Treatment Options

As with other cancers, there are multiple options for the treatment of mesothelioma.

At the current point in time, there are three options for treating mesothelioma:

1. Surgery

2. Chemotherapy

3. Radiation Therapy

Each of these have positives and negatives, and some are better suited to different cases over others.

1. Surgery:

With mesothelioma, the tumors and cancerous cells are often accessible through surgery, allowing for a surgical removal of those tumors and cells. This type of treatment aims to remove all of the cancerous cells, thereby eliminating the problem. If even one cell remains, however, that cell will simply multiply and grow back. In some cases, surgery requires a lung or other things to be removed, depending on the exact location and size of the tumor. This is most commonly done at the same time, as if it is not, the whole procedure can be for nothing.

Prior to surgery, an diagnostic surgery is usually performed to confirm that mesothelioma is present and confirm what stage the disease is in.

It should be noted that surgery on its own has not been found to be effective in curing the effects of mesothelioma. Because of this, it is currently performed in conjunction with other forms of treatment, such as immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy, and gene therapy. These three things are not stand-alone treatments yet, but are currently undergoing clinical trials, and would greatly compliment surgery.

2. Chemotherapy:

This form of treatment uses chemical substances to kill cancer cells, or to stop them from multiplying. There are various goals of this type of treatment, which vary depending on what stage the cancer is in when it is being treated. These goals are:

• to shrink tumors before other treatments, such as surgery
• to stop the spread of cancer or slow down its growth
• to relieve symptoms like pain (usually done in cases where reduction in the tumor size is not expected)
• to destroy microscopic cells which may still be present after surgery

Chemotherapy is usually given to a patient intravenously (through a vein). This allows for the drugs to enter the bloodstream quickly.

3. Radiation Therapy:

In this form of treatment, radiation is beamed at the cancer cells to kill them and impede the growth of the cancer. This is sometimes used in conjunction with surgery to kill the cells which may be left which were missed by the surgeon.

Along with these main methods of treating mesothelioma, there are new methods which are currently going through clinical trials, but are not yet widespread. These includes treatments such as immunotherapy, wherein the body's immune system is used to target the cancer cells and attack them. As I mentioned though, they are not commonly used at the present time.