The type of treatment for any case of mesothelioma is determined by the location of the tumor, the stage of the disease along with the patient’s age and general health of the patient. Options for treatment generally include surgery, radiation therapy and chemo therapy.
Surgery can either be palliative or curative. Curative surgery is only given to the patient when the tumor is not well advanced and when the patient is still young enough to withstand the stress of extensive radical surgery. This kind of surgery may involve the removal of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some of the tissue around it. For cancer of the pleura (pleural mesothelioma), a lung may be removed in an operation called a pneumonectomy. Sometimes part of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing, is also removed.
Palliative surgery aims to mainly relieve symptoms and control pain. The doctor may use a needle or a thin tube to drain fluid that has built up in the chest or abdomen. The procedure for removing fluid from the chest is called thoracentesis. Removal of fluid from the abdomen is called paracentesis. Drugs may be given through a tube in the chest to prevent more fluid from accumulating. Radiation therapy and surgery may also be helpful in relieving symptoms
Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, involves the use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy affects the cancer cells only in the treated area. The radiation may come from a machine (external radiation) or from putting materials that produce radiation through thin plastic tubes into the area where the cancer cells are found {internal radiation}
Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body. Most drugs used to treat mesothelioma are given by injection into a vein (intravenous or IV). Doctors are also studying the effectiveness of putting chemotherapy directly into the chest or abdomen (intracavitary chemotherapy). These anticancer drugs are usually given in cycles which runs over weeks with periods of rest interspersed between them. The commonly used anticancer drugs include Alimta and Cisplatin.
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma you should also educate yourself about mesothelioma and treatment options and reach out to available resources to make coping with a mesothelioma diagnosis easier
Portuguese
Spanish
French