 Mesothelioma
is almost always fatal, but steps can be taken to prolong life. So far,
treatment options include:
Surgery
- Depending on how far the cancer has progressed, it may be necessary
to remove part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some of the tissue
around either. In more advanced cases, a doctor may have to remove one
of the patient's lungs, part of the diaphragm, or the pericardium.
Draining
fluid from the lungs, abdomen or pericardium is another surgical procedure.
This treatment is used to ease a patient's pain or discomfort, and sometimes
to prevent fluid from building up again, but it is not a cure for the disease.
Chemotherapy
- This is the use of drugs for treating cancer. The drugs can be ingested
in pill form or they can be injected by needle into a vein or muscle. Chemotherapy
therapy is systemic therapy, which means that the drug enters the bloodstream
and circulates throughout the body (through the whole system) to reach
and destroy the cancer cells.
Several anti-cancer
drugs have been used to treat mesothelioma. The drug most effective when
given alone is doxorubicin or Adriamycin. Cisplatin, gemcitabine, methotrexate,
vinorelbine, and capecitabine are other drugs that can be given as well.
Often anti-cancer
drugs are combined in their dosage to try to increase their effectiveness
(drug cocktail). Combinations of drugs used in the treatment of mesothelioma
include:
- cisplatin,
mitomycin, and vinblastine
- cisplatin
and doxorubicin
- cisplatin,
cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin
- cisplatin
and gemcitabine
- methotrexate
and vincristine
Other drugs
such as paclitaxel and irinotecan are currently being studied to determine
their effectiveness in treating mesothelioma.
Chemotherapy
drugs kill cancer cells but also damage some normal cells. Therefore, your
doctor will pay careful attention to avoiding or minimizing side effects,
which depend on the specific drugs, the amount taken, and the length of
treatment. Temporary side effects might include nausea and vomiting, loss
of appetite, loss of hair, and mouth sores.
Radiation
Therapy -
Radiation
therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
The radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external radiation),
or from putting materials that produce radiation through thin plastic tubes
in the area where the cancer cells are found (internal radiation). Factors
which can limit the application of this treatment include the volume of
the tumor and how near it is to vital organs. The side effects can be severe.
In addition
to traditional treatments, new mesothelioma cancer treatments are continually
being tested through medical research studies. These treatments are called
clinical trials, and they help researchers determine whether new treatments
are safe and effective for general use, while giving patients with few
treatment options an opportunity to try new treatments.
More scientific
updates can be found at:
Long-term
collaboration yields cancer-fighting compound
Ten
Best Readings On Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma
Open-Label
Study of ALIMTA (pemetrexed) Alone or In Combination With Cisplatin for
Patients With Malignant Mesothelioma
How
a common protein becomes a cancer killer
Earliest
known facts about asbestos
Improving
Our Management of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma
Having mesothelioma
is one thing, dealing with it is quite another. It's time now to get plugged
into the support network of mesothelioma survivors and cancer mailing lists
that are online. Turn now to:
Next >
Chapter 7 - Mesothelioma Coping
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