Treatment for Mesothelioma

The treatment for Mesothelioma depends on many factors

Factors, including the stage of the cancer, where the cancer is, how far the cancer has spread, how the cancer cells look under the microscope and the patient's age and desires. The main types of treatment include surgery which attempts to take out the malignant cancer in the body; chemotherapy which uses drugs to fight the cancer and Radiation Therapy which uses high-dose x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill the malignant cancer cells.

Surgery is the most common treatment for Mesothelioma. In surgery, several treatments are used depending on the stage of the cancer and where the cancer is located in the body, as well as the age and desires of the patient. One surgery treatment is called Pleurectomy/Decortication where there is the removal of part of the chest or abdominal lining of stomach and some of the tissue around it, in order to remove the possible malignant cancer cells. Another treatment depending on how far the cancer has spread is called Pneumonectomy. This is where the lung is removed in order to remove any malignant cancer cells and help breathing of the person. Also, part of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lung, maybe removed in order to aid breathing of the individual. A pioneering technique by David Sugarbaker called Extrapleural Pneumonectomy removes the lining of the heart along with the lung lining and diaphragm in order to aid the breathing of the individual.

Chemotherapy is a common treatment for Mesothelioma. Chemotherapeutic agents/drugs are very toxic to the human body and can be administered by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in the vein or muscle. When administered the treatment is localized at the site of the malignant cancer cells and attempts to kill the dangerous cancer cells. The number of treatments depends on stage of the cancer and whether the patient desires to have regular or infrequent treatment.

Radiation Therapy is another form of treatment for Mesothelioma. In Radiation Therapy the radiation comes from a machine outside the body and the high-energy x-rays are pumped into body through plastic tubes into the areas where the cancer cells are found. The number of treatments depends on stage of the cancer and whether the patient desires to have regular or infrequent treatments.

New approaches and treatments to treating Mesothelioma include Photodynamic therapy which destroys cancerous cells by using a fixed frequency light to activate photosensitizing drugs taken by the patient which have accumulated in body tissues. Another treatment is Immunotherapy which uses the body's own immune system to protect itself against disease. Immunotheraphy attempts designed to repair, stimulate, or enhance the immune system's natural anti-cancer function. In Immunotherapy, biological response modifiers such as cytokines and antibodies which occur naturally in the body, help fight the malignant cancer. Specialised drugs taken by the person imitate or influence natural immune response agents in the body and once the fixed light frequently is placed in approach area of the body, the malignant cancer cells will be hopefully killed.

Yet, none of the current treatments available provide a conclusive cure for Mesothelioma. Research is currently ongoing to find a cure and more effective treatments for Mesothelioma in the USA and in a number of countries in Europe.