Mesothelioma Treatment Options
Patients suffering from mesothelioma must consult an expert for the best treatment plan. Many specialists offer innovative new therapies that can improve prognosis and symptoms.
The treatment for mesothelioma is chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy. Certain types of mesothelioma may also respond to immunotherapy. Mesothelioma may recur even after treatment. Doctors can stop it from happening again by causing the pleura to adhere to one another (pleurodesis) or draining fluid with the use of a chest tube (peritoneal Mesothelioma). The best treatment plans incorporate both methods.
Surgery
The type of mesothelioma, its stage and other factors like age will affect the treatment options. At the time of your initial assessment, the doctor will determine which mesothelioma treatments are best for you.
The surgeon will then perform surgery to remove the biggest mesothelioma imaginable. The surgeon can also perform other treatments either during or following the procedure. Mesothelioma treatment options include radiation and chemotherapy. Patients can improve their quality of life by using targeted therapy, immunotherapy and palliative therapies.
Extrapleural pneumonectomy can be described as a radical procedure that people suffering from cancer of the pleural region undergo to remove the tumor and the lung (pleura) is a component of the diaphragm, and the heart’s pericardial sac (pericardium). Another surgery that can be performed is pleurectomy/decortication (P/D). This procedure eliminates the pleura, however, it does not affect the lung. P/D is less invasive than EPP, and has had some success in extending survival times. Some cancer centers provide heated intraoperative chemotherapy to kill cancerous cells following surgery.
During the procedure the patient is placed under anesthesia. They are also given medications to help them rest and not feel any pain. During this period, the medical team will collect important health data like your heart rate and blood pressure.
After surgery the patient will receive chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Chemotherapy can help stop the growth of mesothelioma and to kill any cells that remain after surgery. Mesothelioma can be treated with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and pemetrexed. Most often, these drugs are administered via IV.
Radiation is a highly efficient treatment for mesothelioma since it makes use of high energy beams to kill cancerous cells. Radiation can be administered by itself or in conjunction with other treatments. It can be used to treat all types of mesothelioma. However it is most likely to help in cases of peritoneal and pericardial cancer.
Recurrent tumors can be seen in people who have mesothelioma regardless of treatment. Recurrent mesothelioma could occur in the same place as it did before, or it may spread to other organs like the liver or brain. Certain patients with chronic cancer may need to look at other options, like targeted therapy or immunotherapy, which can improve their survival and decrease the chance of the tumor recurring.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is one of the most effective treatments for mesothelioma. Injecting drugs into patients to kill cancer cells and stop them from growing or spreading is what chemotherapy entails. The doctors treating mesothelioma can use chemotherapy alone or in conjunction with other treatments such as radiation therapy or immune therapy.
The type of mesothelioma a patient is suffering from and the stage it is in will help determine which chemotherapy regimen is the best for them. Doctors can prescribe a variety of chemotherapy drugs, but pemetrexed and cisplatin are most common. Pemetrexed helps to eliminate mesothelioma tumors by targeting the cells that produce proteins that cancer cells need to grow. Cisplatin is an anticancer drug, attaches itself to the DNA of mesothelioma cells and causes them die. The drugs can be administered via intravenously or through mouth.
Doctors can administer intraoperative chemotherapy during a mesothelioma surgery. The heated chemotherapy drugs are released into the chest or abdominal cavity while the surgeon is still operating. The goal of this procedure is to eradicate any cancerous micro-organisms that the surgeon can’t detect after surgery.
Mesothelioma patients also have the option of receiving adjuvant chemotherapy following their surgeries. But, many doctors wait until there is a recurrence of mesothelioma before using this option. The reason for this is that mesothelioma treatment procedures are so invasive that a patient may not be healthy enough to undergo chemotherapy immediately after operation.
