Mesothelioma Treatment Options
There are several different mesothelioma treatment options. The treatment program prescribed will depend on many things such as the patient’s age, the patient’s wants, the look of the cancer cells (microscope), how much the cancer has spread, where the cancer is located and the stage of the cancer. Getting a mesothelioma treatment plan as soon as possible is extremely important if you expect success.
Mesothelioma Treatment Options: Will Treatments Work?
For some, yes. The average survival rate is said to be eight to twelve months, but many patients have exceeded this. Time is the most important factor when it comes to effective treatment. One treatment program (Dr. Sugarbaker’s treatment program at the Brigham and Woman’s Center in Boston) boasts a 40% five year survival rate when treated within a specific time frame. Patients must meet a certain criteria to qualify for this program.
Mesothelioma Treatment Options: Traditional Cancer Treatments
Some patients will undergo surgery in order to try and remove the cancer. Some patients will go through chemotherapy to try to fight the cancer. Some patients will go through radiation therapy to try to kill the cancer cells. Often times a combination on two or all of these methods is used when trying to treat mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma Treatment Options: Mesomark Blood Test
This mesothelioma treatment option was approved by the FDA in January of 2007. This treatment was introduced as a way to help monitor how a patient is responding to treatment. This test measures the amount to SMRP (soluble mesothelin-related peptide) in the blood to determine a patients progress. Since this treatment option is still very new, its effectiveness has yet to be determined.
Mesothelioma Treatment Options: Palliative Procedures
Pleurodesis and chest tube drainage is used as a mesothelioma treatment. This helps to prevent the fluid buildup in the lungs that often occurs with this disease. Doctors will often use some type of sclerosing agent in order to produce adhesion so prevent future fluid buildup.
Pleurectomy may be performed when an extensive surgery cannot be. Many doctors consider this the most effective way of controlling fluid buildup in the lungs. It can help to wait on restricted lung expansion that can be brought on by this disease.
Mesothelioma Treatment Options: Potentially Curative Procedures
Pleurectomy and/or decortication is typically performed on patients who are in the early stages of mesothelioma (i.e., stage 1 and distinct stage 2’s). This procedure is done to try to remove the tumor. If the tumor cannot be removed without the lung being removed as well, this may be done too.
There is a lot of medical research being done on mesothelioma treatment options, so a better prognosis could be just around the corner. It is important to have this disease diagnosed as quickly as possible to get the best results from treatment. If you have ever been exposed to anything that may cause mesothelioma, be determined to have your doctor check you factual away.
Sources
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/treat.htm
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Filed under Mesothelioma Treatment by on Jan 26th, 2012. 