meso
- From: james <arivu88@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:47:31 -0700
How is mesothelioma treated?
Treatment for mesothelioma depends on the location of the cancer, the
stage of the disease, and the patient's age and general health.
Standard treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, and
chemotherapy. Sometimes, these treatments are combined.
Surgery is a common treatment for mesothelioma. The doctor may remove
part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some of the tissue
around it. For cancer of the pleura (pleural mesothelioma), a lung may
be removed in an operation called a pneumonectomy. Sometimes part of
the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing,
is also removed.
Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, involves the use of high-
energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy
affects the cancer cells only in the treated area. The radiation may
come from a machine (external radiation) or from putting materials
that produce radiation through thin plastic tubes into the area where
the cancer cells are found (internal radiation therapy).
Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells
throughout the body. Most drugs used to treat mesothelioma are given
by injection into a vein (intravenous, or IV). Doctors are also
studying the effectiveness of putting chemotherapy directly into the
chest or abdomen (intracavitary chemotherapy).
To relieve symptoms and control pain, the doctor may use a needle or a
thin tube to drain fluid that has built up in the chest or abdomen.
The procedure for removing fluid from the chest is called
thoracentesis. Removal of fluid from the abdomen is called
paracentesis. Drugs may be given through a tube in the chest to
prevent more fluid from accumulating. Radiation therapy and surgery
may also be helpful in relieving symptoms.
Posted by hari at 1:53 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Are new treatments for mesothelioma being studied?
Yes. Because mesothelioma is very hard to control, the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) is sponsoring clinical trials (research studies with
people) that are designed to find new treatments and better ways to
use current treatments. Before any new treatment can be recommended
for general use, doctors conduct clinical trials to find out whether
the treatment is safe for patients and effective against the disease.
Participation in clinical trials is an important treatment option for
many patients with mesothelioma.
People interested in taking part in a clinical trial should talk with
their doctor. Information about clinical trials is available from the
Cancer Information Service (CIS) (see below) at 1-800-4-CANCER.
Information specialists at the CIS use PDQ®, NCI's cancer information
database, to identify and provide detailed information about specific
ongoing clinical trials. Patients also have the option of searching
for clinical trials on their own. The clinical trials page on the
NCI's on the Internet, provides general information about clinical
trials and links to PDQ.
People considering clinical trials may be interested in the NCI
booklet Taking Part in Clinical Trials: What Cancer Patients Need To
Know. This booklet describes how research studies are carried out and
explains their possible benefits and risks. The booklet is available
by calling the CIS, or from the NCI Publications Locator
http://mesothelioma-cancer-mesothelial.blogspot.com/
.
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