Surgery
In addition to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy, those suffering from mesothelioma also have the option for surgery (if they are physically able). Surgery is one of the better options for mesothelioma patients because it can remove most if not all the cancer; however, often times since the cancer is generally diagnosed in the later…
If you have been exposed to asbestos and are exhibiting symptoms of mesothelioma including: pain in the side of your chest and lower back, shortness of breath, cough, fever, excessive sweating, fatigue, random weight loss, not being able to swallow, being hoarse, or have face and arm swelling it might be a good idea to…
In order to test for cancer, people have to go through invasive and even risky procedures to remove and biopsy a tumor. With these risky procedures between 75 and 85 percent of people find out that the tumor in question is benign and they went through a terrifying surgery to learn they are healthy. Instead…
Pleural mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer that has been notoriously difficult to treat. Caused by asbestos exposure, the latency period between the time of initial exposure and disease spans decades and generally by the time the cancer is detected, it is highly advanced. Surgical treatments for those with pleural mesothelioma are generally more…
While there is no cure for mesothelioma, those who are able to withstand surgery in general may have a better chance of survival, as the cancer is being physically removed. However, mesothelioma is a difficult cancer and often surgery is not an option, and the cancer is unresectable. The success of immunotherapy treatments for cancer…
Even though there is no cure for mesothelioma, there are many different treatment options for those suffering from this almost always fatal cancer. Palliative therapy has been successful in lessening symptoms and making the patient more comfortable. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery are treatment methods that can be successful on their own, but in the…
Peritoneal mesothelioma is an extremely rare form of mesothelioma that affects the abdominal lining, or peritoneum. Caused by asbestos exposure, peritoneal mesothelioma can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms are not entirely unique to the disease, so a diagnosis has to be more than just what symptoms are observed. Through MRIs, CAT scans, biopsies, and…
Symptoms for pleural mesothelioma are typically centered on lung function breathing, with shortness of breath (dyspnea), pleural effusion (fluid build-up), and pain in the chest being the primary indicators. There is no cure for malignant pleural mesothelioma and while scientists and researchers are continually developing new treatments and therapies, in the meantime, advancements in palliative…
What is Palliative Care? For serious illnesses, some patients may receive palliative care, or palliative treatment. Palliative care treats the symptoms of the disease, not the disease itself, in an attempt to provide relief and make the patient as comfortable as possible during their illness. Palliative treatment can be provided at the beginning of treatment,…
Pleurectomy and Decortication (P/D) is a two-part surgical procedure that removes the pleural lining around the lungs (pleurectomy) and tumors along the surface area of the lung (decortication). To qualify for this surgery, mesothelioma patients must be in overall good health, and in the early stages of the disease. Since mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer…
