How Doctors Treat Mesothelioma
When mesothelioma is diagnosed, doctors may use a combination of treatment methods. They might recommend removal of cancerous tissues or improve symptoms. stage 3 mesothelioma treatment may also prescribe chemotherapy drugs such as pemetrexed or cisplatin to shrink mesothelioma tumours and manage symptoms.
The procedure of pleurodesis is used to damage the lung's lining and make it stick together. This stops the accumulation of fluid. They may give you chemotherapy by mouth or inject it into a vein in order to access mesothelioma cells in the body.
Surgery
Your doctor might also recommend scans of your abdomen or chest. These tests will aid in determining if your symptoms are due to mesothelioma or a different condition. Your doctor will also likely require a biopsy in order to collect tiny amounts of tissue for a lab examination. These samples will confirm the type of mesothelioma that you are suffering from and help you plan your treatment.
The aim of mesothelioma operative removal is to eliminate as much tumor material as is possible. This surgery may be able to treat cancer in certain cases but is used more often to alleviate symptoms and increase the quality of life for those with advanced mesothelioma.
Fluid buildup in lungs can be caused by pleural mesothelioma that has spread into the lining of the chest cavity. This can make breathing difficult. Surgeons can insert tubes to drain this fluid (pleurodesis) and inject medicine into the chest to prevent it from re-accumulating (pleurectomy/decortication). This procedure won't cure mesothelioma, but it can reduce symptoms such as pressure on the lungs.
Mesothelioma that has spread to the lining of the abdomen (peritoneum) is also treated by surgery. The most commonly used procedure is a two-part procedure known as the cytoreductive surgery, and the hyperthermic intraperitoneal therapy, or HIPEC. This involves the removal of both tumors as well as a portion of the abdominal tissues surrounding it including the liver and gallbladder, as well as the pancreas and stomach.
Before you undergo mesothelioma surgery doctor will conduct pulmonary function tests to see how well your lungs work. These tests will also let your doctor know if it is safe to perform the operation.
Chemotherapy
For people with mesothelioma of the peritoneal or pleural regions doctors can prescribe chemotherapy drugs to destroy cancerous cells in the body. These drugs are given through a vein, or intravenously and are usually used together with surgery and/or radiation therapy. They can also be the only option for patients who are not able to undergo surgery due to of their health.
Doctors often prescribe a combination of drugs called pemetrexed (Alimta) and carboplatin or cisplatin to mesothelioma patients. These drugs are administered via IV and kill cancerous cells that grow too quickly. They also stop cancerous tumors from growing after surgery, or in the event that cancer has already risen.
Patients with mesothelioma who are receiving chemotherapy should consult their doctor how to deal with possible side effects, such as vomiting and nausea. They should inform their doctor about any other medications or supplements they are taking, as many medications are able to interfere with chemotherapy.
When people are diagnosed with mesothelioma, they should speak with a specialist, such as an oncologist, or Pulmonologist, to discuss the treatment options that are available to them. People who are contemplating treatment options should be aware of their goals and also the potential side effects and the length of time they could last.
Doctors may use a targeted therapy or another treatment to stop the growth of tumors in patients who have recurrent mesothelioma. The targeted therapies aim to block the blood flow to tumors, so that they don't get the nutrients they require. A type of targeted therapy known as bevacizumab (Avastin) is often used to treat mesothelioma recurrently and other cancers, such as pancreatic cancer and lung cancer.
Radiation Therapy
The radiation therapy process delivers high-energy X ray or particle beams directly to mesothelioma cells and causes them to die. By shrinking tumors it has been proven that radiation therapy can increase the quality of life and extend the time to live for patients suffering from pleural adenocarcinoma. It also prevents mesothelioma cancer cells from spreading and reproducing which reduces the risk of recurrence. It is most effective in combination with other treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery.
Mesothelioma radiation therapy is usually administered by a specialist, referred to as a radiation therapist, who works with medical professionals to ensure you receive the best treatment possible. They will mark the part of your body that they wish to treat with the machine, and may use immobilization devices or molds to keep you in place during treatment.
