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There are several methods of treatment
for Mesothelioma although none of these have a high success
rate. In general, the chances of curing a Mesothelioma
patient depends on how much the cancer has developed and
matured when treated. If tackled aggressively in its early
stages, there is a good chance of survival. Due to the
difficulty of diagnosing Mesothelioma in its early stages,
many Mesothelioma treatments focus on improving the quality
of life for patients.
Before a patient is treated upon, a
doctor will decide what the best course of treatment is by
considering the patient’s age, medical history, general
well being and even weight. From here, the doctor will
decide which of the three most common treatments are most
suited to the patient’s condition. These treatments are
surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Surgery
Surgery comes in two different types.
Aggressive surgery is treatment which aims to gain long term
control against the cancer and palliative procedures which
aims to just relieve the patient of symptoms.
Aggressive surgery involves removing the
pleura, the lung, the diaphragm and the pericardium. This
procedure is known as extra pleural pneumonectomy. The aim
of this is to remove as much of the tumor as possible
without harming the patient. However, this is a very risky
type of surgery and the chances are high of patient fatality
within a month. Due to this, only young, fit individuals are
referred to this form of treatment. Palliative procedures
involve removing just the pleura in order to control the
symptoms of the cancer. This is performed when Mesothelioma
is in an advanced form and is impossible to cure.
Chemotherapy
This is the most commonly known cure of
cancer. Chemotherapy uses drugs to treat Mesothelioma
although many of these drugs have a poor success rate on
patients. Combinations of drugs are often used to improve
their effect. Some of these combinations have proved to be
effective. Chemotherapy of Mesothelioma is being improved
regularly as research labs and pharmaceutical companies are
discovering new and more effective drugs.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses radiation to kill
the tumor which Mesothelioma creates. However, this
procedure is extremely difficult because of where the tumor
grows. Due to the closeness of the tumor and many vital
internal organs such as the heart and lungs, doctors have to
be very careful as to the doses of radiation they use. Lower
radiation doses can be used however this lowers its
effectiveness.
Dual Therapy
This is often used and is just a
combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy
combined. Surgery removes the majority of the tumor cells
while chemotherapy and radiation therapy work on removing
the remainder. This is an effective method and also lessens
the symptoms of the cancer.
All the detailed information you need on
the symptoms, treatment, risks, science and more about
Mesothelioma can be found at:
http://www.1-mesothelioma.co.uk
Be sure to visit to learn more about this
deadly cancer and how you can prevent it.
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