Mesothelioma Health Center

There are three types of standard treatment used for mesothelioma: surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. There are also new types of treatment currently being tested in clinical trials including biologic therapy and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

The following surgical treatments may be used:

• Wide local excision: A surgery to remove the cancer and some of the healthy tissue around it
• Pleurectomy and decortication: Surgery to remove part of the covering of the lungs and lining of the chest as well as part of the outside surface of the lungs
• Extrapleural pneumonectomy: Surgery to remove one entire lung and part of the lining of the chest, the diaphragm, and the lining of the sac around the heart.
• Pleurodesis: A surgery that uses chemicals or drugs to make a scar in the space between the layers of the pleura. Fluid is first drained from the sapce using a catheter or chest tube and the chemical or drug is put into the space. The scarring stops the build up of fluid in the pleural cavity.

Surgical options are used to physically remove cancerous cells from the body and the tissues they affect. However, even if the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some patients may be given additional treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy after surgery in order to kill any lingering cancer cells.

Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment which uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells and keep them from growing. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside of the body to send radiation toward the cancer. Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer.

Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment which uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells directly or by stopping them from dividing and multiplying. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injection, the drug enters the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells spread out throughout the body. When chemotherapy is placed directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those specific areas. Combination chemotherapy is the use of more than one anticancer drug.

Biologic therapy and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy are newer types of treatment currently being tested in clinical trials. Biologic therapy is a treatment that uses the patient's own immune system to fight the cancer. Substances made by the body or laboratory are used to boost, direct or restore the body's natural defenses against the disease. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is a type of chemotherapy being studied in the treatment of mesothelioma that has spread to the peritoneum, the tissue lining the abdomen and covering most of the organs in the abdomen. After the surgeon removes all the cancer that can be seen, a solution containing anticancer drugs is heated and pumped into and out of the abdomen to kill any remaining cancer cells.

Certain medications can be utilized to aid doctors in the treatment of mesothelioma. They may be used in a form of combination therapy. These pharmaceuticals include:

• Alimta (pemetrexed)
• Platinol (Cisplatin)
• Platinol-AQ (Cisplatin)