Treating Pleural Mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma is a condition that affects the tissue that covers your lungs (the pleura). It can also be found in the tissues of your stomach (peritoneum).
Doctors diagnose the disease using chest X-rays as well as other tests. They might take a fluid sample (called thoracentesis) to look for cancerous cells.
You can also receive chemotherapy prior to or after surgery. The most common is the combination of drugs pemetrexed and the drug cisplatin.
Surgery
The lung’s lining (pleura) is affected by mesothelioma of the pleural lining. Asbestos fibers may cause these cells to grow into tumors. These tumors can cause swelling and inflammation in the lungs. The symptoms can result in shortness of breath, coughing and other problems. Cancer can spread to other parts of the body.
Mesothelioma is a fatal cancer. However there are treatments that can increase the chance of survival and quality of life. Patients should seek treatment at a mesothelioma center that is specialized in. These centers can provide a variety of treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery.
If a patient is diagnosed with an early stage of mesothelioma doctors can remove the mesothelioma and the surrounding tissue during surgery. The surgeons will likely employ an anesthesia for general use to perform the procedure. After the anesthesia wears off the patient will be transported to a normal hospital room for monitoring and recovery.
Before surgery, doctors may test a fluid sample from the chest or abdomen for mesothelioma cell. mesothelioma treatment alternative treatment may also collect samples during the procedure. To do this, a surgeon might insert an instrument into the chest or abdomen and collect a sample of tissue with special tools. The samples will be tested to confirm the diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma as well as the extent of the disease.
The two most commonly performed procedures to treat mesothelioma pleural are extrapleural pneumonectomy and pleurectomy with decortication. The surgeon will remove the lung closest to mesothelioma tumors as well as the lung’s lining, or the pleura. In some instances surgeons may perform a P/D, which preserves the lungs but removes the tumors as well as the pleura. This procedure is associated with a lower risk of complications and a shorter recovery time.
The type of mesothelioma as well as the medical history of the patient will determine which surgery they will receive. Doctors will also take into account the stage of cancer (extent) and whether it has reached lymph nodes or other organs prior to deciding on the treatment. The majority of doctors utilize the TNM system to stage cancer. However, some use the Butchart or Brigham systems to determine the stage of the cancer.
Chemotherapy
The most frequent mesothelioma type is called mesothelioma of the pleural region. It affects the linings of the chest and lungs. The symptoms include coughing, chest pain and breath shortness. The condition is associated to asbestos exposure. The mineral fibers may travel into the lungs, where they irritate cells and cause the cells to grow out of control. Cancer symptoms usually don’t appear until it’s at an advanced stage. Therefore, it is important to get a cancer diagnosis as soon as possible.
Mesothelioma treatment usually involves reducing symptoms or reducing the cancer to improve the quality of life. Patients can also receive chemotherapy drugs to stop cancer from returning or spreading. In some cases, chemotherapy is used in conjunction with surgery or radiotherapy. This is referred to as multimodal therapy.
The chemotherapy drugs used to treat pleural mesothelioma were specifically designed to kill cancer cells without causing harm to normal tissues. The most commonly used treatment is pemetrexed, which is combined with carboplatin or cisplatin. The chemotherapeutic agents are delivered directly into the pleural cavity through inhalation. It can be administered on its own or before surgery to shrink tumors and improve the chances of a patient’s survival. It can also be used in conjunction with radiation or surgery to treat peritoneal adenocarcinoma.
The prognosis of an individual is contingent on their type and stage pleural cancer in addition to other personal and disease factors. A doctor may provide an estimated 5-year survival rate, which compares the likelihood of a person remaining alive for five years following their diagnosis to the probability that a person with no mesothelioma would be able to live that long. It is crucial to remember that survival rates vary based on the type of mesothelioma and its stage. For example biphasic mesothelioma has a lower survival rate than epithelioid mesothelioma. This is because biphasic mesothelioma typically contains a mixture of both epithelioid and sarcomatoid cells. These are more difficult to treat. However, some researchers have found that a combination of both surgeries and chemotherapy can extend the life of a patient. Radiation therapy, which uses radiation to kill cancerous cells, can be utilized at different stages of mesothelioma in order to relieve symptoms and to eliminate any remaining cancerous cells after surgery or chemotherapy.
