Medical Symptoms and Facts

As with most forms of cancer, sufferers of malignant mesothelioma typically have three traditional treatment methods. The first and usually easiest form of treatment for malignant mesothelioma is surgery. Several types of surgery are used to both diagnose and treat malignant mesothelioma. Thoracoscopy is a diagnosis procedure in which doctors may examine the lung cavity in the chest and conduct tissue biopsies under direct vision. This is an important procedure in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma due to the fact that many of the symptoms of malignant mesothelioma are very similar to other, less serious medical conditions and illnesses. Thoracoscopy provides definitive diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma in roughly 98% of cases. The earlier malignant mesothelioma is diagnosed the easier it is to treat and a wider range of treatment options exist.

Video assisted thoracic surgery can be an alternative to thoracoscopy by using small incisions doctors can employ the use of cameras to examine the chest cavity and obtain tissue samples for testing of malignant mesothelioma cells. Video assisted surgery can usually tell the extent of malignant mesothelioma tumors so that procedural recommendations may also be made.

Several palliative procedures are also available to malignant mesothelioma patients. However these procedures typically treat symptoms of malignant mesothelioma and not the actual disease itself. These types of procedures are generally only used to comfort advanced malignant mesothelioma patients. Some of the palliative treatments of mesothelioma include, draining of the fluids built up in the organ lining along with thoracoscopy. These treatments are usually only successful if there is no tumor present in the patient that could block the expansion of the lungs or other organs affected by mesothelioma.

Potentially curative surgical procedures are available for malignant mesothelioma patients who have been diagnosed in the early stages of the disease. Pleurectomy is one of the most common attempts at curative surgery for malignant mesothelioma and attempts to surgically remove all malignant mesothelioma tumors from the patient.

If surgical procedures are not an available treatment option for malignant mesothelioma, many patients employ the use of chemotherapy to combat tumors associated with the onset of malignant mesothelioma. Chemotherapy attempts to treat malignant mesothelioma and other forms of cancer by using chemical substances which work to destroy cancerous cells by preventing them from multiplying.

Many patients for malignant mesothelioma have used radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, to treat their illness. Radiation therapy may be used aggressively in combination with surgery to treat the symptoms of malignant mesothelioma. Radiation therapy employs the use of high energy beams to attack malignant mesothelioma cells after surgery is performed to remove visible tumors and tissue affected by malignant mesothelioma. Chemo and radiation therapy often produce the risk of side effects as well. The risks associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy should be considered before beginning any kind of treatment. Side effects from chemo and radiation therapy vary widely from patient to patient based on what chemicals are being used, doses being administered as well as how each patient reacts to therapy and how often a patient undergoes these types of mesothelioma treatments.