Treatment
Treatment for mesothelioma depends on several factors such as where the cancer is located, the type,
the current stage of the disease, the age of the effected patient, the overall health of the patient
and their medical history. Each person that is diagnosed with mesothelioma may not always require the
same method of treatment as there are different things to consider, such as the frequency, the
aggressiveness, and the method used to treat mesothelioma.
There are many kind of treatments for mesothelioma, each intending to attack the cancer cells while
attempting to address symptoms as best as possible. Often, patients prefer to pursue the most aggressive
treatment possible at first when diagnosed with mesothelioma and if diagnosed early enough then this
is often the best method.
Treatment using conventional therapies have not always been successful and patients often have a median
survival time of 6 to 12 months after being diagnosed with the cancer. The clinical behavior of the malignancy
is affected by several factors including the continuous mesothelial surface of the pleural cavity which
favors local metastasis via exfoliated cells, invasion to underlying tissue and other organs within the
pleural cavity, and the extremely long latency period between asbestos exposure and development of the disease.
Treatments commonly used are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. These may also be used in
combination to combat the disease (You should consider all the factors involved, and consult a physician to
decide the best appropriate treatment based on each individual case).
Surgery
When considering surgery, the patient must remember to consider their overall health and ensure that
their doctor has tested to make sure that they do not have a metastatic disease. Metastatic disease is a
form of cancer that spreads to distant regions of the body.
In some cases the cancer may only be in one area of the pleura and not yet spread, thus surgery can be used
to cure mesothelioma or prevent it from further effecting healthy tissue. Using surgery in this case can
allow removal of part, or all, of the pleura and tissues closes to the cancer. However sometimes, the affected
side which may involve the pleura, whole lung, and diaphragm need to be removed along with the tumor.
Surgery by it self may not cure the mesothelioma therefore it is important to fully discuss the option with
a doctor before hand and since only the patient can consent the surgery, it is important to make sure you
they have a complete understanding of everything that is involved. Sometime, in order to achieve the full
effect of surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be involved in order to ensure that mesothelioma is,
at best cured. Although the tumor is highly resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, these regimens
are sometimes used to relieve symptoms arising from tumor metastases such as obstruction of a major blood
vessel. Patients can usually return home six to twelve days after the surgery.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy treatment involves the assistance of various chemical substances such as anticancer drugs that
attacks and destroys cancer cells. Often, chemotherapy will be administered through the use of many injections
into the body. The drugs will be injected into the veins and directly into the effected area in hope to target
the mesothelioma tumor more effectively. Medicine in the form of pills is also sometimes used when injections
is not a viable option.
Chemotherapy is not always considered as a real cure but more so as a method of preventing the disease from
causing further damage. It is often used in combination with the other forms of treatment to help battle against
the cancer cells. The main goals of chemotherapy is to control the cancer by slowing down the growth, to relieve
symptoms, and to destroy microscopic disease that may remain after surgery.
The downside to chemotherapy is the side effects. While chemotherapy seeks out cancer cells and destroys them,
it also temporarily reduces the number of the normal cells. It is the damages done to the normal cells that
are causing the side effect. Depending on the type, dosage, and how your body reacts to chemotherapy, the side
effects may include the all or any of the following: nausea, vomiting, hair loss, weight loss, fatigue and diarrhea.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation treatment or radiotherapy is simply the use of high-energy x-rays that destroy the cancer cells and
its surrounding area while doing as little harm as possible to the normal cells.
When treating mesothelioma, radiotherapy may be aggressively used against the cancer cell in cooperation along
with surgery or chemotherapy for an effective battle against mesothelioma. If the patient are not well enough
for a surgery, then radiation therapy can be used alone as a sole treatment.
Radiotherapy is also used to control the symptoms. This form of treatment can reduce the size of the cancer
and reduce pain, discomfort, and or breathlessness.
|
