Mesothelioma Treatment
Regrettably, mesothelioma has no cure. There are however, many treatment options for those facing a mesothelioma diagnosis. Because there is no known cure, treatments are usually toward palliative ends. Palliative treatments are those which are not necessarily geared towards curing the cancer, but lessening associated pain and making the patient more comfortable. There are three treatment options that are used in cases of mesothelioma. These are radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and to a lesser extent, surgery.
Surgery
Many mesothelioma patients are not candidates for surgery because of some common complications. One complication is the likelihood that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Typically the symptoms associated with mesothelioma are such that they may not be noticed immediately, and symptom-based examination and diagnosis may not take place until the cancer emerges elsewhere in the body. The other common reason that eliminates patients from surgical candidacy is the extent and location of the disease. If the disease is widespread throughout the lung or other area, or is within proximity of vital organs, surgery may be ruled out as too dangerous. However, if the cancer is detected early and surgery is an option, usually resection of a piece of the lung tissue will be necessary. The physician and cancer specialists will determine if your body is able to handle an intense surgical procedure. In some cases, removal of an entire lung is possible.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy, which is also referred to as radio therapy, is the use of radiation to treat cancers. Cancer is, in essence, the uncontrolled growth of cells. These cells do not possess the chromosomal instructions to stop dividing and reproducing. Radiation therapy is used to interrupt these cell divisions, thus shrinking or eliminating a tumor. While radiation cannot be used to cure mesothelioma, it can be used to effectively eliminate symptoms as well as make other treatments perform with higher efficacy. For instance, radiation may be used to shrink tumors to make surgery a more realistic possibility for some patients.