Mesothelioma: Clinical Trials

The purpose of clinical trials: Studies of promising new or experimental treatments in patients are known as clinical trials. A clinical trial is only done when there is some reason to believe that the treatment being studied may be valuable to the patient. Treatments used in clinical trials are often found to have real benefits. Researchers conduct studies of new treatments to answer the following questions:

Is the treatment helpful?
How does this new type of treatment work?
Does it work better than other treatments already available?
What side effects does the treatment cause?
Are the side effects greater or less than the standard treatment?
Do the benefits outweigh the side effects?
In which patients is the treatment most likely to be helpful?
Types of clinical trials: There are 3 phases of clinical trials in which a treatment is studied before it is eligible for approval by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

Phase I clinical trials: The purpose of a phase I study is to find the best way to give a new treatment and how much of it can be given safely. The cancer care team watches patients carefully for any harmful side effects. The treatment has been well tested in lab and animal studies, but the side effects in patients are not completely known. Doctors conducting the clinical trial start by giving very low doses of the drug to the first patients and increasing the dose for later groups of patients until side effects appear. Although doctors are hoping to help patients, the main purpose of a phase I study is to test the safety of the drug.

Phase II clinical trials: These studies are designed to see if the drug works. Patients are given the highest dose that doesn’t cause severe side effects (determined from the phase I study) and closely observed for an effect on the cancer. The cancer care team also looks for side effects.

Phase III clinical trials: Phase III studies involve large numbers of patient – often several hundred. One group (the control group) receives the standard (most accepted) treatment. The other group receives the new treatment. All patients in phase III studies are closely watched. The study will be stopped if the side effects of the new treatment are too severe or if one group has had much better results than the others.

If you are in a clinical trial, you will have a team of experts taking care of you and monitoring your progress very carefully. The study is especially designed to pay close attention to you.

However, there are some risks. No one involved in the study knows in advance whether the treatment will work or exactly what side effects will occur. That is what the study is designed to find out. While most side effects disappear in time, some can be permanent or even life threatening. Keep in mind, though, that even standard treatments have side effects. Depending on many factors, you may decide to enroll in a clinical trial.

Deciding to enter a clinical trial: Enrollment in any clinical trial is completely up to you. Your doctors and nurses will explain the study to you in detail and will give you a form to read and sign indicating your desire to take part. This process is known as giving your informed consent. Even after signing the form and after the clinical trial begins, you are free to leave the study at any time, for any reason. Taking part in the study does not prevent you from getting other medical care you may need.

To find out more about clinical trials, ask your cancer care team. Among the questions you should ask are:

Is there a clinical trial for which I would be eligible?
What is the purpose of the study?
What kinds of tests and treatments does the study involve?
What does this treatment do? Has it been used before?
Will I know which treatment I receive?
What is likely to happen in my case with, or without, this new treatment?
What are my other choices and their advantages and disadvantages?
How could the study affect my daily life?
What side effects can I expect from the study? Can the side effects be controlled?
Will I have to be hospitalized? If so, how often and for how long?
Will the study cost me anything? Will any of the treatment be free?
If I am harmed as a result of the research, what treatment would I be entitled to?
What type of long-term follow-up care is part of the study?
Has the treatment been used to treat other types of cancers?
The American Cancer Society offers a clinical trials matching service for patients, their family, and friends. Based on the information you provide about your cancer type, stage, and previous treatments, this service can compile a list of clinical trials that match your medical needs. In finding a center most convenient for you, the service can also take into account where you live and whether you are willing to travel. 

Malignant Mesothelioma: Treatment

If you have mesothelioma, your cancer care team will recommend one or more treatment options for you to consider. This is an important decision and you should take time to think about all of your choices.

In addition to the stage of the cancer, your health and your personal preferences are factors in deciding on a treatment plan. Because mesothelioma is such a rare cancer, it has been difficult for doctors to compare the value of different treatments. Only a few large clinical trials have been reported to date. In addition, most doctors have little or no experience treating this disease. They usually refer patients with this cancer to specialists who treat a large number of mesothelioma patients in large medical centers.

