Treating Mesothelioma

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.