Mesothelioma: Treatment Options
Treatment for mesothelioma is largely determined by the disease’s stage of development. Options range from traditional treatments like surgery, radiation and chemotherapy all the way to immunotherapy and even heated intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy. The most common approach to treatment often involves more than one option used together, such as surgery in conjunction with radiation.
Surgery
Unfortunately, surgery by itself has not proven very successful in treating mesothelioma. The most common surgery, known as a pleurectomy/decortication, involves the removal of the lining of the chest. Another, less common surgery is an extrapleural pneumonectomy. This procedure involves the removal of the lung, the lining of the inside of the chest, the hemi-diaphragm and the pericardium. Surgery alone has never been shown to improve patient survival rates.
Radiation
Radiation is often used following surgery in order to further treat the malignancy. It is also used regularly in combination with chemotherapy. According to oncologists at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, utilizing radiation and chemotherapy in the aftermath of surgery has led to extended life expectancy in certain patient populations. Radiation therapy alone has never been shown to positively affect survival rates for mesothelioma patients. The dose required to treat mesothelioma without removing it surgically would be too much for the human body to tolerate.
Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is the only mesothelioma treatment that has demonstrated its effectiveness in clinical trials. However, there are still many questions as to the optimal usage of chemotherapy in treating mesothelioma. For example, doctors tend to hold various opinions about when the treatment should be started as well as how many cycles should be used. In January of 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took a step forward and approved the use of surgery in conjunction with chemotherapy and/or radiation for stage I or stage II mesothelioma as a result of a Duke University study that indicated the success of this approach in improving cancer remission rates by nearly 50%.
Immunotherapy Immunotherapy is a course of treatment that involves the introduction of substances, like Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), into the pleura in order to stimulate an immune response. This treatment, while somewhat effective against certain other forms of cancer, has not been shown to benefit those suffering with mesothelioma. Unfortunately, this treatment also has a high rate of serious side effects. Other trials, involving interferon alpha have shown a more promising success rate and resulted in some patients realizing as much as a 50% reduction in the size of their tumors without heavy side effects.
Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy involves the surgical removal of the majority of the tumor immediately followed by the application of a chemotherapy agent that has been heated to more than 40 degrees Celsius. Heating the agent allows the drug to travel further into the abdominal tissue. This agent is applied directly inside the abdomen for one or two hours and then allowed to drain. This treatment allows the introduction of high doses of certain drugs directly into the abdomen.
More Information
If you would like more information or simply some advice on how to move forward; please provide the details of your situation. We will have a consultant contact you free of charge.
|