Another problem with treating mesothelioma is that it does not grow as a single tumor mass. It tends to spread along nearby surfaces, nerves, and blood vessels. Because of this it is almost impossible, except in rare situations, to completely get rid of it with surgery, radiation or both.

Because treatment has resulted in modest benefit, you may question the treatment options suggested. It is often a good idea to seek a second opinion. A second opinion can provide more information and help you feel more confident about the treatment plan that you choose. Also, some insurance companies require a second opinion before they will agree to pay for certain treatments

Mesothelioma: Clinical Trials

The purpose of clinical trials: Studies of promising new or experimental treatments in patients are known as clinical trials. A clinical trial is only done when there is some reason to believe that the treatment being studied may be valuable to the patient. Treatments used in clinical trials are often found to have real benefits. Researchers conduct studies of new treatments to answer the following questions:

Is the treatment helpful?
How does this new type of treatment work?
Does it work better than other treatments already available?
What side effects does the treatment cause?
Are the side effects greater or less than the standard treatment?
Do the benefits outweigh the side effects?
In which patients is the treatment most likely to be helpful?
Types of clinical trials: There are 3 phases of clinical trials in which a treatment is studied before it is eligible for approval by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

Phase I clinical trials: The purpose of a phase I study is to find the best way to give a new treatment and how much of it can be given safely. The cancer care team watches patients carefully for any harmful side effects. The treatment has been well tested in lab and animal studies, but the side effects in patients are not completely known. Doctors conducting the clinical trial start by giving very low doses of the drug to the first patients and increasing the dose for later groups of patients until side effects appear. Although doctors are hoping to help patients, the main purpose of a phase I study is to test the safety of the drug.

Phase II clinical trials: These studies are designed to see if the drug works. Patients are given the highest dose that doesn’t cause severe side effects (determined from the phase I study) and closely observed for an effect on the cancer. The cancer care team also looks for side effects.

Phase III clinical trials: Phase III studies involve large numbers of patient – often several hundred. One group (the control group) receives the standard (most accepted) treatment. The other group receives the new treatment. All patients in phase III studies are closely watched. The study will be stopped if the side effects of the new treatment are too severe or if one group has had much better results than the others.

If you are in a clinical trial, you will have a team of experts taking care of you and monitoring your progress very carefully. The study is especially designed to pay close attention to you.

However, there are some risks. No one involved in the study knows in advance whether the treatment will work or exactly what side effects will occur. That is what the study is designed to find out. While most side effects disappear in time, some can be permanent or even life threatening. Keep in mind, though, that even standard treatments have side effects. Depending on many factors, you may decide to enroll in a clinical trial.

Deciding to enter a clinical trial: Enrollment in any clinical trial is completely up to you. Your doctors and nurses will explain the study to you in detail and will give you a form to read and sign indicating your desire to take part. This process is known as giving your informed consent. Even after signing the form and after the clinical trial begins, you are free to leave the study at any time, for any reason. Taking part in the study does not prevent you from getting other medical care you may need.

To find out more about clinical trials, ask your cancer care team. Among the questions you should ask are:

Is there a clinical trial for which I would be eligible?
What is the purpose of the study?
What kinds of tests and treatments does the study involve?
What does this treatment do? Has it been used before?
Will I know which treatment I receive?
What is likely to happen in my case with, or without, this new treatment?
What are my other choices and their advantages and disadvantages?
How could the study affect my daily life?
What side effects can I expect from the study? Can the side effects be controlled?
Will I have to be hospitalized? If so, how often and for how long?
Will the study cost me anything? Will any of the treatment be free?
If I am harmed as a result of the research, what treatment would I be entitled to?
What type of long-term follow-up care is part of the study?
Has the treatment been used to treat other types of cancers?
The American Cancer Society offers a clinical trials matching service for patients, their family, and friends. Based on the information you provide about your cancer type, stage, and previous treatments, this service can compile a list of clinical trials that match your medical needs. In finding a center most convenient for you, the service can also take into account where you live and whether you are willing to travel. 

