Types of Mesothelioma Cancer Treatments

If someone is in the unfortunate position to be suffering from mesothelioma cancer they are likely to be offered a choice of treatments, which will be dependent on several factors relating to the patients age and general health, the stage of the disease, and the particular area of the cancer.

Basically, there are three main types of mesothelioma cancer treatments offered to the patient:

Chemotherapy:

If the chosen course of action is chemotherapy then this relies on using high-strength drugs in an attempt to kill off the cancerous cells. Chemotherapy is administrated via a needle direct into a muscle or vein or taken in pill form. On entering the body, the chemotherapy drug is designed to enter the bloodstream and pass throughout the entire body and kill any of the cancerous cells that it makes contact with.

Surgery:

When it has been decided that surgery might be the most effective course of treatment, a patient will have this procedure performed in order to remove the cancerous cells from the body. The part of the body suffering with the cancerous cells is likely to be removed along with any necessary tissue in the surrounding areas. In situations where the cancer has started to spread, for instance it is starting to impact the lungs; it might be necessary for a pneumonectomy to be performed, which is the surgical procedure of removing one of the lungs. In the process of the surgery, the surgeons will attempt to remove all signs of the cancerous growths if at all possible.

Radiation Therapy:

The last option in relation to mesothelioma cancer treatment is radiation therapy and this is a process of using a range of high energy rays to help in shrinking and killing off the cancerous cells. A patient has a choice of either internal or external radiation therapy, with each choice being highly effective in what it needs to do in shrinking the tumors. Internal radiation therapy is a process of placing thin plastic tubes inside the body in order to direct the high-energy x-rays on to the tumors, whereas with the external radiation therapy, a machine will direct the x-rays on the outside of the body.

Beyond receiving just one type of treatment, many patients are offered a combination of the above mentioned therapies in order to help kill or slow the growth of the cancerous sounds. This combined treatment is referred to as multimodal therapy. Even though there isn't a cure for this form of cancer, if a patient is able to receive the right treatment at an early stage it can go a long way to improving on a person's lung function and reducing pain.