Radiation Therapy
Pleural mesothelioma starts in the lining of the lung (pleura). This lining is made of two layers of tissue that surround the lungs and chest cavity. The exposure to asbestos causes the cells of this lining to expand and change in an uncontrollable manner. This can result in cancerous tumours. Mesothelioma is a serious problem for older men, specifically those from working-class backgrounds and veterans. However, anyone who has been exposed to asbestos is at risk.
When a patient is diagnosed with mesothelioma, doctors will determine the stage of the disease. The stage of cancer is determined by how far the tumors have spread and what areas of the body are affected. The doctors assign the mesothelioma stage a number from one to four. One is the least advanced stage, while four is the most advanced.
If mesothelioma is present in the earliest stages, doctors may treat it surgically. The surgeon will remove fluid out of the lungs to ease chest pain and ease breathing. The procedure may involve removing tissue from the lining of the lungs and chest (pleurectomy), or a more extensive procedure that eliminates all lung tissue, as well as the lining surrounding the heart and parts of the diaphragm.
Radiation therapy can be used to treat mesothelioma. It can be used either prior to or after surgery in order to shrink tumors, and decrease the risk of the recurrence. It can also be used as a palliative to ease symptoms and improve the quality of life.
In addition the immunotherapy treatment is an option that enhances the body’s natural defenses to combat cancer. More research is currently being conducted on this promising treatment option for pleural msothelioma.
It is important to note that although mesothelioma is treated using a variety of methods however, it is more difficult to cure it than other cancers. For that reason, it is crucial to seek diagnosis and treatment when it is possible. Specialists in mesothelioma can offer patients a personalized treatment plan. This includes determining the best treatment options and staging of mesothelioma.
Other Options
The standard treatment for pleural cancer may not be sufficient for certain patients. Doctors can design a custom treatment plan for each patient that could include different types of treatment, like targeted therapy or immunotherapy.
Multidisciplinary teams of doctors can create a treatment plan that will help you manage your symptoms and may even prolong your life span. This includes asbestos-related disease specialists as well as pharmacists and nurses.
The multidisciplinary team may also collaborate with you to obtain a biopsy, which will remove tissue or fluid for testing. A biopsy is needed to confirm the diagnosis of mesothelioma and determine the kind of cancer it is.
Mesothelioma is classified as epithelioid or sarcomatoid. Epithelioid cancer is more prevalent and is more slow-growing than the sarcomatoid type of cancer, which is more severe and difficult to treat. Your mesothelioma treatment team will use results from the biopsy and other tests to determine what kind of surgery you may need.
There are many types of surgeries used to treat pleural mesothelioma. The surgeon will decide on the appropriate procedure depending on the site of the tumors and the degree to which your mesothelioma has advanced. Pleurectomy with decortication (P/D) is an operation which removes the pleura however, the lung lining remains intact. P/D is a less in-depth procedure than extrapleural pneumonectomy that removes the whole lung. P/D has been proven to improve survival and reduce complications for some patients.
Chemotherapy is another part of the mesothelioma treatment program which can prolong your life by keeping cancer at the helm. You could receive a combination called pemetrexed (Alimta) and cisplatin, or carboplatin every three weeks, for up to six cycles of treatment. Certain doctors will include bevacizumab, an anti-angiogenesis medicine which blocks the growth of blood vessels that feed the tumor to the chemotherapy regimen.
Since pleural mesothelioma may take as long as 20 years to develop, it is vital to consult your doctor about any history of exposure to asbestos. The doctor will talk with you about your risk factors and recommend screening options.
g
Aucune réponse