Mesothelioma Treatment
Mesothelioma cancer is a serious disease and new patients and their families looking for treatment should seek the support and resources they will need to better deal with their diagnosis and treatment options. To help with this process we have collected the following mesothelioma treatment information which should aid patients diagnosed with mesothelioma in deciding what is the best treatment for them.
- Surgery - Surgery is a mesothelioma treatment that is
used to remove the cancer tumor or to reduce the pain of symptoms and suffering.
When the cancer is contained the surgery can be used to remove part of the
lining of the chest or abdomen to remove the mesothelioma cancer cells from
the body by removing the diseased tissues and cancer cells. If the mesothelioma
has spread to different organs, it will be impossible to remove all of the
orgns infected with mesothelioma. In this situation surgery can still be
used, but the effectiveness with be limited to relieving some pain and suffering.
Types of mesothelioma surgeries include:
- Pneumonectomy - This is an serious surgery in which
one lung is removed. The surgery can be done in one of two possible ways:
- Normal Pneumonectomy - In this case it is only the diseased lung which is removed from the mesothelioma patient.
- Extrapleural Pneumonectomy - With this method the diseased lung, part of the pericardium, part of the diaphragm, and on the same side of the chest the parietal pleura is also removed.
- Thoracentesis - With thoracentesis a needle is inserted by a doctor into the chest cavity of the patient to obtain a diagnosis biopsy or to drain excess fluid and relieve pressure and pain.
- Pleurectomy/Decortication - This mesothelioma treatment is the surgical removal of the pleura which is done in order to reduce pain caused by mesothelioma tumor mass or to prevent a recurrence of pleural effusion.
- Pneumonectomy - This is an serious surgery in which
one lung is removed. The surgery can be done in one of two possible ways:
- Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that consists of using different drugs to treat the cancer. These drugs can be taken in a pill form or often will be injected by a needle into the bloodstream. Many of the cancer drugs used in the treatment of mesothelioma lung cancer directly kill cancer cells or stop the cells from dividing. The drugs enter into the patient's bloodstream and circulate throughout the entire body to reach and killl the mesothelioma cells. More and more chemotherapy can be used with a variety of drugs to increase the effectiveness and is often used with other mesothelioma treatments, such as surgery. The current practice when not on a clinical trial is to receive treatment with chemotherapy agents cisplatin or carboplatin and pemetrexed (Alimta®).
- Radiation - Radiation therapy involves high level radiation to destroy cancer cells in a specific area. The way it works is that the radiation harms the cancer cells in such a way that they can no longer divide or multiply. With each radiation treatment more of the mesothelioma cells die and then the cancer tumor shrinks. The dead mesothelioma cells are removed by the normal body processes and many of the healthy cells of the body are able to recover from this injury since they are stronger. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a new radiotherapy that involves using highly accurate three-dimensional radiation after the lung and pleura have been removed and this may lead to improved outcomes and less toxicity to the patients over hemi-thoracic external beam radiotherapy.
- Palliative Care - The goal of palliative care is not to attempt to cure the mesothelioma disease, but rather to relieve and/or control symptoms associated with mesothelioma cancers. For more information visit Palliative-Care.net.
Experimental Mesothelioma Treatments
New treaments for mesothelioma cancers are being researched and descovered all the time. Many times patients will seek out any new treatment in place of or in addition to standard treatments to try and increase the chances of a cure and recovery. These uncertain treatment methods are worth explorting since they can often be used at the same time as other mesothelioma treament options.
- Gene therapy - This experimental high-tech mesothelioma treatment medical process involves altering the patient’s own genetic material in their cells in order to fight the mesothelioma cancer. Gene therapy consists of injecting a modified gene into the patient. The goal of gene therapy is to introduce cells with that are good copies of ones with damaged, missing, or altered genes.
- Immunotherapy - Immunotherapy or biologic therapy is a new experimental therapy for mesothelioma that uses the body's natural defenses to fight mesothelioma cancer. The therapy can include activating the body's own immune system to more effectively kill the cancer or it may use an outside agent such as manufactured proreins that boost the immune system. This mesothelioma treament is most often used along with at least one other type of cancer treatment therapy.
- Photodynamic Therapy - Intraoperative photodynamic therapy is an very experimental treatment that uses a light photosensitizing agent with a source of light that is strong enough to destroy mesothelioma cancer cells. The idea is that the photosensitizing agent deposits more easily in the cancer cells than in normal healthy cells. Then when the chemical agent is later exposed to strong light it combines with oxygen and this creates different chemicals that have the ability to kill mesothelioma cancer cells.
Mesothelioma Clinical Trials
Taking part in a clinical trial may be the best mesothelioma treatment choice. Mesothelioma Clinical trials are an accepted part of the cancer research process and may be done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment. Many of the standard treatments today for mesothelioma cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Mesothelioma patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive a standard treatment or they may be among the first patients to receive a new treatment.
All mesothelioma patients who are involved with a clinical trial also help improve how the cancer will be treated in the future. Even those times when clinical drug trials do not result in effective new cancer treatments they may answer important questions and help move mesothelioma cancer research forward.
For extensive informaion on Clinical Trials, New Mesothelioma Treament Options, Mesothelioma Doctors, Sources of Exposure to Asbestos, and Financial Assistance Information, please fill out the form for a free printed information packet that will be sent to you at no cost. Or if you prefer, you may call our Mesothelioma Treatment HelpLine at 800-780-2686 and ask questions or order the packet from a HelpLine operator.