During radiation treatment the doctors monitor your condition using audio and video connections. The actual treatment takes only for a few seconds during each session, however the setting up can take a few hours. You will likely need to undergo multiple sessions for several weeks.
One mesothelioma-specific radiation therapy called intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) uses computers to provide precise radiation doses. It can improve outcomes for patients as it allows radiation specialists to focus on tumors with greater precision and also avoid healthy tissues around.
External beam radiation (EBRT) is the most commonly used form of radiation used to treat mesothelioma. This treatment uses an accelerator that is linear to deliver ionizing radiotherapy. Radiation oncologists can target specific areas in the abdomen and chest with this treatment. They typically apply it before or during extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) procedure for mesothelioma of the pleural region. It can also be used prior to or following pleurectomy with décortication (P/D) which is a lung-sparing procedure for peritoneal mesothelioma.
Endobronchial ultrasound-guided needle aspiration
This test involves an expert using a narrow, flexible tube to look into the airways of your lungs. An ultrasound probe is attached to the tube. The probe produces computer-generated three-dimensional images, including any tumors or lymph nodes that may be present. Doctors then search for abnormalities, such as mesothelioma and collect fluid or tissue samples to look for cancer cells. Doctors can inject dye into your blood to highlight the areas they are examining. This allows doctors to determine the extent of mesothelioma in your body.
This procedure is utilized to confirm a diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma and determining if you are in a situation where surgical treatment would be required. This procedure can be used to determine if the mesothelioma spread to lymph nodes. This will aid your doctor in determining the best treatment plan for you.
EBUS-TBNA combines high frequency ultrasound imaging with endoscopic visualisation for doctors to detect lymph node lesions and collect the cytological samples. Studies have shown that EBUS-TBNA is a more precise and less invasive alternative to mediastinoscopy in the staging of MPM patients.
The EBUS-TBNA procedure was 94.6 percent sensitive and 100 100% specific, in comparison to a sensitivity of 50% for a traditional transbronchial aspiration. The EBUS TBNA procedure resulted in an accurate assessment of the underlying lesions, such as a diagnosis for sarcoidosis (34 epithelioid 7 biphasic, and 1 sarcomatoid) in all 48 evaluated cases. The specificity of EBUS TBNA in detecting metastatic nodal diseases is comparable to MRI for this patient group. However, its effectiveness depends on the accuracy of rapid on-site assessment.
Mediastinoscopy
This procedure involves looking at the area between the lungs and behind the breastbone or sternum. Mediastinoscopy is a method used by doctors to diagnose of pleural disorders like tuberculosis or sarcoidosis, as well as mesothelioma which is a common occurrence in this region. After the patient is numb by local anesthesia, doctors place a lighted instrument called a mediastinoscope into the chest cavity. They then can take tissue samples and search for signs of cancer, like lymph nodes that are enlarged.
Doctors can also use a needle to remove fluid from the pleura (the lung's lining) to be examined under the microscope. Typically, this procedure occurs after a person experiences symptoms such as wheezing or difficulty breathing. This procedure is referred to as a needle biopsy. It's less invasive than surgical mesothelioma removal.
Our mesothelioma experts can also perform mediastinoscopy, a more invasive procedure. A doctor inserts a bronchoscope, or a similar tool into your trachea and lungs the hope of identifying any abnormalities or an over-sized node. The doctor can then take a biopsy from the tissue and send it to a laboratory for analysis.
A mediastinoscopy can be performed on an outpatient basis. This means that the patient can go home after the procedure is over. It is crucial to be aware of the risks associated with surgery before you decide whether it is suitable for you. This includes serious complications, such as bleeding, blood clots within the lung and lung damage, as well as changes in heart rhythm and pneumonia. Additionally, the surgical incision can be painful for a few days following the procedure. The surgeon may also wrap the incision with wound tape or tape-like strips to aid in healing.