Malignant Mesothelioma: Treatment

If you have mesothelioma, your cancer care team will recommend one or more treatment options for you to consider. This is an important decision and you should take time to think about all of your choices.

In addition to the stage of the cancer, your health and your personal preferences are factors in deciding on a treatment plan. Because mesothelioma is such a rare cancer, it has been difficult for doctors to compare the value of different treatments. Only a few large clinical trials have been reported to date. In addition, most doctors have little or no experience treating this disease. They usually refer patients with this cancer to specialists who treat a large number of mesothelioma patients in large medical centers.

Another problem with treating mesothelioma is that it does not grow as a single tumor mass. It tends to spread along nearby surfaces, nerves, and blood vessels. Because of this it is almost impossible, except in rare situations, to completely get rid of it with surgery, radiation or both.

Because treatment has resulted in modest benefit, you may question the treatment options suggested. It is often a good idea to seek a second opinion. A second opinion can provide more information and help you feel more confident about the treatment plan that you choose. Also, some insurance companies require a second opinion before they will agree to pay for certain treatments

Treatment of Mesothelioma by Stage

Stage I: Many patients with stage I pleural mesothelioma have their cancer removed by pleurectomy/decortication or extrapleural pneumonectomy, as described in the section "Types of Treatment for Mesothelioma." The value of adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy (treatments given after surgery) for stage I mesothelioma is unproven. Radiation therapy may be used if your general health is too poor to tolerate a major operation.

Stages II, III: Treatment options include palliative and supportive care providing relief of symptoms, such as thoracentesis (to remove fluid accumulation in the chest cavity), operations to remove as much of the tumor as possible in some cases, and radiation therapy or chemotherapy aimed at easing symptoms. Cure is usually not possible for patients in these stages. Enrollment in clinical trials evaluating the newest treatment possibilities in large medical centers should be considered.

Other approaches include putting chemotherapy or radioactive drugs directly into the pleural space. This can be done simply with the doctor placing a needle into the pleural space after numbing the skin with local anesthetic. Although this only kills some of the cancer cells, it often helps slow down fluid collection.

Stage IV: Because stage IV mesothelioma cancer has spread to distant organs, a cure is not possible. If any aggressive therapy is used, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the goals should be clear to you and your family. Enrollment in clinical trials evaluating the newest treatment possibilities in large medical centers should be considered.

Supportive care may be the best choice, perhaps in the setting of a good hospice program. Pain management is an important aspect of your care. It is important for you to know that medications are available to effectively treat pain due to mesothelioma. You should not hesitate to request pain medications or discuss pain control problems with your cancer care team.  

Treatment of Mesothelioma by Stage

Stage I: Many patients with stage I pleural mesothelioma have their cancer removed by pleurectomy/decortication or extrapleural pneumonectomy, as described in the section "Types of Treatment for Mesothelioma." The value of adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy (treatments given after surgery) for stage I mesothelioma is unproven. Radiation therapy may be used if your general health is too poor to tolerate a major operation.

Stages II, III: Treatment options include palliative and supportive care providing relief of symptoms, such as thoracentesis (to remove fluid accumulation in the chest cavity), operations to remove as much of the tumor as possible in some cases, and radiation therapy or chemotherapy aimed at easing symptoms. Cure is usually not possible for patients in these stages. Enrollment in clinical trials evaluating the newest treatment possibilities in large medical centers should be considered.

Other approaches include putting chemotherapy or radioactive drugs directly into the pleural space. This can be done simply with the doctor placing a needle into the pleural space after numbing the skin with local anesthetic. Although this only kills some of the cancer cells, it often helps slow down fluid collection.

Stage IV: Because stage IV mesothelioma cancer has spread to distant organs, a cure is not possible. If any aggressive therapy is used, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the goals should be clear to you and your family. Enrollment in clinical trials evaluating the newest treatment possibilities in large medical centers should be considered.

