Finding A Mesothelioma Specialist

 Mesothelioma Treatment Options

The importance of finding a mesothelioma specialist

Because mesothelioma is statistically rare, initial diagnosis is typically delivered by a doctor, usually local to the patient, who has never seen a case of asbestos-related cancer in person, let alone guided a treatment regimen.... learn more about finding a mesothelioma specialist

While there is currently no cure available for malignant mesothelioma, there are treatments available. The types of treatments may include:

Treatment Options for Mesothelioma Patients

Your medical team will consider several factors in plotting a course of treatment:

Your age. 

Your current health status. 

The stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. 

The location and size of the tumor. 

Given these particulars, oncologists may recommend different mesothelioma treatment options for different people. The preferences� � � � � � For more information 

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of the mesothelioma patient and his / her family also are considered in creating a treatment plan. Therefore, it is important for everyone involved to fully understand all available options, and then make a personal decision on what is right in their particular case.

A mesothelioma treatment plan should be overseen by an oncologist. This is a doctor who specializes in cancer treatment and is more likely to be familiar with mesothelioma than the most physicians. Because of the rarity of this disease, it is encouraged that patients seek an opinion from a mesothelioma specialist. Contact us if you need help finding a mesothelioma specialist.

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Surgery 

Radiation 

Chemotherapy 

Intraoperative photodynamic therapy 

Immunotherapy 

Gene therapy 

Surgery

Surgery is commonly used in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. The doctor may remove part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some of the tissue around it. Sometimes part of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing, is also removed. Depending on how far the cancer has spread, a lung also may be removed (pneumonectomy). The following are some of the most commonly used surgical treatments of mesothelioma:

Pleurodesis 

Pleurodesis is a treatment administered through a thoracoscopy or existing chest tube. Pleurodesis creates inflammation effectively eliminating the pleural space. The elimination of this space then inhibits the accumulation of a pleural effusion. Generally used when the pleural effusion is symptomatic. Talc is used most commonly and effectively for this procedure, thus it is often referred to as "talcing" or as a patient having been "talced." 

Pleurectomy 

Surgery to remove part of the chest or abdomen lining (pleura) and some of the tissue surrounding it. This procedure is performed for a variety of disorders including pleural effusion, malignant pleural mesothelioma, and trauma. 

Pleurectomy/decortication 

Surgery to remove part of the chest or abdomen lining (pleura) and as much for the tumor mass as possible. This procedure may be performed to reduce pain caused by the tumor mass or to prevent the recurrence of pleural effusion. For peritoneal mesothelioma, surgery is generally aimed at relieving symptoms, such as recurrent ascites or bowel obstruction. As with pleural mesothelioma, complete surgical removal of the entire tumor is unlikely. 

Pneumonectomy (new-mo-NEK-to-me) 

Surgery to remove a lung. 

Extra pleural pneumonectomy (or EPP) 

Surgery to remove the pleura, diaphragm, pericardium, and entire lung involved with the tumor. You can view a web cast from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston of this procedure being done by Dr. David Sugarbaker: see the extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) web cast here. 

Radiation therapy

High-energy x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, and other sources of radiation are used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation coming from a machine outside the body is referred to as external radiation therapy or external-beam radiation therapy. Radiation may also come from materials that produce radiation called radioisotopes. Radioisotopes can be inserted in or near the cancerous cells or tumors; this type of radiation therapy is called internal radiation therapy, implant radiation, interstitial radiation, or brachytherapy. Systemic radiation therapy, also referred to as radiotherapy, irradiation, and x-ray therapy, uses a radioactive substance, such as a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that circulates throughout the body