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Treatments of Mesothelioma
   
  As with most types of cancer, there is no known cure for mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a disease that lies dormant for decades before pouncing on the patient with sudden symptoms or with a diagnosis before symptoms even begin.
 

  There are a variety of treatment methods available to people who have mesothelioma and the treatment you receive largely depends on the type of mesothelioma you have and how far it has spread. In most cases the cancer has spread and advanced so far upon diagnosis that all doctors can do is keep the patient comfortable rather than working toward a full removal of the tumors.

Active Symptom Control for Mesothelioma treatment

When a patient presents with mesothelioma and it is widespread (which it usually is), doctors typically seek to control the symptoms and treat the disease as much as can be done in advanced cases. The ‘active symptom control’ method of handling mesothelioma includes:

Your Team – you will be assigned a team of doctors that have a variety of specialties related to mesothelioma who will give you all the information you need about combating the disease and a support system to guide you through the process.

Your team will include chest surgeons, nursing staff, oncologists (cancer doctors) with mesothelioma experience, radiologists (who analyze x-rays), pathologists (they can describe the type of cancer and advancement) and symptom control specialists who advise on drug and therapy treatments. You will likely also have a staff of counselors, social workers and physical therapists available wherever necessary.

Information Reviews – you will be given all the information you need and have all the questions you have answered about drug and therapy treatments. Your team will go over all aspects of the drugs you may be given and the treatments that are available.

Many people fear treatment because they know little about how it works, what side effects can be expected and what drugs will be given to counter any side effects. These reviews will let you know the potential benefits and problems associated with the treatment you receive and help you to decide which you think is the best route for your own treatment. You will likely feel much more comfortable about the entire process when you are well informed which is the ultimate purpose of information reviews.

In many cases, people who have mesothelioma have reached an advanced stage that responds to little treatment. For this type of patient, the doctors will discuss less about treatment with the aim of reduction of the cancer and more about treatments that make the remaining time bearable for the terminal patient. All aspects are discussed with the doctors and nurses on the team.

Consent – this is one of the most important aspects of the active symptom control process. You are given control over the way your cancer is treated. The doctors will explain all aspects of any treatments available to you for your type of mesothelioma and allow you time to review the information. You decide which treatment you think is best and give your formal permission to pursue the course.

No part of the treatment will be given to you without your consent and all information will be explained before the start of any segment of the treatment from therapies to drug treatments. The team has to be sure you understand all parts before they begin treatments and will often include family members and friends in the discussion to be sure the process and possible outcomes are clear.

Treatments of Mesothelioma

Since there is no known cure for mesothelioma, most of the treatments available are intended to control the symptoms, reduce pain and extend the expected life span. Treatments include:

Surgery – since mesothelioma affects the lining of the body cavities, one effective treatment involves the removal of affected sections of the mesothelium to remove the tumor(s). In case of widespread or large tumors, a section of organ will be removed from the patient. This option is available only to patients who are not in advanced stages of the disease.

Chemotherapy – chemotherapy drugs are injected directly into the affected cavity to reduce the tumors and rate of spread of the disease. This treatment can be used on its own or in conjunction with surgery.

Radiation Therapy – the cancer cells are targeted and infused with radiation to kill the cancer cells and reduce the rate of spread. It can also be used to control symptoms like shortness of breath and pain. This can also be used on its own or in conjunction with surgery.

Clinical Trials – various new treatments and experimental drugs are offered to mesothelioma patients who are interested in trying out new medicine or contributing to research in cancer treatments and a possible cure.

 

 

General Treatment Options for Mesothelioma

Depending on the stage of any type of mesothelioma, there are a variety of treatment options available. Your medical team will discuss all aspects of the disease, treatments and drug options with you before settling on a course of treatment to handle symptoms, reduce pain and attempt to control the spread of the disease.

Diagnosis of Mesothelioma

Once you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma you need to know just how far the cancer has spread in your body and how advanced the disease is. Your doctor will give you a prognosis and an estimate of your survival rate given your diagnosis.

This will be the first aspect that determines what treatment will work best for you. You can have anywhere from six weeks to five years depending on the test results. The better the prognosis, the better chance any treatments available will be successful.

Traditional Treatment Options

What treatment you receive depends largely on how far your cancer has spread. Typically treatment consists of a combination of therapies traditionally including surgery (to remove the affected tissue), chemotherapy (the use of drugs to combat the disease) and radiation therapy (the use of high energy rays to kill mesothelioma cells). Here is a review of the treatments and their effectiveness:

Surgery – there are a variety of surgical techniques employed in the removal of mesothelioma. In cases where the mesothelium is affected, possibly dotted with tumors, the doctors will remove sections of the lining where the cancer has spread. In some advanced cases the cancer has spread to organs in the vicinity which requires that portions of the organs be removed along with any tumors. In advanced cases of mesothelioma surgery is not effective because the tumors are too widespread and it would require the removal of a significant amount of tissue.