Supportive care may be the best choice, perhaps in the setting of a good hospice program. Pain management is an important aspect of your care. It is important for you to know that medications are available to effectively treat pain due to mesothelioma. You should not hesitate to request pain medications or discuss pain control problems with your cancer care team.  

Mesothelioma: Surgery

Surgery

Surgery for pleural mesothelioma may be done for 1 of 2 reasons: to believe pain and discomfort caused by the tumor (called palliation), or to cure.

Palliative surgery is typically done in cases where the tumor has already spread beyond the mesothelium and is difficult to completely remove, or if you are too ill to tolerate a more extensive operation.

Curative surgery is offered if you are in otherwise good health and the tumor is thought to be localized and can be completely removed. Unfortunately, the cancer cells tend to spread into the chest wall, around the heart, over nerves, and the diaphragm. It is often difficult to detect this spread. Because of this, doctors are not clear on the exact role of surgery. It is not likely to cure you, but may extend your lives.

Depending on the stage of a mesothelioma, surgery may be used to remove the cancer and some of the surrounding tissue. Often, however, an operation is not appropriate and you may have only smaller procedures to relieve symptoms.

A thoracentesis, where fluid in the chest is removed by placing a needle into the chest cavity, may be done to make a patient more comfortable. Sometimes talc or drugs that cause scarring may be injected into the chest cavity to try to prevent the fluid from returning. These techniques are successful in controlling the fluid, at least temporarily, in as many as 90% of patients. Because pleural fluid can compress the lung and cause shortness of breath, these procedures can help you breathe more easily, however, they do not cure the cancer.

In the case of peritoneal mesothelioma, a needle may be inserted into the abdomen to drain the fluid. Similarly, a needle inserted into the pericardium (sac around the heart) can drain pericardial fluid and help relieve circulatory problems. Sometimes the cancer cells spread along the needle path, and a tumor nodule may form under the skin of that area. This concern should not prevent fluid removal, though.

Two surgical procedures may be offered if you have pleural mesothelioma: pleurectomy/decortication and extrapleural pneumonectomy.

Pleurectomy/decortication: Pleurectomy/decortication is usually a palliative (relieves symptoms without curing the cancer) procedure in cases where the entire tumor cannot be removed. It involves removing the pleura, where the majority of the tumor is located. It effectively controls fluid accumulation and may decrease pain caused by the cancer.

Extrapleural pneumonectomy: Extrapleural pneumonectomy is a far more extensive operation and is most often used in cases of localized mesothelioma, when the surgeon thinks a cure is possible..It is a difficult operation to do and is done only by surgeons in large specialized medical centers. It involves removing the pleura, diaphragm, pericardium, and the whole lung on the side of the tumor. You must be in overall good health with no other serious illnesses in order to tolerate the large operation. This operation attempts to remove all or most of the cancer and some surrounding tissues as well.

Surgical treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma is often done either to help relieve symptoms or to attempt to remove the tumor from the wall of the abdomen and other digestive organs. As with pleural mesothelioma, these tumors are often too extensive to remove completely. Similar operations can be done to remove a mesothelioma from the pericardium (the sac around the heart).

Surgery for mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, which occurs in the groin, is also not usually curative. Most of the time surgery is done because the tumor resembles a hernia. The surgeon attempts to treat a suspected hernia and only realizes the diagnosis after the surgery is begun. This kind of mesothelioma can’t be entirely removed.

Palliative or curative surgery is not at all possible if you have peritoneal mesothelioma. Palliative surgery may be necessary if the intestine or ureter tube (that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder) is blocked.

Mesothelioma: Surgery

Surgery

Surgery for pleural mesothelioma may be done for 1 of 2 reasons: to believe pain and discomfort caused by the tumor (called palliation), or to cure.

Palliative surgery is typically done in cases where the tumor has already spread beyond the mesothelium and is difficult to completely remove, or if you are too ill to tolerate a more extensive operation.

Curative surgery is offered if you are in otherwise good health and the tumor is thought to be localized and can be completely removed. Unfortunately, the cancer cells tend to spread into the chest wall, around the heart, over nerves, and the diaphragm. It is often difficult to detect this spread. Because of this, doctors are not clear on the exact role of surgery. It is not likely to cure you, but may extend your lives.

