Treatment options for Mesothelioma?
Filed in Mesothelioma Info on Apr.28, 2010
Are there any effective treatment options for Mesothelioma patients?
3 Responses to “Treatment options for Mesothelioma?”
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April 28th, 2010 at 10:45 am
This page is dedicated to available treatment options for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma. Patients of mesothelioma are often overwhelmed with information immediately following a diagnosis. For many patients, they are not able to research the available mesothelioma treatments prior to speaking with an oncologist. Our feeling is that knowledge is power. For patients wanting to empower themselves, please read below.
http://www.mesolink.org/resources/treatment-options-for-patients.html
April 28th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Surgery and chemotherapy can both be effective treatments for mesothelioma. Though, nothing is a cure.
I’m a chemo nurse, and I have a patient receiving a regimen including cisplatin and alimta. He has shown some response to the drugs, which means a little more time for him. However, the treatment is difficult because of the side effects.
April 28th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
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).
For more info, go here: http://www.mesotheliomaweb.tk