Mesothelioma treatment refers to treatment of mesothelioma- the rare yet deadly cancer of the lining of the lung and abdomen. Asbestos exposure is the main cause of mesothelioma cancer. The prognosis of mesothelioma patients is very bleak and once diagnosed the patient can survive for not more than 12-24 months. There is not much hope for full-blown mesothelioma patients despite the availability of various mesothelioma treatment options.
Types of Mesothelioma Treatment
Selecting a course of mesothelioma treatment depends upon many factors like the size of the cancer, location of the cancer, type of cancer cells, how bad are they and the spread of cancer. Age, general health and financial condition of the patients are other important factors that are important in selecting a mesothelioma treatment. Some treatments available for mesothelioma patients are:
Surgery
Surgery is the most common mesothelioma treatment. Extrapleural pneumonectomy is a surgical process suitable for patients in early stages of disease. This method is said to avoid recurrence and improve the chances of survival. In other cases, the doctors may undertake pneumonectomy, which involves removal of the lung. The type and extent of surgical removal depends upon the spread of the cancer cells.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is the mesothelioma treatment method that aims at destroying the cancer cells and shrinking the tumors by X-Ray radiation. Two types of radiation therapies are available for mesothelioma patients. External Radiation therapy uses radiation coming from the machine outside the patient’s body. Internal radiation therapy is the method, which uses radioisotopes placed inside the body via thin plastic tubes.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the mesothelioma treatment method that tries to kill the cancer cells with the help of drugs. Herein, the patient has to take pills or the doctors infuse drugs through needles targeted at specific locations in the body.
Intraoperative Photodynamic Therapy
The doctors are also experimenting with a mesothelioma treatment that is a combination therapy of drugs and light. This method weakens the mesothelioma cells with the help of drugs and then tries to kill them by light rays.
All these mesothelioma treatments are very expensive. However, you have the right to recover medical expenses and damages for your pain and sufferings from the company or person responsible for exposing you to asbestos. Please check with your mesothelioma attorney to have more details on your rights related to mesothelioma compensation.