Mesothelioma Treatment Options
Mesothelioma Treatment
Depending on the type of mesothelioma, the stage of the cancer (see our page on Mesothelioma Stages), and other factors, doctors may recommend different types of treatment. Some treatment in the earlier stages of mesothelioma may be intended to cure or slow the progress of the cancer; but most often, treatment is intended to manage symptoms, relieve pain, and make a patient as comfortable as possible as the disease progresses.
The standard mesothelioma treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. However, clinical trials are always testing out new mesothelioma treatment options or identifying ways to improve existing treatments. In some cases, patients may be good candidates for clinical trial participation. You can speak with your doctor to determine is a clinical trial is an appropriate and desirable option, given your unique condition.
In some cases, surgery may be a viable treatment option. Depending on the type of mesothelioma and other specific factors, doctors may recommend different surgical options. The following are some mesothelioma surgery options your doctor might mention to you:
- Wide local excision: this surgery is intended to remove the cancer and some of the surrounding tissues.
- Pleurectomy and decortication: This mesothelioma surgery removes a portion of the mesothelial lining of the lungs and chest. It may also require the removal of part of the outer surface of the lungs.
- Pneumonectomy—this surgery removes an entire affected lung, as well as a portion of the chest, diaphragm, and heart sac lining.
- Pleurodesis—this surgery can help to arrest the build up of fluid in the lungs by draining fluids and then making a scar in the area between the pleural lining by way of chemicals. This is often the best surgical option for patient with advanced cancer.
- Cytoreductive surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma—typically, surgery is not a feasible option for many patients with mesothelioma of the abdomen. However, some studies report that this form of surgery, combined with chemotherapy, may help some patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.
After Surgery: Usually after any surgery for cancer, a doctor will recommend chemotherapy or radiation, or both, to eliminate any possible cancerous cells that were not removed with surgery. This type of follow-up treatment is called adjuvant therapy.
In addition to the surgical procedures mentioned above, other surgery techniques may also be used to remove mesothelioma malignancies that are localized to a particular area. Often in cases of advanced mesothelioma that has spread to distant areas, surgery is not a viable option because it is unable to get to all of the malignant tissues. Furthermore, in some cases, such as pericardial mesothelioma, surgery is not recommended due to the location of the malignancy (e.g. near the heart). In such situations, other methods of treatment may be preferable. Read on to learn more about radiation therapy for mesothelioma.
Radiation is often used to help patients with mesothelioma. This form of treatment works either by killing cancer cells and shrinking a tumor, or by preventing the cancer from spreading further. Radiation is also sometimes used to manage certain symptoms that may develop in patients with advanced mesothelioma. In this way it is palliative in nature.
There are two main methods of radiation therapy: internal and external. Internal radiation therapy for mesothelioma involves the insertion of radioactive substances into the cancerous area through the use of needles, seeds, wires, or catheters. External radiation therapy for mesothelioma involved using a high-energy x-ray machine to send targeted radiation to one or more specific areas of cancerous cells.
Chemotherapy involves the use of one or more drugs to halt cancer growth. Chemotherapy drugs do this by either killing the cells or preventing cancer cell division. As with radiation, there are two main ways of chemotherapy administration. One, called regional chemotherapy, is a mesothelioma treatment whereby drugs are injected directly into the abdomen, chest area, or other organ to treat the local cancer in that area. The other, called systemic chemotherapy, involves the ingestion or injection of drugs into the bloodstream to reach all the cancer cells throughout the body.
While each chemotherapy drug has different effects, which also depend on the patient’s individual response to the medications, side effects often occur with this treatment. Most of these side effects—which can include hair loss, vomiting, nausea, fatigue, weakness, mouth changes, skin and nail changes, and more—can be managed and subside after the treatment concludes.
In addition to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, other treatments have been shown promising in treating or managing mesothelioma cancer. These include biologic therapy (also called immunotherapy), photodynamic (light) therapy, and gene therapy.
In most cases, doctors will choose a combination of methods to treat mesothelioma. For example, a doctor may recommend surgery and adjuvant radiation following diagnosis, and as time goes on, they may recommend additional radiation, some chemotherapy, or some other treatments. All of this is based on the type of mesothelioma, the progression of the disease, the patient’s symptoms and overall health and wellbeing, the patient’s preferences, and other important factors.
While there is no known cure for mesothelioma, doctors across the nation are working tirelessly, with the help of patients, to develop new and promising treatments. As a mesothelioma patient, you may want to talk with your doctor about the possibility of joining a clinical trial, which may provide another way for you to combat your cancer. Many of these clinical trials report promising results, such as increased 5-year survival rates and other desirable effects.
In some patients, mesothelioma clinical trials provide the best prospect for successful treatment. These trials test new forms of standard treatments or some of the newer treatments to determine if they are as safe and effective, or even superior to, the known treatments for mesothelioma.
Patients may be eligible for clinical trial participation at different stages of their care. Some will only allow patients with no prior mesothelioma treatment to join, while others would like to test patients who have experienced improvement through other treatment methods. Still others are interested in studying patients with recurrent mesothelioma. Speak with your doctor further if you are interested in learning more about mesothelioma clinical trials for which you may be eligible.
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with mesothelioma it is important to ask your doctor about the methods of treatment that are available and learn more about those under consideration. Many patients and their families find that understanding more about the procedures, side effects, and goals of treatment make them feel more informed and comfortable with treatment.
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