Treating The Disease
Mesothelioma is a very aggressive form of cancer. While patients have difficulties dealing with treatment issues, therapy options for this deadly illness continue to evolve via discussion and research. Considering the perplexity and variance in results, it's little wonder that experimental and alternative treatments are being tested.
All mesothelioma cases must be evaluated individually; treatment for the disease will always depend upon several crucial factors such as a patient's age, his or her overall health, the type of mesothelioma diagnosed and at what stage the cancer has progressed. Various diagnostic techniques are employed to assist in a choice of treatment.
Invariably, the most common treatment for mesothelioma today is surgery, followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Dependant upon a doctor's evaluation of the individual situation and age of the patient, sometimes a combination of these treatments will be utilized.
Mesothelioma Treatment Options
Cancer treatment concentrates on the destruction of malignant cells while preserving healthy cell tissue. This can be achieved in a variety of ways. Mesothelioma patients are presently given three primary choices for treating their disease. Those options are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The suggested treatment will mostly depend on the following:
- type of mesothelioma involved and the tumor's location
- the tumor's size
- how far the cancer has spread (metastasized)
- what stage the cancer is in (beginning, or advanced stages)
- the patient's age
- the patient's overall health
Surgery
Performing surgery on mesothelioma patients serves two basic functions -- either to try and cure the disease, or to alleviate painful symptoms and improve the patient's quality of life. However, since mesothelioma is usually diagnosed in an advanced stage, remedial surgery is mostly ineffective. There are tests being developed that may possibly facilitate diagnosing mesothelioma in earlier stages and thus surgery could become a more successful and future option.
Most often surgery is used to reduce pain and improve patient comfort levels. One example is where the doctor chooses surgery known as a pleurodesis. This surgical procedure inserts a talc irritant in the space between the pleura, which causes swelling, reduces the space, prevents accumulation of fluids and thus inhibits pain and breathing discomfort.
Another procedure is a thoracentesis which essentially is the removal of fluid from the lungs using a thin needle. Severe cases of mesothelioma where control of fluid build-up is absolutely necessary to lessen pain and breathing problems may call for a pleurectomy, which is the removal of the pleura - the lung's lining.
Radiation Treatment
If a patient is in frail health, radiation therapy is most often recommended over surgery or chemotherapy. Radiation will produce the least side effects and it's tolerated better than chemo treatments. There are several forms of radiation therapies available to patients with mesothelioma however, radiation therapy alone is seldom adequate in destroying the whole tumor or completely eliminating a malignancy from adjoining tissues. Radiation is often part of a customized, combination therapy.
Chemotherapy
While it doesn't offer a cure for mesothelioma, chemotherapy provides a high degree of relief from the dreadful symptoms of this disease. Chemotherapy is usually administered by pill form or it is injected; with mesothelioma patients, drugs are introduced into the chest or abdominal cavities. Doctors will sometimes combine two drugs for a more positive effect.
Some patients can only endure a single drug so just one is employed in treatment. Other drugs may be given to help relieve disagreeable side effects of chemotherapy such as vomiting and nausea. Vitamins may also be advised to replenish vital nutrients lost during chemo. Severe side effects from chemotherapy cause some patients to opt out of this treatment.
Combination Therapies
Combining surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments is a combination therapy. It can prove more effective, but it is very harsh on the patient's body and it's not for everyone. Combination therapy is primarily indicated in young patients who are healthy and able to withstand the rigors of this treatment.
Experimental Treatments
Promising new treatments for a given disease are studied in clinical trials. These experimental trials always require patients who will consent to try the treatments before FDA approval. Interested patients can talk to their doctors and find out what current clinical trials are available, whether they qualify for participation in a study and the risks involved.
Alternative Therapy
Many mesothelioma patients seek alternative therapies outside of conventional mainstream treatment. The reasons cited are frequently similar; patients decide that chemo, radiation, or surgery has caused too many unpleasant side-effects, promised little results, or was too expensive. Results from alternative, naturopathic intervention varies widely. Depending on the individual, treatment can include a regimen of special herbs and vitamins, massage, acupuncture and meditation.
