How to treat Mesothelioma
There are several different alternatives to treating the different stages of the deadly diagnosis of Mesothelioma Cancer. One treatment would be using chemotherapy. Surgery to remove the tumor and radiation treatments are also used. When a diagnosis of any type of cancer occurs, the sooner the symptoms are noticed and diagnosed, the more likely a positive outcome may occur. When a person is diagnosed in the later stages of Mesothelioma, they are less likely to be cured, though the quality of life, comfort and pain level of the time they have remaining to live, can be improved. These things need be addressed when treating Mesothelioma cancer.
Chemotherapy is one treatment for Mesothelioma. The goal of the chemotherapy drugs is to destroy cancer cells. When applied, they can shrink a tumor, prior to surgery, or to help destroy any remaining cancer cells after a surgery. They can also use these drugs as a treatment if the patient does not have the option of surgery available to them to help ease pain and suffering.
In many cases, two or more of the chemotherapy drugs are teamed together. Radiation is added to chemotherapy to achieve stronger and better results.
Anticancer drugs attack abnormal cancer cells in the body to keep them from multiplying out of control. Since these drugs are administered to the whole body and not just the cancer-infected area, they can cause healthy cells to be effected.
While a patient receives chemotherapy, side effects from these drugs can add more complications for the Mesothelioma cancer patient. The areas that are usually affected include the hair follicles, (thus causing hair loss) vital organs such as the bladder, kidney, lungs and nervous system. Chemotherapy also invades the digestive track and bone marrow in the Mesothelioma patient. These drugs can cause vomiting and nausea and cause the patients hair to fall out.
Newer drugs are used now in clinical trials, drugs such as anti-angiogenesis agents. These include bevacizumab and endostatin. Ranpirnase (onconas) is also one being experimented with currently.
When treating Mesothelioma, chemotherapy may be put directly into the chest cavity through injection to the veins surrounding the affected areas.
In recent years, a new kind of treatment is now used in clinical studies. It is intraoperative photodynamic therapy. It is when the doctor inserts a special drug that are sensitive to a special These drugs are injected a week or so before surgery, and then a special light is used during surgery to shine on the pleura. This aids the doctor in finding more of the cancerous cells during surgery. This is one of the new treatments currently studied to help cure early stages of Mesothelioma.
Radiation therapy is usually combined with chemotIts purpose is to shrink the tumors; radiation uses high-energy x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons to kill cancer cells.
It is usually best to use a multimodality approach when treating the Mesothelioma cancer patient. Other new treatments are currently being studied that involve gene therapy; these treatments treat the immune system with hormone like substances called interleukins and inte
The treatment for the patient will depend on the stage of Mesothelioma cancer the patient has when they are first diagnosed. If a patient is already in Stage IV, where the cancer cells have spread to other organs and the blood stream, not much can be done except to alleviate pain and suffering. At this point surgery is usually not an option anymore. A patient can choose to try alternative methods, and join clinical studies but all these options should be discussed with all the doctors in their treatment team.