Depending on the stage of a mesothelioma, surgery may be used to remove the cancer and some of the surrounding tissue. Often, however, an operation is not appropriate and you may have only smaller procedures to relieve symptoms.

A thoracentesis, where fluid in the chest is removed by placing a needle into the chest cavity, may be done to make a patient more comfortable. Sometimes talc or drugs that cause scarring may be injected into the chest cavity to try to prevent the fluid from returning. These techniques are successful in controlling the fluid, at least temporarily, in as many as 90% of patients. Because pleural fluid can compress the lung and cause shortness of breath, these procedures can help you breathe more easily, however, they do not cure the cancer.

In the case of peritoneal mesothelioma, a needle may be inserted into the abdomen to drain the fluid. Similarly, a needle inserted into the pericardium (sac around the heart) can drain pericardial fluid and help relieve circulatory problems. Sometimes the cancer cells spread along the needle path, and a tumor nodule may form under the skin of that area. This concern should not prevent fluid removal, though.

Two surgical procedures may be offered if you have pleural mesothelioma: pleurectomy/decortication and extrapleural pneumonectomy.

Pleurectomy/decortication: Pleurectomy/decortication is usually a palliative (relieves symptoms without curing the cancer) procedure in cases where the entire tumor cannot be removed. It involves removing the pleura, where the majority of the tumor is located. It effectively controls fluid accumulation and may decrease pain caused by the cancer.

Extrapleural pneumonectomy: Extrapleural pneumonectomy is a far more extensive operation and is most often used in cases of localized mesothelioma, when the surgeon thinks a cure is possible..It is a difficult operation to do and is done only by surgeons in large specialized medical centers. It involves removing the pleura, diaphragm, pericardium, and the whole lung on the side of the tumor. You must be in overall good health with no other serious illnesses in order to tolerate the large operation. This operation attempts to remove all or most of the cancer and some surrounding tissues as well.

Surgical treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma is often done either to help relieve symptoms or to attempt to remove the tumor from the wall of the abdomen and other digestive organs. As with pleural mesothelioma, these tumors are often too extensive to remove completely. Similar operations can be done to remove a mesothelioma from the pericardium (the sac around the heart).

Surgery for mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, which occurs in the groin, is also not usually curative. Most of the time surgery is done because the tumor resembles a hernia. The surgeon attempts to treat a suspected hernia and only realizes the diagnosis after the surgery is begun. This kind of mesothelioma can’t be entirely removed.

Palliative or curative surgery is not at all possible if you have peritoneal mesothelioma. Palliative surgery may be necessary if the intestine or ureter tube (that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder) is blocked.

Mesothelioma - Management or Prevention of Side Effects

Introduction
The treatment of cancer may include the use of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic response modifiers, surgery, or some combination of all of these or other therapeutic options. All of these treatment options are directed at killing or eradicating the cancer that exists in the patient’s body. Unfortunately, the delivery of cancer therapy often affects the body’s normal organs not involved by cancer. The undesired consequence of affecting an organ not involved with cancer is referred to as a complication of treatment or a side effect.

Why do side effects occur?
Side effects, or complications, of treatment cause inconvenience, discomfort, and occasionally even fatality to patients. Additionally and perhaps more importantly, side effects may also prevent doctors from delivering the prescribed dose of therapy at the specific time and schedule of the treatment plan. This is extremely important to understand since the expected outcome from therapy is based on delivering treatment at the dose and schedule of the treatment plan. In other words, side effects not only cause discomfort and unpleasantness, but may also limit a patient’s ability to achieve the best outcome from treatment by preventing the delivery of therapy at its optimal dose and time.

While cancer treatment may be associated with a wide variety of side effects, some are more common than others. Additionally, certain treatments may lead to long-term side effects, also called “late complications”, which are conditions that do not resolve once treatment is completed.

