Mesothelioma Tumors and possible treatments
04/22/2011
(courtesy photo)
In developing a treatment plan for a patient with mesothelioma
, a cancer specialist focuses on many factors to determine the most effective treatment. Surgery is one of the most commonly performed traditional treatments. In deciding whether it is operable mesothelioma, the doctor often weighs several factors to ensure that the procedure is safe and beneficial.
In general, most mesothelioma stage I and a small number of patients in stage II and III are considered resectable. Although not all cancers at an early stage can be removed when the disease was detected early in its evolution, the chances of success of surgery are much better. Patients whose cancer is diagnosed and treated for stage I usually show long-term benefits, including the possibility of long remissions.
In contrast, patients with stage IV malignant mesothelioma cannot be eliminated due to the spread of cancer. Most stage IV malignant mesothelioma does not respond to treatment. Instead, doctors often recommend palliative treatments to reduce cancer growth and relieve pain and other symptoms.
When the decision is made to operate on a malignant mesothelioma, an oncologist will also take into account their size and subtype. Many doctors say that tumors composed of epithelioid cells are resectable, while part of sarcomatoid and biphasic cells does not respond to the proceedings. If the tumor has spread to other parts of the body, surgery is usually not recommended.
If resection is approved, the procedure will be determined by the location of the tumor. Pleural mesothelioma is treated with pleurectomy or extrapleural pneumonectomy, pleurectomy removes part of the lining of the lungs. The last option deletes an entire lung and is often used in patients with pleural mesothelioma whose cancer is confined to one lung.
Pathology is designed to remove all or part of a mesothelioma tumor, but in cases where this procedure poses more risks than benefits, chemotherapy and radiotherapy may be chosen instead of an operation. These treatments can also be used to monitor a successful surgery when the patient can tolerate a more aggressive approach in the fight against cancer.
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