If mesothelioma develops again the treatment will concentrate on reducing the risk of cancer and relieving symptoms. Some patients may opt to do everything to cure their cancer, while others prefer to control the disease and remain symptom-free for as long as is possible. It is crucial that a patient suffering from mesothelioma recurrently discuss the issue with their physician, and weigh up the pros and cons. A patient might be interested in enrolling in a clinical study of new mesothelioma therapies. These trials could test new combinations of standard treatments or a new type of mesothelioma therapy. For instance certain studies have proven that immunotherapy can be an effective treatment for mesothelioma recurrence.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells. Mesothelioma specialists often prescribe it after surgery or as part of a multimodal treatment plan. They might also use it as a palliative treatment for symptoms like breathlessness or pain. The latest types of radiation are more controlled and allow them to target tumors and stay clear of adjacent healthy tissue.
Treatment options will be based on the type of mesothelioma that you have and where it is located. Talk to your doctor about experimental treatments like immunotherapy. Clinical trials are research studies that test the safety and efficacy of new procedures or medications. These trials are conducted with patients who volunteer to take part.
A mesothelioma specialist can help you find the right clinical trial for you.
Surgery can reduce the size of tumors, and also ease symptoms. However, it isn’t able to cure mesothelioma. It is possible that the cancer will come back or spread to other areas of the body. The majority of patients with mesothelioma are treated with different treatments.
For pleural mesothelioma, surgical options include pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) and extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP). The pleura is removed in P/D. This thin membrane lines the lungs, chest wall and the lining of the pleura. It can also eliminate any visible tumors that are present on the lung or chest wall. EPP is more extensive and is usually used for later-stage mesothelioma. This procedure involves removing all of the lung tissue, diaphragm and the pleura, and any visible tumors.
After pleural mesothelioma surgery doctors can use radiation to to kill any tiny areas of cancer that were not removed during the surgery. This is known as adjuvant mesothelioma radiation. It also helps to alleviate symptoms like breathing difficulty, chest pain or swallowing issues in mesothelioma peritoneal patients prior to undergoing a procedure called cytoreduction and heated chemotherapy (HIPEC).
Radiation can cause long-term effects. The most frequent side effects include the skin’s changes and fatigue. In rare instances lung damage that is long-term can cause long-term breathing issues or esophageal narrowing. Before you decide to utilize radiation, you should discuss the potential risks with your doctor.
Immunotherapy
Cancer is caused by genetic mutations that cause abnormal cells to multiply out of control. As the cells multiply, they form tumors that eat away healthy tissue. Over time, tumors can spread throughout the body causing symptoms like fatigue, pain, and difficulty breathing. The mesothelium is a protective covering around the organs that shields them from asbestos-related lung tumors.
Doctors diagnose mesothelioma through a physical examination and taking a detailed history regarding your asbestos exposure. They also perform medical tests, which include blood tests and various types of scans. These scans offer an extremely high-resolution view of your body, and may reveal symptoms of mesothelioma like the accumulation of fluid around the lungs or cancerous growths. X-rays are the most common imaging test used to detect mesothelioma, but doctors often order more advanced scans like CT, PET and MRI. Doctors may also perform a biopsy in order to confirm a mesothelioma diagnose and ensure that the cancer hasn’t spread.
mesothelioma stage 4 treatment 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 as much mesothelioma as possible and reduce the chances that cancer will return.
For advanced mesothelioma, doctors might perform an operation to prevent the accumulation of fluid in the lung (pleurodesis) or they might place a tube in the chest for regular draining of any excess liquid (pleural effusion drainage). They could also try to stop the growth of the tumors by making the outer layer of the lungs adhere to the inside layer of the lung (extrapleural pneumonectomy) or shrink them with radiation therapy (extrapleural and pleurectomy).
Immunotherapy is a revolutionary treatment that utilizes drugs to boost your immune system to fight the cancer. The medications, which include Keytruda and Opdivo have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be used in mesothelioma clinical trials. This is an effective treatment that could lead to better outcomes for some patients. Immunotherapy may cause negative side effects, including fatigue, chills, fevers but they tend to be less severe than the more aggressive treatments for mesothelioma.
