Monday, April 26, 2010

Mesothelioma Treatments

Mesothelioma Treatments

Mesothelioma is a very serious disease and patients and their families should have the support and resources they need to better deal with their diagnosis. The following information should aid patients diagnosed with mesothelioma in determining the best course of treatment:

Traditional Treatments

Surgery

A mesothelioma treatment used either to remove the tumor or to alleviate pain and suffering. If the cancer is relatively contained, surgery can be used to remove part of the lining of the chest or abdomen. The objective is to remove the cancer cells from the body by removing the tissues with large numbers of cancer cells. If the cancer has spread to several organs, it is impossible to remove all of the tissue infected with cancer. In this case, surgery can only be used to relieve pain and suffering. Types of surgeries incude:

Pneumonectomy - An aggressive surgery in which a lung is removed. It can be performed in two ways:

Traditional Pneumonectomy - Only the disease lung is removed.

Extrapleural Pneumonectomy - When the diseased lung, along with part of the pericardium, part of the diaphragm and the parietal pleura on the same side of the chest is removed.

Palliative Procedures - The goal of these procedures is not to cure the disease, but rather to relieve and/or control symptoms associated with mesothelioma:

Thoracentesis - A procedure where a needle is inserted into the chest cavity either to obtain a diagnosis or to drain the fluid to relieve breathlessness and pain.

Pleurectomy/Decortication - The surgical removal of the pleura which is performed to reduce pain caused by tumor mass or to prevent the recurrence of pleural effusion.

Chemotherapy

This treatment consists of using drugs to treat the cancer. The drugs can be swallowed in pill form or can be injected by a needle into a vein or muscle. Most of the drugs used in the treatment of lung cancer either directly kill cancer cells or stop them from dividing into new cells. The drug enters the bloodstream and circulates throughout the body to reach and destroy the cancer cells. Chemotherapy targets the entire body and can kill normal cells as well as the diseased cells, causing severe side effects.

Chemotherapy can be used in combination with a variety of drugs to increase the total effect and is often used in combination with other treatments, especially surgery.

Side effects can be wide ranged and include nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, loss of hair, fatigue, constipation, coughing, decreased appetite and mouth sores. These side effects can be treated and they will usually cease after the treatment has ended.

Radiation

Radiation therapy is the use of high level radiation to kill cancer cells in a localized area. The radiation injures the cancer cells so they cannot divide or multiply further. With each treatment, more of the cells die and the tumor shrinks. The dead cells are broken down and excreted by the body. Most of the healthy cells are able to recover from this injury, but the damage to them is the cause for the side effects of radiation therapy.

Radiation may be used before surgery to shrink the tumor, after surgery to prevent the cancer from coming back, to prevent the growth of cancer, to treat symptoms, and also in combination with chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is sometimes used as the main treatment of Mesothelioma, especially patients whose general health is too poor to undergo surgery.

Side effects of radiation can be severe. They can include: fatigue, hair loss, skin irritation, nausea, and difficulty breathing.

The process of contacting your doctor in the off office hours needs to be simple and accessible. It should include coverage by a competent oncologist at all times, who can speak with you directly about your medical problem. Most office practices have a doctor on call to take calls from patients 24 hours/day.

Experimental Mesothelioma Treatments

Gene therapy

An experimental medical intervention that involves altering the patient’s genetic material of living cells to fight or prevent disease. The therapy involves injecting a modified gene directly into a patient’s chest cavity. The goal of gene therapy is to supply cells with healthy copies of missing or altered genes. Many different strategies are currently under study.

Immunotherapy

An experimental therapy that uses the body’s natural defenses to fight cancer. This can include stimulating your own immune system to work harder, or using an outside source, such as man-made immune system proteins. Immunotherapy is usually used in conjunction with another type of therapy.

Photodynamic Therapy

An experimental treatment which combines a photosensitizing agent (a drug activated by light) with a light source to destroy cancer cells. The theory is that the photosensitizing agent collects more readily in cancer cells than in normal cells. Thus, when the agent is subsequently exposed to light, it reacts with oxygen to create chemicals that can kill the cancer cells.

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma Information to find symptoms, treatments, news, and legal direction on asbestos related injuries and treatments for patients, families and loved ones.

It is the aim of MIRG to provide information about mesothelioma, its causes, its treatment and its personal and legal impact.

Mesothelioma, an agressive form of lung cancer resulting from exposure to asbestos consists of two general types, pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is closely linked to exposure to asbestos. Around 2,000 to 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the United States every year. Malignant mesothelioma is more common in older male adults; even though a mesothelioma diagnosis can come at any age, most people with mesothelioma cancer are 65 and older.

asbestos  danger

Asbestos Danger

This web site has focused on mesothelioma. Not every asbestos-related lung cancer, however, is a mesothelioma. Other thoracic carcinomas, such as adenocarcinoma, are also known to be caused by exposure to asbestos. Click following link for Asbestos Related Lung Cancer.

You will find the Mesothelioma News section current and covering a full range of topics. A mesothelioma diagnosis is overwhelming, and we are here to help you find the options that are best suited to your individual needs.

Treatment for mesothelioma depends on the location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient's age and general health. Standard mesothelioma treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Sometimes, treatment options are combined.

About Asbestos

Asbestos is the name given to a category of minerals that occur naturally as bundles of fibers which can be separated into thin threads. These fibers are not affected by heat or chemicals and do not conduct electricity. For these reasons, asbestos has been widely used in many industries. Four types of asbestos have been used commercially:

  • Chrysotile, or white asbestos;
  • Crocidolite, or blue asbestos;
  • Amosite, which usually has brown fibers; and
  • Anthophyllite, which usually has gray fibers.

Chrysotile asbestos, with its curly fibers, is in the serpentine family of minerals. The other types of asbestos, which all have rod-like fibers, are known as amphiboles.

Asbestos fiber masses tend to break easily into a dust composed of tiny particles that can float in the air and stick to clothes. The fibers may be easily inhaled or swallowed and can cause serious health problems.

Asbestos Related Lung Cancer

This web site has focused on mesothelioma. Not every asbestos-related lung cancer, however, is a mesothelioma. Other thoracic carcinomas, such as adenocarcinoma, are also known to be caused by exposure to asbestos.

The connection between asbestos exposure and lung cancer was noted as early as 1925, and confirmed over the next 70 years by many epidemiologic studies of asbestos-exposed workers. The four main types of commercially used asbestos, chrysotile, amosite, anthophyllite, and mixtures containing crocidolite, have all been associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. About one in seven people who suffer from asbestosis, a lung disease resulting from exposure to asbestos, eventually develop lung cancer.

There is a relationship between cigarette smoking and asbestos exposure in causing lung cancer. Individuals occupationally exposed to asbestos who smoke face a much higher risk than those who do not smoke. According to the National Cancer Institute, evidence suggests that asbestos-exposed workers who quit smoking can reduce their risk of developing lung cancer by 50% within five years of quitting.