Mesothelioma is a type of cancer usually caused by exposure to asbestos, and mesothelioma treatment is customized to each patient’s specific needs. In mesothelioma, cancer cells develop in the mesothelium, which is the protective lining that covers the body’s internal organs. Mesothelioma usually strikes the outer lining of the lungs, which is called the pleura, and which is also considered the inner lining of the chest wall. It can, however, occur in the peritoneum, which is the abdominal cavity lining, in the pericardium, which is the sac around the heart, or the tunica vaginalis, which is the sac lining the scrotum.
Symptoms of mesothelioma include pain underneath the rib cage and shortness of breath, though symptoms only show up late in the course of the disease. There are tests that examine the insides of the abdomen and chest that are used to find and diagnose mesothelioma. There are a number of factors affecting the prognosis of someone with the disease, including how early in the course of the disease it is discovered.
Treatment of Mesothelioma
As with many types of cancer, mesothelioma treatment usually involves surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Within these three categories of treatment, there are more mesothelioma treatment options. The options used depend on the stage of the mesothelioma and the general health and prognosis of the patient.
Surgical Treatment of Mesothelioma
There are a number of surgical mesothelioma treatment options. One surgical procedure is what is called a “wide local excision.” This is surgery that removes the cancer and a margin of healthy tissue surrounding it.A procedure called pleurectomy and decortication is surgery that removes part of the ti ssue covering of the lungs and lining the chest, as well as part of the outer lung surface.Extrapleural pneumonectomy is surgical removal of an entire lung and part of the chest wall lining, the lining of the sac of tissue around the heart, and the diaphragm.
Pleurodesis is a procedure that uses special chemicals to create a scar in the space between the layers of the pleura. Using a catheter, the surgeon drains fluid from the space between the pleural layers and then replaces the fluid with a special chemical or drug. The chemical causes scarring to form and stops the build up of fluid in this space.In many cases, even if the surgeon removes all the cancer apparent at the time of the surgery, the patient may undergo radiation therapy or chemotherapy to kill any cells that are unknowingly left in the body.
Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma
In general, radiation therapy is cancer treatment involving use of high energy x-rays (or another type of radiation) to kill cancer cells or halt their growth. Radiation therapy as a mesothelioma treatment may be external or internal.External radiation therapy uses machinery outside the body to irradiate the cancer. Internal radiation therapy uses radioactive substances contained in needles, wires, or catheters placed in the body directly into or next to the cancer. The use of internal or external radiation therapy for mesothelioma treatment is a decision based on the exact type and stage of the cancer that is being treated.
Chemotherapy as Mesothelioma Treatment
Chemotherapy is drug therapy that is designed to stop growth of cancer cells. It does this by either killing the cells outright, or by preventing them from dividing. Chemotherapy may be taken by mouth or injected intravenously or into a muscle. It can reach cancer cells throughout the body. There are types of chemotherapy treatment where the drug is placed directly into an organ or a body cavity so that the drugs have their greatest effect in those areas. This is what is called “regional chemotherapy.”Sometimes more than one anticancer drug is used to treat cancer, and this type of treatment is called combination chemotherapy. Whether chemotherapy is whole body or regional chemotherapy, and whether it is single drug or multiple drug chemotherapy depends on the stage of the cancer and the type of cancer that is being treated.New forms of chemotherapy as mesothelioma treatment are always being developed and tested in clinical trials in order to get the best possible results.
Clinical Trials in Mesothelioma Treatment
Biological therapy is cancer treatment that uses the patient’s own immune system to fight the cancer. Sometimes substances made by the body are used to strengthen the body’s natural defenses against cancer, and sometimes the substances are grown in a laboratory. Sometimes this type of mesothelioma treatment is called immunotherapy or biotherapy.
Clinical trials take place to determine the safety and effectiveness of new cancer treatments, and for some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best choice for mesothelioma treatment. Many of today’s standard cancer treatments are based on clinical trials in years past. Patients taking part in clinical trials may receive standard treatment, or they may be given a new form of treatment. Even when clinical trials do not produce effective new treatments, they may still answer some questions that will allow other research to move forward.
While some clinical trials will receiv e patients who have undergone treatment and who have not gotten better, and some clinical trials receive only patients who have not had treatment yet. For those who have finished courses of mesothelioma treatment, there are clinical trials that are used to determine the effectiveness of treatments that help prevent cancer from coming back, or that help reduce the side effects that often come with cancer treatment.During a clinical trial, sometimes the original diagnostic tests or cancer staging tests will be repeated for either a baseline measurement or later on to see how well the treatment works. These test results are used so that the patient and physicians can make informed decisions about whether to continue with a certain treatment, or change it. Even after a clinical trial ends, tests may be repeated periodically to determine if the patient’s condition has changed, or if there is a recurrence of cancer.
Legal Issues an d Mesothelioma Treatment
Mesothelioma is in almost all cases caused by exposure to asbestos, normally in industrial settings. Mining of asbestos started in the 19th century and continued until the early 1990s. Asbestos was used in many industrial and domestic products, and has resulted in some people developing mesothelioma. People with mesothelioma whose cancer was caused by industrial exposure to asbestos may be eligible for compensation. Most people who were exposed to asbestos were exposed prior to the 1980s, when asbestos was not regulated. It is only now, decades later, that some people are developing mesothelioma from that exposure.
There is research showing that many industries using asbestos knew about mesothelioma but neglected to tell their employees of the dangers. Personal injury lawsuits are being brought against companies where employees were unknowingly being exposed to asbestos and who are now undergoing mesothelioma treatment. The statute of limitations for filing personal injury lawsuits like these varies from state to state in the U.S., but the countdown to the expiration of that statute of limitations begins the day a person is diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Many companies have set up funds in order to settle out of court with people who have mesothelioma. Lawsuits that go to trial can be very long and drawn out, which motivates many people undergoing mesothelioma treatment to settle out of court. The industries facing the most legal trouble from mesothelioma lawsuits are construction, power generation, and ship building, though other industries were affected as well.
Mesothelioma is a serious disease, and successful mesothelioma treatment must begin as soon as possible after diagnosis for the best outcomes. Though legal statutes of limitations may put a heavy burden on those undergoing mesothelioma treatment as far as filing personal injury lawsuits, it is extremely important that anyone undergoing mesothelioma treatment understands his or her legal rights and receives the best possible medical treatment.