Treatment Options for Mesothelioma
There are many factors that determine the kind of treatment mesothelioma patients may need. These include the stage they are in, in their illness, the age of the patient, the location of tumor mass, and the patient’s general health.Radiation
X-rays of high energy are used in radiation therapy. The type of radiation being emitted will hopefully kill all the cancer cells as well as shrink tumors. Right now, there are two kinds of therapy through radiation. External radio therapy utilizes an externally operated machine that emits x-rays to certain body parts where mesothelioma is suspected. The Brachytheraphy, on the other hand, is characterized by inserting directly some radiation-producing chemicals into the area where the malignant mesothelioma is, usually in the abdomen and the chest. This is performed with the use of a plastic thin tube.The location where the malignant cancer can grow is difficult to determine. Thus, it is equally hard to give sufficient high doses of radiation to eliminate the tumor without corrupting the other healthy organs surrounding the area. It is not surprising, therefore, that a lot still think that this procedure is ineffective in treating mesothelioma. However, they are deemed to be excellent in killing tumor cells that remain after surgery.
Radiation therapy is further used to lessen the symptoms exhibited by mesothelioma, especially respiratory difficulties such as chest pain, internal bleeding, and shortness of breath.
Of course, since this primarily uses radiation, it has quite a number of side effects. Among these are nausea, fatigue, and vomiting. These side effects are considered short term; however, it’s still best to ask advice from a doctor so you can better control these side effects.
Surgery
Surgery in malignant mesothelioma entails removing the tumor masses. So far, there are two known types of surgeries: (1) aggressive surgery and (2) palliative surgery.Aggressive surgery means removing the lung, diaphragm, pleura, or even the pericardium. The main purpose for their removal is to take the tumor out of your system and eventually stop its spread to other parts of the body. This process, also referred to as extrapleural pneumonectomy, is commonly done on patients who are in stage 1 of their mesothelioma.
Palliative surgery, meanwhile, is applied in more advanced mesothelioma stages. The ultimate objective of this surgery is to regulate and reduce the cancer symptoms due to fluid buildup in the cavities or tumor compression on the other organs. It does not, however, cure a patient from mesothelioma.
Surgeries are dependent with the stage the patient is in, in mesothelioma. The earlier stage his cancer is, the better his chances of being cured. Furthermore, high-risk procedures such as surgeries are so complex that some hospitals do not offer this service. Some clinics and treatment centers have standards that need to be followed before they can perform surgery to a patient.
Drugs
Aside from those procedures, there are also prescription drugs taken individually or with other drugs in order to help cure mesothelimia, or even other asbestos-related diseases like asbestosis. Some examples of single-agent drugs are Adriamycin, cisplatin, pirarubucin, carboplatin, epirubicin, and mitomucin.This treatment option known as single-agent therapy has been moderately successful in treating a sufferer from malignant mesothelioma. Recent studies show that response rate to these drugs fall in the 10—20 percent range.
Nevertheless, it is still considered low compared to how cancer cells spread throughout a patient’s body. Thus some of these drugs are combined with others to further enhance their effectiveness. So far, the response rate is higher, yet still not enough. Therefore, different drug companies and other institutions are conducting more research.
