Treatment of Mesothelioma

How is Mesothelioma Treated?

While an actual cure for Mesothelioma is yet to be found, there are a range of treatments available for those suffering with the condition. Once you have been diagnosed your doctor or clinical team will study your case and decide which is the best treatment option available. As with any treatment, the risks of possible side effects must be balanced against the possible benefits.

The five most common types of treatment are:

Pleural Effusion
A common symptom of Mesothelioma is a build-up of fluid within the chest or abdomen called a Pleural Effusion. While the fluid can be drained or removed regularly, over time this becomes more difficult and so on-going options to keep the fluid at bay include a pleural catheter; a tube permanently attached within the chest so that the fluid can be regularly drained, or alternatively Pleurodesis where the fluid is removed and then a sterile talcum powder is injected into the cavity, effectively sticking the two layers of pleura together so that fluid cannot build up between them.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy involves the use of powerful medications to destroy the cancer cells. The most common drugs for Mesothelioma treatment include Pemetrexed (also known as Alimta) alongside Cisplatin or Carboplatin. While chemotherapy drugs attack the cancer cells, they also attack healthy, normal cells and the outcome of this can be quite drastic. Common side-effects of chemotherapy include nausea, anaemia and hair loss. The drugs can also affect the immune system leading to an increased risk of infection.

Surgery
Physically removing the cancerous tumour can be particularly difficult with Mesothelioma and it is rare in the UK that this treatment is offered unless as a part of a medical trial. Removing the entire lung and pleural membrane (a procedure called an Extra-Pleural Pneumonectomy) is also very rare – it is not an option offered in the UK at all – and studies have shown that this technique can potentially cause more harm and fewer benefits than other options.

Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is a treatment that uses high-energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells. Because the X-rays can be accurately focused only to attack the cancerous cells this treatment can have fewer side-effects than chemotherapy and can be less dangerous than surgery, but it is mainly used to treat symptoms rather than to try and cure the condition.

Palliative Care
Palliative care is the art of managing pain and symptoms without actually trying to cure the condition – in many cases due to the nature of Mesothelioma, it is unlikely that the illness itself can be treated and so steps are taken to ensure that the patient is as comfortable as possible with a view to maintaining or ideally improving their quality of life. This can occur alongside chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy in a bid to reduce the patient’s suffering as far as possible.

Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your Mesothelioma claim – either by calling us free on 0800 028 2060, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choice, to discuss your situation.

We’re here to help – contact us today.