Malignant Mesothelioma Treatment

Despite the fact that there is presently no cure obtainable for malignant mesothelioma, there are varied kinds of treatments available that could comprise of:

• Surgery

  Surgery is the prevalent course of treatment for malignant mesothelioma wherein sections of the chest or abdominal lining along with some part of the adjacent tissue and at times sections of the diaphragm, the muscles beneath the lungs that assist in respiration are also removed by the surgeon. A lung could additionally be removed in case the cancer has metastasized to that extent – pneumonectomy. The below mentioned are the most widely utilized surgical procedures for treating mesothelioma:

  • Pleurodesis
    Pleurodesis is the treatment offered via a thoracoscope or existent chest tube that is employing for effectually producing inflammation for eliminating the pleural space that aids in hindering the build-up of pleural effusion. This treatment is usually administered when symptoms start surfacing due to pleural effusion. Talc is most often and effectually employed during this procedure, hence it is mostly called as ‘talcing’ or the patient concerned has been ‘talced’.
  • Pleurectomy
    The procedure conducted for an array of disorders comprising of pleural effusion, malignant pleural mesothelioma and trauma wherein there is removal of sections of the chest (pleura) or abdominal lining (peritoneum) and some part of the adjacent tissue.
  • Pleurectomy or decortication
    Surgery for removal of sections of the chest or abdominal lining and most of the tumor mass that could be conducted for allaying pain arising due to the tumor mass or for averting a relapse of pleural effusion. In case of peritoneal mesothelioma, surgery is usually done for assuaging symptoms, like persistent ascites or bowel obstruction. In case of pleural mesothelioma, it is improbable to totally remove the tumor by surgical means.
  • Pneumonectomy
    The operative procedure done for removing a lung.
  • Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP)
    The surgical excision of the pleura, diaphragm, pericardium and the complete lung affected by the tumor.

• Radiation Therapy

  High-power x-ray beams, gamma rays, neutrons, and other radiation sources are employed for annihilating the cancer cells and shrinking the tumors. Radiation is administered with a machine that is placed outside the body, known as external radiation therapy or external-beam therapy. Radiation could additionally be offered by materials emitting radiation known as radioisotopes that are placed in or close to the tumor mass. This kind of radiation therapy is known as internal radiation therapy, implant or interstitial radiation or brachytherapy. During systemic radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy, irradiation and x-ray therapy, employs the use of radioactive material like radio-tagged monoclonal antibody which flows all through the body.

• Chemotherapy

  During chemotherapy or also known as systemic treatment, drugs administered in either in pill form or given intravenously, make an entry into the bloodstream, circulating throughout the body and obliterating the cancer cells during its passage. In intrapleural chemotherapy, the chemotherapy could be administered directly to the chest region for treating mesothelioma.

• Intraoperative photodynamic therapy

  A novel form of treatment that employs specialised drugs and light source for obliterating cancer cells during the operative procedure. An intravenous drug intended to make the cancer cells highly receptive to light is given many days prior to the surgery. During the course of the surgery, the special light is directed straight on the pleura over the tumor mass for removing major sections of it. This form of treatment is being researched for use in preliminary mesothelioma staging in the chest region.

• Immunotherapy

  This approach employs the body’s own immune system for combating the cancer present inside the body.

• Gene therapy

  This treatment is intended for treating mesothelioma by correction of the genes that elicit proliferation of the tumor, thus potentially curbing their size and multiplication.

Current studies suggest that merely the use of one of the above mentioned malignant mesothelioma treatments has not succeeded in enhancing the survival rates among patients; rather the multimodality approach involving the combined usage of several treatment modes has been known to prove effective in increasing the survival rates.

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