What can be done about side effects?
Fortunately, in the last 15 years there has been a great deal of progress in the development of treatments to help prevent and control the side effects of cancer treatment. These compounds have led to vast improvements in the management of symptoms associated with cancer treatment, allowed for greater accuracy and consistency concerning the administration of cancer treatment, and have made many cancer treatments more widely available to patients.

Mesothelioma - Management or Prevention of Side Effects

Introduction
The treatment of cancer may include the use of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic response modifiers, surgery, or some combination of all of these or other therapeutic options. All of these treatment options are directed at killing or eradicating the cancer that exists in the patient’s body. Unfortunately, the delivery of cancer therapy often affects the body’s normal organs not involved by cancer. The undesired consequence of affecting an organ not involved with cancer is referred to as a complication of treatment or a side effect.

Why do side effects occur?
Side effects, or complications, of treatment cause inconvenience, discomfort, and occasionally even fatality to patients. Additionally and perhaps more importantly, side effects may also prevent doctors from delivering the prescribed dose of therapy at the specific time and schedule of the treatment plan. This is extremely important to understand since the expected outcome from therapy is based on delivering treatment at the dose and schedule of the treatment plan. In other words, side effects not only cause discomfort and unpleasantness, but may also limit a patient’s ability to achieve the best outcome from treatment by preventing the delivery of therapy at its optimal dose and time.

While cancer treatment may be associated with a wide variety of side effects, some are more common than others. Additionally, certain treatments may lead to long-term side effects, also called “late complications”, which are conditions that do not resolve once treatment is completed.

What can be done about side effects?
Fortunately, in the last 15 years there has been a great deal of progress in the development of treatments to help prevent and control the side effects of cancer treatment. These compounds have led to vast improvements in the management of symptoms associated with cancer treatment, allowed for greater accuracy and consistency concerning the administration of cancer treatment, and have made many cancer treatments more widely available to patients.

Questions to be asked to your Doctor about Malignant Mesothelioma?

As you cope with your cancer and the process of treatment, you need to have honest, open discussions with your cancer care team. You should feel free to ask any question that's on your mind, no matter how trivial it might seem. Among the questions you might want to ask are:

What kind of mesothelioma do I have?
Has my cancer spread beyond the primary site?
What is the stage of my cancer and what does that mean to me?
What treatment options do I have?
What do you recommend and why?
Based on what you've learned about my cancer, what is my prognosis?
What risks or side effects are there to the treatments you suggest?
What are the chances my cancer will come back with these treatment plans?
What should I do to be ready for treatment?

Questions to be asked to your Doctor about Malignant Mesothelioma?

As you cope with your cancer and the process of treatment, you need to have honest, open discussions with your cancer care team. You should feel free to ask any question that's on your mind, no matter how trivial it might seem. Among the questions you might want to ask are:

What kind of mesothelioma do I have?
Has my cancer spread beyond the primary site?
What is the stage of my cancer and what does that mean to me?
What treatment options do I have?
What do you recommend and why?
Based on what you've learned about my cancer, what is my prognosis?
What risks or side effects are there to the treatments you suggest?
What are the chances my cancer will come back with these treatment plans?
What should I do to be ready for treatment?

Free health alerts from a city doctor

COIMBATORE: He cares for the health and well-being of those around him. He believes that a healthy nation needs healthy people. So, Amith Kumar, a physiotherapist and fitness consultant based at Kovaipudur here, has launched a initiative, offering health tips as mobile alerts on a daily basis. And he does it absolutely free of cost.

Amith Kumar's treatment centre named 23 Physia Clinic is now embarking on a unique mission of mobile alerts on heath tips to Coimbatoreans on a daily basis, free of cost. Once you subscribe, you can get health alerts on a daily basis. The alerts mainly pertain to major diseases like diabetics, cancer, AIDS, hypertension etc.

"Prevention is better than cure. So I am encouraging people to lead a healthy life to reduce the time and money spent on medical treatment. The health sector is largely money oriented and even minor consultations are very expensive," says Amith Kumar, who was born in Mannargudi and has worked in Singapore and Mumbai.

