Mesotheleomia Treatment Options
For most patients, the prognosis for mesotheleomia is grim. On average, from the time of diagnosis, doctors generally give patients just 6 to 12 months to live. Of course, catching the cancer in its earlier stages gives you a much brighter outlook and you could even go into remission, but most people who develop mesotheleomia don’t see a doctor for symptoms until the cancer is extremely advanced.
That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t fight to survive. If you catch the cancer early, you have a number of treatment options, and even if the cancer is in later stages, there are things you can do to slow its progression. Don’t give up hope, no matter what the doctors say. Learn about your treatment options, and with your doctor, come up with a plan aimed at beating the cancer. Here are the two most common treatment options:
Surgery
In general, surgery is the best way to remove the tumors cause by mesotheleomia. There are two main types of surgery – curative and palliative. With curative surgery, doctors try to remove the entire tumor and any other cancer cells in the body. As the name implies, doctors are hoping to cure the condition.
Palliative surgery, on the other hand, is meant to remove some of the tissue to relieve symptoms, but without the am to completely cure the patient. Palliative surgery is mostly used as part of the treatment plan when the tumors are too dangerous or impossible to completely remove (which is most common with mesotheleomia in the lining of the heart) or when doctors are buying time to determine the best course of action.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the cure of chemicals that target and kill cancer cells. While this is one of the most common treatment options for all kinds of cancer, there are definitely drawbacks to consider, which include killing health cells and nausea. Traditional chemotherapy has shown to be highly ineffective against mesotheleomia, but some new forms of chemotherapy, especially a process called heated chemotherapy, are more effective.
For most mesotheleomia patents, chemotherapy is usually not the only form of treatment used. It is rather used in conjunction with surgery and other treatments for the most complete treatment possible. Before you use chemotherapy, make sure you talk to your doctor about the sometime painful side effects you could experience.
Are there other options?
Surgery and chemotherapy are not the only options you have when it comes to mesotheleomia treatment. Although these two forms of treatment are often most effective, there are a variety of treatments you can try. You can read more on our “other treatments” page, but here is a brief overview of some of the treatment options you have:
Radiation
For most people, radiation is not the only answer, but it is part of the treatment plan for many patients. With radiation treatment, therapists have two choices. First, the most traditional form of radiation treatment uses beams to kills cancer cells. Brachytherapy, however, is a new type or radiation treatment where doctors insert tiny radioactive rods into the tumors.
Gene Therapy
A relatively new cancer treatment option is gene therapy. With this kind of treatment, doctors inject a virus into the body, which makes the cancer cells much more susceptible to chemotherapy. Right now, this option is still being researched. It is only available through clinical trials.
Photodynamic Therapy
Not all kinds of mesotheleomia can be treated by photodynamic therapy, but it can be effective for tumors that are affecting the lining of the lines. Patients are injected with a solution that makes cancer cells very sensitive to light and then exposed to light. Afterwards, any cancer cells that have absorbed the light die.
Which treatments are right for you? That depends on the plan you and your doctor deem best for your specific situation. For some, a mix of all kinds of therapy is best. Others may not be physically able to handle certain kinds of treatment.
Don’t overlook alternative therapies as part of your treatment as well. Many cancer patients have successfully used the treatments listed above together with non-traditional treatments, like acupuncture. This isn’t the answer for everyone, but when you’re dealing with mesotheleomia, it is important to explore every option. Talk to your doctor to find out more about all of the potential treatments you can try.
