Since pleural mesothelioma accounts for approximately 75% of all diagnosed mesothelioma cases, significantly more treatment options are available for patients in the clinical trial. One of the alternative treatment methods involves the use of measles virus in order to infect and destroy cancerous cells without producing additional damage to their structure. When the virus infects the cells, an immune response is expected to occur, which will subsequently lead to the remission of mesothelioma.

Although available for treating other types of mesothelioma as well, immunotherapy is primarily focused on pleural mesothelioma due to the high prevalence of the disease. By using certain antigens, this treatment approach attempts to improve the immune response of the body so that cancerous cells can be destroyed more efficiently.

Virotherapy refers to the deliberate infection of the body with certain types of viruses, which will subsequently cause the body’s immune system to attack mesothelioma in a more aggressive and effective manner. The most commonly used viruses include measles virus, which has been previously discussed, as well as a virus derived from the one which can be found in smallpox vaccines.

Another alternative treatment approach is gene therapy. It attempts to repair the defective genes which allowed the onset of pleural mesothelioma, thus inhibiting the spreading of cancer cells further within the chest region. In certain cases, gene therapy may also involve replacing the defective genes with new ones in order to improve the patient’s prognosis or to achieve complete remission.

Photodynamic therapy entails a more invasive procedure, being generally suitable for patients with advanced pleural mesothelioma. A photosensitive drug will be administered to the patient 24 hours prior to surgery (pleurectomy). Following the surgical intervention during which the malignant tumor has been removed, photodynamic therapy will be applied to the open chest region in order to destroy all remaining cancerous cells.