How Doctors Treat Mesothelioma
Doctors may combine treatment options when diagnosing mesothelioma. They might recommend surgery to remove cancerous tissues or improve symptoms. They could also recommend chemotherapy drugs like pemetrexed or cisplatin in order to shrink mesothelioma tumours and manage symptoms.
They might also try a procedure called pleurodesis to make the lung lining scar and stick together, stopping fluid build-up. You could receive chemotherapy orally or injections into a vein order to get all mesothelioma tumor cells.
Surgery
In addition to conducting physical examinations, your doctor may order imaging scans of your chest or abdomen. These tests can aid in determining if your symptoms are caused by mesothelioma or a different condition. Your doctor may also require a biopsy in order to collect tiny amounts of tissue for lab examination. These samples will confirm the type of mesothelioma you have and help plan your treatment.
The aim of mesothelioma surgeries is to remove as much tumor material as possible. This surgery may be able to treat cancer in certain cases but is more frequently used to ease symptoms and improve the quality of life of those suffering from advanced mesothelioma.
Pleural mesothelioma cancer which has been able to spread to the lining of the chest cavity can cause fluid buildup in the lungs, which makes 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 will not cure mesothelioma but it can relieve symptoms such as pressure on the lungs.
Surgery can be used to treat mesothelioma, which has gotten into the lining of your abdomen (peritoneum). The most commonly used procedure is two parts of surgery, namely hyperthermic and cytoreductive intraperitoneal therapy also known as HIPEC. This involves removing both the tumors as well as a portion of the abdominal tissues surrounding it which includes parts of the gallbladder and liver, along with the pancreas and stomach.
Before having mesothelioma surgery doctors will request tests for pulmonary function to determine how well your lungs function. These tests will help your doctor know whether the operation is safe.
Chemotherapy
For people with pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma doctors may prescribe chemotherapy drugs to destroy cancer cells in the body. These drugs are administered intravenously or through a vein and are usually utilized as a part of surgery and/or radiotherapy. Sometimes, they're the only option for patients who can't undergo surgery due to their health.
Mesothelioma is usually treated using a combination of cisplatin and carboplatin. These medications are administered via IV and work by killing cancerous cells that are growing too quickly. They can also stop the growth of tumors after surgery or in the event that cancer has already risen.
Patients suffering from mesothelioma receiving chemotherapy should ask their doctor how to manage any possible side effects like vomiting and nausea. Patients should tell their doctor about any medications or supplements they are taking as many medications interact with chemotherapy.
If a patient is 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. Patients who are contemplating treatment options should be aware of their goals, as well as possible side effects and the length of time they could last.
If you suffer from mesothelioma that is recurrent, which occurs when cancer comes back after treatment, doctors could consider a different kind of treatment or targeted therapy to stop the tumors from advancing. Targeted therapies reduce blood flow so that tumors don't get the nutrients they require. A form of targeted therapy, known as bevacizumab (Avastin) is often used to treat mesothelioma recurrently and other cancers, such as lung cancer and pancreatic cancer.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy involves the sending of high-energy X rays or particle beams to mesothelioma cells that are malignant which causes them to die. It has been shown to extend survival and improve the quality of life in patients with mesothelioma of the pleural region by shrinking tumors. It also stops mesothelioma cells from reproducing and spreading. This reduces the risk for the recurrence of the disease. It is most effective in combination with other treatments like surgery and chemotherapy.
Mesothelioma radiation therapy is usually delivered by a specialist known as a radiation oncologist, who works with medical professionals to ensure that you receive the most effective treatment. They will mark the part of your body they want to treat with the machine, and they may utilize immobilization devices or molds to ensure you stay in the right position during treatment.
During radiation, doctors will monitor your condition through audio and video connections. The actual treatment takes only a few moments per session, but setting up can take a few hours. It is likely that you will require multiple sessions for several weeks.
One mesothelioma-specific radiation therapy known as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) uses a computer program to provide precise radiation doses. It is able to provide better outcomes for patients since it allows radiation oncologists to better target tumors and avoid healthy tissue around.
The most popular kind of mesothelioma-related radiation is external beam radiation (EBRT). This treatment uses a linear accelerator to deliver radiotherapy ionizing. Radiation oncologists can target specific areas of the chest or abdomen with this treatment. They usually apply it prior to or after an extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) for pleural mesothelioma. They may also use it before or after pleurectomy with décortication (P/D) which is a lung-sparing procedure for peritoneal mesothelioma.
Endobronchial ultrasound-guided needle aspiration
In this test, doctors employ a narrow flexible tube that looks into the airways of your lungs and has an ultrasound probe attached to it. The probe produces computer-generated three-dimensional images, which include any lymph nodes or tumors that may be present. Doctors then search for abnormalities, such mesothelioma for instance and collect tissue or fluid samples to look for cancer cells. Doctors can also inject a dye into your blood to highlight the areas they are testing. This allows doctors to determine the amount of mesothelioma that is present in your body.
This procedure is used to confirm the diagnosis of mesothelioma malignancy and determine whether you're in a stage that would indicate the need for surgical intervention. stage 4 mesothelioma treatment is also used to determine whether your mesothelioma has metastasized to lymph nodes, which can help your doctor determine the best course of treatment for you.
The EBUS-TBNA ultrasound system combines high-frequency imaging and endoscopic visualization to enable doctors to identify lymph node lesions as well as collect the cytological samples. Studies have found that EBUS-TBNA can offer a more precise and less invasive option to mediastinoscopy in the staging of MPM patients.
The sensitivity of EBUS-TBNA was 94.6 percent and the specificity was 100%, compared to the sensitivity of 50% for the traditional transbronchial needle aspiration alone. The EBUS-TBNA procedure also resulted in a more complete characterization of the underlying lesion that could lead to the diagnosis of sarcoidosis in every single case evaluated (34 epithelioid 7 biphasic, and 1 sarcomatoid). The sensitivity of EBUS-TBNA in detecting metastatic nodal diseases is comparable to that of MRI in this patient group however its value is dependent on the precision of the rapid evaluation on-site.
Mediastinoscopy
This procedure involves examining medically the area of the chest between the lungs and behind the sternum or breastbone. Mesothelioma often forms in this area and doctors utilize mediastinoscopy for diagnosing the condition, as well as other pleural diseases like sarcoidosis or tuberculosis. Once the patient is numb using local anesthesia, the doctor inserts an instrument with a light source known as a mediastinoscope into their chest cavity. They then can take tissues samples and search for signs of cancer like enlarged lymph nodes.
Doctors may also employ a needle to remove fluid from the pleura (the lung's lining) to be examined under a microscope. Typically, this procedure occurs when a patient is experiencing symptoms like wheezing or difficulty breathing. This procedure is known as a needle biopsy. It's less invasive than surgical mesothelioma removal.
Our mesothelioma experts can perform a more invasive surgical procedure called mediastinoscopy. A doctor inserts a bronchoscope or similar instrument, into your trachea and lungs the hope of identifying any abnormalities or enlarged nodes. The doctor may collect a sample of tissue and send it to a lab for testing.
A mediastinoscopy is an outpatient procedure meaning that the patient can go home following the procedure. It is crucial to understand the risks of surgery before deciding if it is the right option for you. This involves serious risks like bleeding, blood-clots in lungs and lung damage, as well as changes in the heart rhythm. Additionally, the surgical incision can be painful for several days following the procedure. The doctor can wrap the incision with wound glue or tape-like strips to aid in healing.