Mesothelioma: Treatment Choices

The treatment choices that are offered for mesothelioma patients vary depending on the severity of the disease when it is diagnosed and where the tumors are located. However, most cases of mesothelioma are not immediately fatal, and there are options that those with the disease can choose from. It is important to know what these options are, which ones are the best for each type of mesothelioma and the specific stage of the disease, and what should be expected from each one of these treatments.

For individuals who have been diagnosed with pericardial mesothelioma – which makes up less than ten percent of the cases and is the rarest form of the disease – there are unfortunately few options. Little can be done about the tumors once they have developed around the heart and constricted it, and the prognosis is poor. Individuals who are diagnosed with this form of mesothelioma generally only survive for a few months after diagnosis. This is partially due to the location of the tumors and partially due to the fact that a diagnosis generally comes once the disease is very far advanced, because symptoms are often not present until then. Naturally, the earlier the diagnosis comes the more that a doctor can do to treat the disease and the symptoms as well.

Fortunately, most cases of mesothelioma are not of the pericardial variety, so there are more treatment options for individuals who are diagnosed. Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are all options for people with peritoneal (abdominal) mesothelioma, and with pleural (lung) mesothelioma. The pleural variety of mesothelioma is by far the most common, with the abdominal mesothelioma only equaling about ten percent of the cases. However, both types require essentially the same treatment options.

For some cases of mesothelioma, surgery may be the best option. This is something that a patient and his or her doctors must decide. Generally, however, there are some specific criteria that will be looked at in order to make a determination of whether surgery is appropriate. This is usually based on the size of the tumors, their placement, and how far the cancer has spread, or whether it has attacked any other organs. If the cancer is still generally contained to one area, and/or if the tumors can be reached easily or removed without major damage to the lining they are attached to and to other organs, surgery can be a good option. Of course, this also depends on the age of the patient and his or her general health. Some individuals are at very high risk during surgery because of concerns with anesthesia, and people in very poor health, as well as many older people, are in this high-risk group. If surgery is not right for an individual, though, there are other options.

One of these options is radiation treatment. Many people confuse this with chemotherapy, but the two are not the same. Radiation treatment can be conducted in two separate ways, but both involve the use of high energy x-rays, which are designed to shrink the tumors and stop them from spreading. It can be delivered through a machine, which remains outside of the body and sends radiation through the body toward the tumors, or it can be delivered through internal means. These are usually through plastic tubes, inserted into the body, which carry the radiation and sometimes other drugs to the tumor sites. This can be a good option for a person who cannot have surgery for various reasons.

Chemotherapy is the last option that doctors will recommend for mesothelioma. This involves a drug combination, usually taken orally, that is designed to help decrease the size of the tumors and stop them from spreading, much like radiation treatments. In some cases, the chemotherapy drugs are given through injections, either into a muscle or into a vein. By offering them in this way, they spread through the bloodstream and into the tumors. However, they can also be hard on the rest of the body. For some people, chemotherapy works well, but for others it is not the best option. Usually, a patient and his or her doctor will work together to decide whether a particular type of treatment is the best one for that patient.

In addition to the options listed above, there are others that are not as common. As holistic and alternative medicine continues to become more mainstream, there are some individuals who feel that they can be better served in this way, or through these types of options along with standard medicine. While these alternative options are not necessarily recommended, each patient is different, and must make his or her own choices about treatment. The key is to be informed about the process, which can allow the patient and his or her doctor to make the best choice for treatment and provide the brightest prognosis possible.