There are many treatments available for Mesothelioma that can be used separately or together. While there is still no cure for Mesothelioma, recent medical advances help individual patients get better outcomes. Medical treatment of Mesothelioma has advanced dramatically in the past five years, which has allowed some Mesothelioma patients to extend their lives well beyond their initial prognosis.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a treatment that is familiar to most people. It uses regular intervals of Infusions of chemical cocktails that attempt to kill the tumor cells by targeting specific cancer's general cell type and the tissue around the tumor.
What has improved is how doctors can adjust the cocktail mixture to maximize its effectiveness and minimize side effects.
The most common chemotherapeutic compounds for Mesothelioma are Cisplatin, Carboplatin, Gemcitabine, and Vinorelbine.
Radiation
Radiation therapy is an intense energy beam that stops all cells in a targeted area from engaging in cell division. It can be centered on a specific location and depth of a tumor and destroy cancer cells and the vascularization that supplies its nutrients.
Radiation is not appropriate for all Mesotheliomas, and its application is dependent on the tumor's location and cell type. Radiation is often used together with other treatments or as a follow-up to surgery.
Surgical Intervention
Surgical Intervention is the physical removal of the Mesothelioma tumor and a surrounding healthy tissue--called the margin. Your doctor will first map the area using high-resolution imaging (usually CT scan with contrast).
Once the tumor has been mapped, it can be surgically resected. Surgery is generally combined with other forms of treatment.
To learn more about specific surgeries that are used to treat Pleural Mesothelioma:
- Pleurectomy and Decortication
- Pleural Pneumonectomy
- Extrapleural Pneumonectomy
Immunotherapy
One of the newest developments in Mesothelioma treatment is immunotherapy. Immunotherapy targets the tumor cells by alerting the immune surveillance system to recognize the tumor cell as an enemy.
This process works similar to how our bodies learn to destroy viruses from a vaccine. It is usually is most successful in combination with other treatments.
Multimodal Therapy
Multimodal therapy for Mesothelioma is another way of saying that your doctors'' are using several methods of treating cancer simultaneously or in a strategic sequence.
For example, immunotherapy or chemotherapy can be used to shrink the size of a tumor before a surgeon attempts to remove it.
Shrinking the tumor allows the surgery to be more precise and causes less collateral damage to the patient.
Because Mesothelioma is rare, each patient presents unique challenges that often can be better tackled with multimodal treatment.
Palliative Care
Palliative care is a course of treatment that emphasizes pain management and comfort. This form of therapy is used when the patient decides to maximize their quality of life and not attempt aggressive treatments that may have serious side-effects.
Palliative treatment includes hospice but can be used for healthier patients as well. The decision to choose palliative care and forgo other treatment options is a decision between patients and their doctors.
However, choosing palliative care does not affect the ability to qualify for Mesothelioma compensation.
Mesothelioma Treatments FAQ's
What Is The Best Mesothelioma Treatment For Me?
The best Mesothelioma treatment for you is something only your doctors will know. So much depends on complex information on the cell type, disease staging, and tissue characteristics that no website can give you a real answer.
If you don't have a Mesothelioma specialist doctor in your area, please call us, and we will help you find options. Please also call if you have questions or need help understanding what your doctors are telling you.
Will A Mesothelioma Claim Or Lawsuit Bother My Doctor?
Your Mesothelioma claim will not bother or inconvenience your doctor. We never sue doctors or hospitals, and we avoid having them involved in your Mesothelioma claim or lawsuit. We have experts that have treated thousands of Mesothelioma patients over several decades.
We ask these medical experts to do the heavy lifting on your case. We don't want your doctors to be taken away from patient care to give depositions or medical opinions for a lawsuit.
Can I Still File A Mesothelioma Claim Or Lawsuit If I Don't Get Treatment?
You can file a Mesothelioma claim or lawsuit even if you don't get treatment.
The type of cancer treatment you choose to pursue (even if that is no treatment) does not affect your potential case. It is a personal and private matter for your family and your physicians.
The only thing that the court requires is for Flint Law Firm to show that you were diagnosed with Mesothelioma.
Reviewed by: Adrienne Andrus
Chief Editor of Flint law Firm LLC
Client Advocate & Product Liability Paralegal since 2015.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication, SIU Edwardsville
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