Surgery is often used with other treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy to reduce the possibility of recurrence or the rate of continued spread. In cases where removal of the affected area is not possible, and sometimes as a precursor to surgery, there are measures that can be taken to relieve symptoms. These palliative measures include draining fluid from the body cavity to relieve pressure on the organs and inserting a shunt through the body to continuously remove fluid.

Chemotherapy – the use of chemicals to destroy cancer cells or at least prevent their spread can be employed with patients who are not candidates for surgery or in conjunction with surgery. Chemotherapy is not a curative measure, instead it is used to control the disease and slow its rate of growth while relieving symptoms. Most people fear the side effects cause by chemotherapy but there are drugs administered to combat any side effects so the problems experienced tend to be mild.

Chemotherapy is given through a vein in the hand or arm or a catheter instered into a vein in various regions of the body. The drug enters your body and attacks the cancer quickly and effectively.

Radiation Therapy – high energy x-rays are used in addition to surgery or as an alternative to chemotherapy. Depending on the level of advancement of the cancer, it can be used as a palliative or curative measure. The dosage given is dependent upon the usefulness expected from the treatment. The treatment usually lasts no more than a few sessions which take place over the course of two or more weeks. Radiation therapy can help reduce symptoms of the disease as well as the size of a tumor. It is sometimes used following minor surgery treatments, such as biopsy or catheterization, to reduce the risk of spreading the cancer beyond its current location.

Mesothelioma and the Patient

It is important not to forget the primary issue in treating mesothelioma, the patient. While it is important to treat the disease and try to eliminate the symptoms and difficulties, it can be easy to forget to treat the person suffering from the disease.

Beyond giving the required information, caregivers have to treat the person’s mental and emotional conditions as well as provide support during the process. There are questions that go beyond the medical information that come from the patient and their loved ones. Typically there are counselors and social workers on staff at the cancer treatment center who will assist you with any personal issues that arise during care.

Treating the Patient

Giving Hope
Since there is no known cure for mesothelioma it is important that patients understand the need for hope in this situation. When faced with terminal illness people take a variety of avenues when trying to deal with imminent mortality.

The team of doctors, nurses, counselors and other medical professionals will work to ensure you have a full understanding of your treatment options as well as give you information about promising treatments and how you can make use of them. The grim reality of mesothelioma is that sometimes treatments do not work, but there are clinical trials ongoing that give rise to hope in treatment and cure.

Support
The cancer treatment centers have support as an integral part of their make up to enable the patients to go through their treatment with as much ease as is possible. Whether it is a shoulder to cry on or an ear when you have something to say, your cancer treatment team will be well trained in the best ways to support you at all points in your treatment.

In addition to personal support, there are often counselors who are trained in matters related to security for the patient. Many people are worried about what will happen to their families when they are gone and what legal avenues are open to them when diagnosed with mesothelioma.

All you have to do is ask to be directed to the person who can discuss these things and help you make the right decisions when being treated for mesothelioma.

Treating the Disease Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is often treated according to the stage of the disease. There are four known stages and various treatment options available for each stage.

Stage I – this stage has the most options available because the cancer is caught at an early enough time to give a more positive prognosis. You have the option of a variety of surgeries to remove the affected tissues as well as conjunctive treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy to reduce the size, number and spread of the tumors. Your health is a major factor in stage I treatments so it is important that you be in the best physical shape possible.
 


 

Stages I and III – depending on the size and spread of the tumors, the treatments given to patients at this stage can be curative or palliative. Some curative treatments include surgery to remove affected areas or at least shunt the fluid out of the body and chemotherapy to reduce the number or size of tumors. Palliative treatments are aimed at relieving symptoms such as breathing difficulties, pain, fluid retention and obstructions. Many patients in the middle stages will enroll in clinical trials to benefit from innovative treatments and to assisting furthering ongoing research on mesothelioma.

Stage IV – at this stage there are few aggressive treatments that yield results. Clinical trials often seek patients in this stage to examine the use of new palliative treatments and the possibility of curative treatments. Traditional treatments are simply to improve the quality of life for the patient. Symptom relief and the control of pain are primary as are emotional counseling at this stage. Much of the treatment is in the form of drugs to combat pain or relieve symptoms like pressure from fluid build up and organ function obstructions.