Mesotheioloma Treatment Options
When a patient is diagnosed with Mesotheioloma one of the first questions they ask will invariably be, “What treatment options are available?”
Doctors will likely advise patients of a variety of risk potential associated with treatment and then will generally list three primary methods to treat this cancer type.
Surgery
This is often listed as a first course of action especially if Mesotheioloma is caught early.
The role of surgery may only be the first step in your treatment options, but let’s take a look first at the various types of surgery.
- Tumor removal. This surgery seeks to remove tumor tissue in areas where Mesotheioloma is present. This may be in an attempt to completely remove the cancer or to slow the spread of the disease.
- Tissue removal. The lining of the lungs or abdomen may be surgically removed in an attempt to deal with the severity of symptoms in patients. This could be stomach issues or breathing difficulties.
- Fluid removal. Mesotheioloma is notorious for causing fluid buildup in affected areas. Surgery may be used to drain fluid. This may be accomplished via a catheter. Other techniques can be used to stop the fluid from building up again.
- Lung removal. In the case of Pleural Mesotheioloma doctors may determine a need to remove the lung of the cancer patient. This may be a more radical procedure, but is often used in tandem with other life saving alternatives.
It should be noted that many times surgery for the Mesotheioloma patient is palliative (designed to make them more comfortable), as no cure has yet been discovered for this rare cancer type.
Radiation
Doctors will often use post surgical radiation to assist in stopping the spread of Mesotheioloma in patients. While surgery may be useful in the removal of tissue, fluid and tumors radiation is useful in stopping the spread of cancer cells. However, there are occasions when a physician may suggest treatment using radiation apart from surgery. In all cases this is considered a short-term alternative.
Chemotherapy
This form of therapy administers drugs intravenously. These drugs target cells within the body that divide rapidly. While Mesotheioloma fits that description there are many healthy calls within the body that separate at the same speed. The end result is the destruction of both good and bad cells. This is the laymen’s explanation for why so many chemotherapy patients struggle with this therapy.
Working together
Any and all of the above therapies may be used in tandem to create a plan that works to establish a better quality of life for the Mesotheioloma patient. The doctor is seeking to make the patient comfortable while slowing the spread of cancer.
If you’ve been diagnosed with any form of Mesotheioloma you may be a candidate for a clinical trial. This is offered as an experimental or new technique approach to a select group of patients. Be sure to ask your primary care physician if you might be eligible for one of these studies. There may be no fee involved to participate. The downside is in knowing the treatment is experimental and may not result in a prognosis that is better than more established techniques. The positive aspect of this scenario is your results may help lead researchers to better treatment options in the future.
Because Mesotheioloma is rare in comparison to most other types of cancer there is often less research money available to discover additional treatment options. This leaves many patients with the decision to either fight the disease as long as they can or simply work with doctors to make themselves as comfortable as possible as the disease makes itself fully known.
You should know that while Mesotheioloma is a disease that can result in a life expectancy of 8-12 months there have been some patients who have lived longer than five years with the disease. Some have used alternative treatment plans not offered by many physicians.
In our next section we will deal with some of those extra treatment options that may make sense to Mesotheioloma patients.
