Mesothelioma treatments: What are my options?

Clinical research to treat malignant mesothelioma is very active and although no treatment has yet proved entirely successful, there exist a range of treatments available to individuals diagnosed with the disease.  There are three types of standard treatments used to treat malignant mesothelioma which include: surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. 

Surgery
Surgery for malignant mesothelioma is divided into a number of sub-classes, which are specially designed to limit the disease for individuals with particular strains of the disease.

Extrapleural pneumonectomy is a severe form of surgery in which the entire lung and a portion of the lining of the chest, the diaphragm, and some or the entire sac which surrounds the heart is removed.

Wide local excision is a form of surgery which targets and removes the cancer and a limited amount of the healthy tissue surrounding the cancerous region. 

Pleurectomy and decortication removes part of the covering of the lungs, as well as the lining of the chest and portions of the outside covering of the lungs.

The surgical procedure pleurodesis is a distinct technique insofar as it employs a blend of chemicals and/or drugs to create an intentional scar between the layers of the pleura.  Post surgery, the space created by the scar must be drained, using either a catheter or chest tube, and is then filled with a chemical which inhibits the accumulation of fluid in the pleura cavity.

Radiation
The second primary medical technique used to fight the development of malignant mesothelioma is radiation.  Radiation therapy, as applied to malignant mesothelioma uses the same basic technology as other forms of medical radiation insofar as the technique employs high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells.  The process is divided into two broad categories:

External radiation therapy is a technique in which a machine sends radiation in a targeted stream at a certain portion of the body, and in so doing it kills the cancerous cells in its purview.

Internal radiation therapy, by contrast, uses not an external machine, but rather needles, seeds and catheters to place radioactive substance directly on or near the cancer.  While the precise method of implementation will of course depend upon the type and stage of the illness,  what is constant within this category is that the goal is to get the radiation placed directly onto the cancerous area and in so doing provide a more concentrated and directed dosage.

Chemotherapy
The third standard malignant mesothelioma treatment is Chemotherapy.  Chemotherapy uses drugs which target cancer cells and stop them from dividing and thus prevent their growth. 
In systemic chemotherapy, the drug can be taken by mouth or injected, but either way the goal is to have it reach cancer cells by means of the body’s own blood circulation system.  In regional chemotherapy, the drug is placed directly onto the target area.  And finally, combination chemotherapy involves the use of two or more anticancer drugs which can be administered either orally or through injection. 

Malignant mesothelioma is a difficult disease for anyone to bear, however, educating oneself as to the options available is an important step for making the process more manageable.

Mesothelioma Cancer – An Overview

The cause of mesothelioma cancer:
Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos without sufficient protection over one’s mouth and nose.  Asbestos is a fibrous mineral which was discovered in the 1860s but not properly used until the 1930s.  Asbestos was used hugely in construction due to its property of being fireproof even at high temperatures.  It was not until the 1960s that it became clear that asbestos was causing a number of diseases.  These diseases include mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.

Asbestos as the cause of mesothelioma:
hen exposed to asbestos without sufficient protection, a person will inhale many tiny asbestos fibres that are suspended in the air.  These will pass into the respiratory system and get most probably get lodged in the lining of the lungs.  An accumulation of these fibres can cause the cells around it to become abnormal and this can lead to mesothelioma.  Through the lymphatic system, asbestos fibres can become lodged in the lining of the abdomen or in the lining of the heart.

The suffering endured by patients of mesothelioma:
The symptoms of mesothelioma vary depending on what type of mesothelioma a patient has.  However, there are several common symptoms of all types.  These include chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, coughing up blood, weight loss and loss of appetite.  These symptoms usually take affect only when the mesothelioma cancer has fully matured and developed.  Due to the fact that these symptoms are frequent for a number of more common diseases such as pneumonia, mesothelioma is very difficult to diagnose in its early stages.

The treatments available for mesothelioma:

As yet, all treatments for mesothelioma have a low success rate.  The effectiveness of treatment depends largely on how aggressively and early the cancer is treated.  If treated in its later stages when it has fully developed, it is extremely difficult, almost impossible to cure.  Treatments include surgery which comes in two forms, aggressive surgery and palliative procedures, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and dual therapy which is a combination of all three main treatments combined.  Dual therapy has shown the most promising signs so far as a curer for mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma research:
Research is being undertaken in numerous research labs all across the United States although so far no breakthroughs have been made.  Many pharmaceutical companies are also endeavouring to find new drugs for chemotherapy.  Researchers have recently predicted that a long awaited new treatment method for mesothelioma is on the way to being discovered.

Mesothelioma – Your Basic Information

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is becoming more and more common. The most common cause of this cancer is exposure to asbestos. When constantly exposed with insufficient protection, asbestos dust and fibres affect the mesothelial cells which make up the mesothelium. The mesothelium is the outer lining that protects some of the body’s most vital organs such as the heart and lungs. The mesothelial cells become abnormal after lengthy periods of constant exposure to asbestos causing an array of problems.

Due to the latency period and symptoms of this cancer, mesothelioma is very difficult to diagnose. Mesothelioma takes decades to mature and develop fully and this is why many elderly men who were exposed to asbestos thirty years before are just discovering they have the cancer. A lot of these men are currently lodging multi-million dollar lawsuits against the companies that exposed them to the dangers of asbestos without sufficient protection.

The organs that are affected most by mesothelioma are the lungs. The most common type of mesothelioma which is called pleural mesothelioma affects the lining of the lungs and can cause symptoms such as coughing, breathing and swallowing difficulties, shortness of breath and fever. Another area that can be affected by mesothelioma is the abdomen. This is less common and this is known as peritoneal mesothelioma. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include nausea and vomiting, weight loss, fever, bowel obstruction, loss of appetite and general pain in the stomach area. The last and least common type of mesothelioma is known as pericardial mesothelioma and it affects the heart and the tissue surrounding it. Symptoms of this form of the cancer include palpitations, breathing difficulties and persistent coughing. Generally, the symptoms of mesothelioma are typical of many other diseases and this makes it very difficult to diagnose.

There are treatments for mesothelioma although these are usually unsuccessful. If the cancer is treated aggressively in its early stages then there is a good chance of a patient surviving. However, due to the difficulty to diagnose mesothelioma, the cancer is not normally found until it is too late. Treatments that are used for mesothelioma include surgery, radiation therapy, palliative therapy and chemotherapy. Research for additional treatment of mesothelioma is being done at various cancer centers all over the United States as well as by pharmaceutical companies. For more information on the treatment of mesothelioma go to http://www.1-mesothelioma.co.uk/treatment.html

William Johnston