Types of Mesothelioma Treatments

There are many different factors to take into consideration when a doctor plans out a course of Mesothelioma treatment for patients. Some of these factors include:

1. Location of the cancer
2. Age and condition of the patient
3. Stage that the cancer is in

Mesothelioma treatment options range fairly greatly, especially with the advanced techniques of modern medicine, but there are three options that are most effective when dealing with Mesothelioma treatment – Surgery, Chemotherapy, and Radiation Therapy. These three may be used separately, or combined, depending on the plan of treatment the doctors recommend.

Mesothelioma Treatment #1: Surgery, perhaps the most common and basic treatment option for Mesothelioma, involves the surgeon removing sections of lining from the chest and/or abdomen and parts of tissue around it. In a case of pleura Mesothelioma, a surgeon may even possibly remove a lung, which is an operation known as a pneumonectomy. In some cases, the diaphragm is also removed, depending on the patient, of course. None of this is set in stone, and can vary greatly from patient to patient. It all depends on location, type, and stage of the cancer, and results will certainly be different in each treatment. Surgery can also be (and is often) combined with other sorts of treatment for maximum effect.

Mesothelioma Treatment #2: Chemotherapy, another widely known treatment for cancer, is basically the administration of anti-cancer medicine with a goal of killing cancer cells throughout the patient’s body. Chemotherapy is usually given to the patient intravenously (through an IV), although recent experimental treatments involve placing the chemo directly into the abdomen or chest. Chemotherapy is very effective, but it often makes the patient sick and weak for long periods of time.

Mesothelioma Treatment #3: Radiation therapy is another common strategy used to treat Mesothelioma by using intense high energy rays in order to eliminate and kill cancer cells, as well as shrink any tumors. Radiation therapy can be administered by a machine, which is called external radiation, or doctors may choose internal radiation, which involves placing materials that give off radiation through plastic tubes inserted into the area where the cancer cells are living in the body.

To quickly help control pain, and to soothe some of the symptoms of various types of Mesothelioma, doctors may choose to use a tube or needle to drain any accumulation of fluid in the abdomen and/or lungs. This procedure is called thoracentasis (for the chest), and paracentesis (for the abdomen). Also, radiation therapy may also be an option to actually relieve the symptoms of Mesothelioma, as well as help curing it.