Mesothelioma Treatment Option: Why Is The Removal Of The Lung And Other Organs Necessary?

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One of the most successful Mesothelioma treatment options involves the removal of the lung and other organs via surgery. However many patients and their loved ones do not quite understand why this is necessary.

This Mesothelioma treatment option is necessary and is one of the most successful because the disease usually starts in the lining of the inner chest wall and the lining that covers the diaphragm. This is called the parietal pleura. The disease then grows into the lining that covers the lung (visceral pleura).

Because it is impossible to separate the visceral pleura from the lung so as to remove the Mesothelioma cancer, there is no option but treatment through the removal of the lung. Secondly it is also important to note that Mesothelioma often attacks the lung tissue so the only way to completely remove the tumor is by removing the lung.

Quality of life for patients after this Mesothelioma treatment option is difficult to predict. Many people may suffer a degree of shortness of breath, which incidentally is also, one of the symptoms of the disease before surgery. Also because the surgery involves a large incision and sometimes portions of the rib are also taken out, many patients suffer a lot of pain after the surgery, however this is usually quickly controlled by pain medication.

However many times this Mesothelioma treatment option results in a big improvement, especially if surgeons are able to properly remove the tumor. In fact many patients are able to breath a lot better with one lung. The reason is because of the relief of tumor compression on the lung and the related restriction of chest wall movement.

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The Most Common Mesothelioma Treatment Options

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Mesothelioma treatment options are improving with research and the program of treatment depends on factors such as where the cancer is situated, the stage of the cancer, how far it has spread, the patients age and needs and how the cancer cells appear under a microscope.

There are three main types of traditional treatment for people with mesothelioma lung cancer, namely, surgery to remove the cancer, chemotherapy which is the use of drugs to eradicate cancer cells and radiation therapy which uses x-rays in high dose or other energy rays to destroy cancer cells. Usually, these therapies are combined.

The mesothelioma cancer prognosis is usually only eight to twelve months. However, time is of the essence when treating this disease and the earlier it is diagnosed, the better.

In the case of surgery, sometimes diagnostic surgery is needed as a very necessary step, as mesothelioma diagnosis through fluid is sometimes inconclusive. Sometimes a thoracoscopy (like an open biopsy but less invasive) is done to carry out multiple tissue biopsies and for assessment of the pleural cavity. A conclusive diagnosis is obtained in up to 98% of cases. Fluid can be drained from the intrapleural space at the same time and the extent of the tumor assessed to determine the possibilities of resection.

An alternative to thoracoscopy is video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) which is more invasive but the physician is able to see the pleural space using a camera while collecting tumor samples for examination by a pathologist. The physician can also determine the extent of tumor invasion for example in the chest wall or pleural involvement.

A laproscopy or mediastinoscopy are also sometimes used as other ways of gaging the extent of disease.

Palliative procedures are used to treat symptoms of mesothelioma but do not treat the disease itself. Such procedures include chest tube drainage and pleurodesis which are the most common palliative treatments. Thoracoscopy and pleurodesis are done with VATS. A pleuroperitoneal shunt is sometimes used, but in limited capacity due to tumor seeding concerns. Lastly a pleurectomy is sometimes carried out in cases where more extensive surgery is not possible.

Along with diagnostic and palliative treatments, surgery with potentially curative intent is carried out where the aim is to remove all of the disease with the awareness that some microscopic elements will probably remain.

For malignant pleural mesothelioma two surgical treatments are available namely, a pleurectomy/decortication which is carried out on early stage tumors (Stage I and sometimes Stage II) and secondly, an extrapleural pneumonectomy which is only executed by surgeons with much expertise and where previous surgery has failed to cure or prolong life.

For peritoneal mesothelioma, cytoreductive surgery aims at removing all of the visible or gross tumor within the peritoneal cavity. Cancer cells left are treated with chemotherapy and focused in the abdominal cavity.

Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with anticancer chemical substances to control the division of cancerous cells by destroying them. It is not considered curative but seeks to control the spread, shrink tumors, to relieve symptoms like pain and to destroy microscopic cells remaining post surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy).