"It is not a business. I set aside about Rs 5,000 from my earnings every month to provide health education to residents through this mobile alert service. I feel it is my responsibility," says Amith, who has decided to settle down in Coimbatore permanently.

Getting enrolled in Amrit's mobile SMS list is easy. All you have to do is send the following message, 'HEALTHYLIVING NAME' to the mobile number 9488545655. "This is free of cost," says Amith, who has availed the free services of half a dozen medical practitioners in his efforts to supply health tips.

Dr M Aarthy, Dr V Lakshmy, Dr Rashmi Desai, Dr M Sarmila and Dr P Sruthi and Dr M V Parthipan are now helping Amith to prepare his tips.

Amith started the project on an experimental basis this January, sending out his tips to his list of patients. Initially, he had 256 members. "Now we have about 1,320 subscribers, only through word of mouth. We have a few from other cities too," says Amith.

"As a physiotherapist, I am dealing with pain on a daily basis. Through this project, I am hoping for a painless world," he says.

Free health alerts from a city doctor

COIMBATORE: He cares for the health and well-being of those around him. He believes that a healthy nation needs healthy people. So, Amith Kumar, a physiotherapist and fitness consultant based at Kovaipudur here, has launched a initiative, offering health tips as mobile alerts on a daily basis. And he does it absolutely free of cost.

Amith Kumar's treatment centre named 23 Physia Clinic is now embarking on a unique mission of mobile alerts on heath tips to Coimbatoreans on a daily basis, free of cost. Once you subscribe, you can get health alerts on a daily basis. The alerts mainly pertain to major diseases like diabetics, cancer, AIDS, hypertension etc.

"Prevention is better than cure. So I am encouraging people to lead a healthy life to reduce the time and money spent on medical treatment. The health sector is largely money oriented and even minor consultations are very expensive," says Amith Kumar, who was born in Mannargudi and has worked in Singapore and Mumbai.

"It is not a business. I set aside about Rs 5,000 from my earnings every month to provide health education to residents through this mobile alert service. I feel it is my responsibility," says Amith, who has decided to settle down in Coimbatore permanently.

Getting enrolled in Amrit's mobile SMS list is easy. All you have to do is send the following message, 'HEALTHYLIVING NAME' to the mobile number 9488545655. "This is free of cost," says Amith, who has availed the free services of half a dozen medical practitioners in his efforts to supply health tips.

Dr M Aarthy, Dr V Lakshmy, Dr Rashmi Desai, Dr M Sarmila and Dr P Sruthi and Dr M V Parthipan are now helping Amith to prepare his tips.

Amith started the project on an experimental basis this January, sending out his tips to his list of patients. Initially, he had 256 members. "Now we have about 1,320 subscribers, only through word of mouth. We have a few from other cities too," says Amith.

"As a physiotherapist, I am dealing with pain on a daily basis. Through this project, I am hoping for a painless world," he says.

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Ten Tips for Event Managers

Event Management, as is obvious from the term, refers to the organized planning and research involved in the proper execution of any event. The event may range from simple social events like birthdays, weddings, family reunions; more complex corporate and official events such as Annual General Meetings, brand promotion meets, product launch parties and also special entertainment events.... More..

Planning Tips for Events and Conference Requirements

Moreover, not all companies have the time or resources to go through the whole process of organizing a meeting. This is because there are many factors to consider when organizing a meeting....  More..

Superbus hopes to turbocharge mass transit

Cross a Lamborghini with a school bus and you’d probably get something like the aptly-named Superbus.
The futuristic prototype, which boasts a top speed of 155 miles per hour and seating for 23 passengers, was recently unveiled before a group of awestruck teenagers in the Netherlands.... More....


This Week Tips is base on Advertising

Advertising
is the commercial promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas, usually performed by an identified sponsor, and performed through a variety of media. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy. Other components of the promotional mix include publicity, public relations, personal selling, and sales promotion. More...

For all tips plez visit our Blog www.event-videek.blogspot.com (this is all about Management and Event )