Do You Know How Mesothelioma Is Treated ?

Mesothelioma is a terrible disease which attacks the lining that covers the majority of our organs, the mesothelium. Mesothelioma is caused by the inhalation of asbestos dust, a compound that was used in the construction industry several years ago. Mesothelioma sysmptoms usually appear more than 30 years after an individual has been exposed to asbestos. This is the reason as to why we tend to see a large number of people getting diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer now, in the 21st century. Many more will find themselves with this disease . The use of asbestos continued up until the 1970's. Mesothelioma cancer has also been associated with irradiation, intrapleural thorium dioxide, and the inhalation of other fibrous silicates .

Since mesothelioma is technically a cancer, the same methods used in the treatment of any other cancer are also used to treat mesothelioma. Depending on the stage of the cancer itself, as well as the medical history of the patient, doctors can decide on the appropriate treatment for the patient. One can expect either one, or a combination of the following; radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery. Due to the intricacies of mesothelioma , the prognosis after treatment isn't very good. The prognosis for mesothelioma tends to be a few years in the majority of cases .

In order to attempt to increase one's chances of survival doctors these days tend to employ all three known treatment methods. This is commonly known as trimodality therapy. This has proven to increase one's survival time by up to 5 years. Without this a mesothelioma patient can expect to live up to a year at most.

With trimodality therapy chemotherapy is the first treatment to be administered . The drugs used in chemotherapy are given either orally or intravenously. The aim of this is to halt the growth of malignant mesothelioma. After chemotherapy comes surgery , where any tumor mass is removed. We can break down the surgery into four distinct parts;

wide local excision
pleurectomy and decortication
extrapleural pneumonectomy
pleurodesis
postoperative radiation therapy

The last method is radiation whereby high-energy x-rays are used to kill off the cancer cells .

Scientists are currently researching new treatment methods in hopes of being able to provide a better prognosis. These include immunotherapy, (intensity-modulated radiation (IMRT), gene therapy, and photodynamic therapy (PDT) .