Mesothelioma Treatment Options
Mesothelioma patients should see an expert in mesothelioma for a treatment program. Many specialists offer innovative new therapies that can improve symptoms and prognoses.
The doctors can treat mesothelioma through chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. Certain types of mesothelioma also respond to immunotherapy. Mesothelioma may recur following treatment. Doctors can prevent it from recurring by making the pleura stick to one another (pleurodesis) or drain fluid through tubes placed within the chest (peritoneal mesothelioma). The best treatment plans incorporate both methods.
Surgery
The mesothelioma's type, stage and other factors like age will determine the treatment options. In your initial examination, the doctor will determine which mesothelioma treatments are best for you.
The surgeon will carry out surgery to remove the most mesothelioma imaginable. The surgeon may also perform other treatments during the surgery or after. Mesothelioma treatments may include radiation and chemotherapy. Patients can improve their quality of life using targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and palliative therapies.
Some people with pleural mesothelioma undergo a radical surgical procedure known as extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) to eliminate the tumor as well as most of the affected lung, in addition to the lung's lining (pleura) and a portion of the diaphragm, and the sac that surrounds the heart (pericardium). Another surgery that can be performed is pleurectomy/decortication (P/D). This surgery takes the pleura away, but leaves the affected lung in place. P/D is less invasive than EPP, and has been successful in extending survival times. Some cancer centers employ heated intraoperative chemotherapy in order to eliminate any remaining cancerous cells after surgery.
During surgery the patient is placed under anesthesia. asbestos mesothelioma treatment are also given medications to help them rest and feel no pain. During this time, the medical staff will collect vital information about your health like your blood pressure and heart rate.
After procedure, patients will undergo chemotherapy and/or radiation. Chemotherapy is a method to stop mesothelioma's growth and to kill any cells that remain after surgery. Mesothelioma is treated using cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and pemetrexed. Typically, these medicines are administered through IV.
Radiation therapy is a highly effective mesothelioma treatment because it uses high-energy beams to kill cancerous cells. Radiation can be used by itself or in conjunction with other treatment. It is a treatment option for any mesothelioma type, but it is most likely to be helpful for cases that involve mesothelioma of the pericardial or peritoneal region.
Recurrent tumors may occur in some people with mesothelioma, even after treatment. Recurrent mesothelioma may occur in the same place as it did before or be spread to other organs, such as the brain or liver. People with mesothelioma recurrently present may require other treatments like targeted therapy or immunotherapy which can increase the chances of the chances of survival and decrease the likelihood of the cancer returning.
Chemotherapy
When mesothelioma is the issue chemotherapy is among the most effective treatments available. It involves injecting patients with medicines that kill cancerous cells and stop their growth or spreading. Mesothelioma doctors can use chemotherapy on its own or in conjunction with other treatment options, such as radiation therapy or immunotherapy.
The type of mesothelioma that a patient is diagnosed with and the stage it is in will help determine which chemotherapy regimen is best for the patient. Doctors may use a variety of different types of chemotherapy medications, but the standard treatments include cisplatin and pemetrexed. Pemetrexed works to kill mesothelioma tumors by targeting the cells that produce proteins that cancer cells need to develop. Cisplatin is an anticancer drug, binds itself to the DNA of mesothelioma cells and causes them to die. The drugs can be administered intravenously or orally.
In a mesothelioma surgical procedure doctors may also perform chemotherapy intraoperatively. The chemotherapy drugs are heated and released into the chest cavity or abdominal cavity while the surgeon is performing. This procedure is used to remove any tumors that are microscopic that the surgeon is unable to detect after surgery.
Mesothelioma patients can also receive adjuvant chemotherapy following their surgeries. However, many doctors wait until there is mesothelioma recurrence before considering this option. The reason for this is that mesothelioma treatment procedures are so invasive that a patient may not be fit enough to undergo chemotherapy immediately after surgery.
If mesothelioma does recur the treatment will be focused on removing the cancer and reducing symptoms. Some people may choose to do everything they can to get rid of their cancer, while others prefer to manage the disease and live symptom-free for as long as they can. If a patient is diagnosed with mesothelioma that is recurrent, it is important to discuss this with their physician and evaluate the pros and cons of each option together. A patient might also consider enrolling in a study of new mesothelioma therapies. These trials could test a new combination of standard treatments or an entirely new treatment method for mesothelioma. For instance, some studies have shown that immunotherapy is an effective recurrent mesothelioma treatment.
