. Thomas J. Vogl, Chairman, Department of Radiology, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology – University Hospital, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, University of Frankfurt am Main.

In this procedure, Dr. Vogl catheterizes the tumor and administers localized chemotherapy directly into the arteries feeding the tumor. Once the chemotherapy has been administered, other agents can be administered to block off the blood supply to the tumor.

Debbie’s description of the procedure is a little more colorful:

“A small incision will be made to expose the artery that feeds the tumour which is in the femour. A catheter is inserted and pushed up into the area affected. Embolization is a glue like substance which is put in to seal off the tumour and the chemo is then added and the whole area sealed off. The chemo is left to do its job. It is something like having a room with 2 doors, sealing off the back door and throwing in an explosive and sealing up the front door.”

One of the strangest things? The clinic where Debbie visits Dr. Vogl for these treatments is located on a street of the same name as her tumor’s nickname! Theodore Stern Kia 7. Visit Debbie’s blog to read all about her experiences with Dr. Vogl and this treatment. She even has photos of herself at the clinic.

Debbie points out that chemoembolization is not a cure for mesothelioma, but is thought to slow the growth of the tumor or reduce it, allowing the patient a longer life.

In conjunction with or following this treatment, Debbie will undergo a dendritic cell vaccine. According to the web site drugresearcher.com, dendritic cells – a part of the body’s immune system that detects foreign proteins in the body – can be used as vaccines by mixing them with genetic material from the patient’s tumour and infusing the treated cells back into the patient. The dendritic cells present the tumour antigens to the body’s white blood cells (T lymphocytes) for destruction.

I recently came across a blog titled Mesothelioma and Me, written by a really neat woman in the United Kingdom, Debbie Brewer. The blog is a record of her thoughts, feelings and experiences since being diagnosed with mesothelioma in November 2006.

Like Charlene, who shared her story with us recently, Debbie is a young woman – only 49 years old. It is suspected that she contracted mesothelioma through contact with asbestos her father brought home on his clothing. She says he was a lagger with the Ministry of Defense and would often scrape asbestos from pipes.

Reading Debbie’s blog – she posts regular diary entries – is by turn heartbreaking and funny (she has named her tumor “Theo,” and tells him not to grow), and inspiring, and can make you really angry, along with her, as she rails against her illness and fights for awareness.

She mixes stories about her treatments with accounts of daily family life, vacations with her kids, changes at work, experiments with her diet, and her growing role as an advocate for mesothelioma in the UK.

Debbie’s site is a great way to learn about the real people behind mesothelioma. Visit and get to know her. I’m glad I did!