Radiation Therapy
The term "radiation therapy" refers to the use of high-energy radiation and particles to kill cancerous cells. Doctors who treat mesothelioma usually prescribe radiation therapy after surgery or in combination with other treatments. It can also be used as a treatment for symptoms such as breathlessness or pain. The latest kinds of radiation have better controls, making it easier to target tumors while avoiding nearby healthy tissue.
The treatment options you have will depend on the type of mesothelioma that you have and its location. Talk to your doctor about new treatments like immunotherapy. Clinical trials are research studies which examine the safety and effectiveness of new medications or procedures. These trials are conducted with patients who have agreed to take part.
A mesothelioma specialist can help you choose the best clinical trial for you.
Surgery can shrink the size of tumors and alleviate symptoms. Mesothelioma is not curable by surgery. It is possible that the cancer will develop or grow. Most mesothelioma sufferers are treated with a variety of therapies.
For pleural mesothelioma, surgical options include pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) and extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP). The pleura is removed in P/D. This thin membrane is a part of the chest wall, lungs and the lining of the pleura. It can also eliminate any visible tumors on the chest wall or lung. EPP is a more comprehensive procedure and is used to treat mesothelioma that is in its advanced stages. The procedure involves removing the entire lung, and also the pleura, diaphragm and any visible tumors on the chest wall.
Radiation therapy can be utilized following the pleural mesothelioma surgery to kill any microscopic cancerous areas that were not eliminated during the procedure. Adjuvant mesothelioma radiotherapy is called. It can also be used to alleviate symptoms such as breathing difficulties or chest pain, as well as swallowing problems in peritoneal mesothelioma patients prior to undergoing a procedure known as cytoreduction and heated chemotherapy (HIPEC).
Radiation can cause long-term effects. The most frequent are fatigue and skin changes. In rare instances, it can cause long-term damage to the lungs that could lead to chronic breathing problems or a narrowing of the esophagus. Before deciding to use radiation for treatment, you should discuss the potential risks with your doctor.
Immunotherapy
Cancer is caused by genetic mutations that cause abnormal cells to expand out of control. As the cells build up, they create tumors that invade and destroy healthy tissue. In time, tumors could grow throughout the body and cause symptoms such as pain, fatigue and difficulty breathing. Malignant mesothelioma is a form of asbestos-related lung cancer, develops in the mesothelium, the protective layer that covers the organs of a person.
When a doctor diagnoses mesothelioma they will conduct physical examination and take a detailed history of your exposure to asbestos. They also conduct medical tests including blood work and various kinds of scans. These scans offer a high-resolution look at your body and may reveal indications of mesothelioma, like fluid accumulation around the lungs or cancerous growths. X-rays are the most common imaging test used to detect mesothelioma, but doctors often require more advanced scans such as CT, PET and MRI. In addition, doctors may perform a biopsy in order to confirm the mesothelioma diagnosis and make sure the cancer isn't growing.
Mesothelioma is not curable by doctors in the majority of patients, but they can manage the disease through chemotherapy and other treatments. The aim is to eliminate mesothelioma in the maximum amount and reducing the chance that the cancer will return.
For mesothelioma with advanced stages doctors may perform an operation to prevent the buildup of fluid inside the lungs (pleurodesis), or they may insert a tube into the chest to allow regular draining of excess liquid (pleural effusion drainage). They may also try to stop tumors from growing, by making the outer layer of lungs adhere to the inner layer of the lungs. (extrapleural pneumonectomy) or shrinking them by radiation therapy.
Immunotherapy is a revolutionary treatment that utilizes drugs to stimulate your immune system to fight cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved these drugs, including Keytruda and Opdivo for use in clinical trials of mesothelioma. This treatment is promising and could lead to better outcomes in certain patients. Immunotherapy may cause negative side effects, including fevers, chills and fatigue however they are usually less severe than more aggressive treatment options for mesothelioma.