Radiation therapy or radiotherapy is included in the range of mesothelioma treatment options and treats the tumor with the use of penetrative beams of high energy radiation and can be used in conjunction with surgery and palliatively.

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New treatments for cancer mesothelioma

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Other new treatments for mesothelioma is currently being tested and tested every day. Scientists are also trying conventional treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy and surgery in combination, to try to tackle the more accurate and faster treatment of mesothelioma. Here are some of the new treatments are tested on this.

Immunotherapy is a new treatment to try at this time. Immunotherapy uses the patients own immune systemControl system of mesothelioma. Immunotherapy is the use of substances found in the immune system to fight tumor growth.

Some substances that have been used in laboratory studies are interferon and interleukin-2. These substances have been found in laboratory studies, effective, but in those with malignant mesothelioma and non-clinical studies of immunotherapy was effective.

Another treatment is called mesotheliomaHeat treatment. Heat treatment works, so that chemotherapy drugs heated before being injected. If these substances are heated before injection, it seems more to kill cancer cells. This new mesothelioma treatment is also known as hyperthermia and chemotherapy has shown good results in patients with malignant mesothelioma.

Gene therapy is a new treatment for Mesothelioma Mesothelioma that some believe that a big key in future studies.In gene therapy, genes are involved in the manipulation of the tumor into a virus like a cold, and then with antiviral drugs, or your immune system to destroy cells.

Studies have not yet done before this therapy. So far, this treatment was effective in the early stages of cancer and other types of malignant mesothelioma.

Another type of new mesothelioma treatment will be tested in several studies is called photodynamic therapy.Photodynamic therapy consists of photosensitive molecules injected into the pleural space before the operation. When the operation is done soon to put directly on the molecules in order to kill cancer cells. This study has demonstrated that the treatment improves survival, but studies are ongoing to try.

Other new studies will try every day, many patients, conducted clinical trials. Clinical trials are studies that are made to information for new drugs or devices are collected. ClinicalStudies may be in some cases the best treatment. Clinical studies have made several tests by doctors, advanced knowledge. A clinical study could be very easy to continue the healing of mesothelioma.

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An Overview of Mesothelioma Treatment Options

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Mesothelioma treatment options depend on many internal factors such as: stage, location, and the patient's age and desires. Important external factors to consider include the experience level of the oncologist with mesothelioma cases and whether or not a rural dweller would have to be transferred to a larger city for aggressive treatment or palliative care.

Patient survival rate is determined to be up to a year; while some leading cancer centers have reported life expectancy after diagnosis to be as much as five more years.

Screening

Imaging tests allow doctors to see a picture of the cancer site. These tests could include x-rays, CT scans (computed tomography), or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

New Screening Instrument: The Mesomark Test

The Food and Drug administration has just approved (January 2007) the world's first in-vitro test for mesothelioma. The Mesomark assay test, developed by Fujirebio Diagnostics is administered to patients diagnosed with biphasic or epithelioid mesothelioma by a simple blood test. The test measures proteins within the blood that reflect changes in the patient's tumor volume, a key factor for monitoring patient status and response to therapies.

Traditional Treatment Types

Surgery, removal of the entire lung and a part of the chest lining, the diaphragm and part of the sac surrounding the heart.

Thoracoscopy is the insertion of an endoscope which is a small narrow tube, containing a tiny cameria into the pleural cavity to look directly at the tumor. Pathologist's perform a biopsy to collect a tissue. Often, chemical pleurodesis (draining fluid in the intrapleural space), can be accomplished during the same procedure.

Mediastinoscopy, another type of surgical incision is sometimes used to stage the extent of disease when enlarged nodes are seen using imaging techniques.

Laproscopy is used in mesothelioma patients when imaging techniques suggest that the tumor has penetrated through the diaphragm. This information is important in evaluating a patient for potential pleurectomy or extrapleural pneumonectomy.

Radiation Therapy (using high-dose x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells.

Radiation - Although mesothelioma tumors are highly resistant to radiotherapy, these treatments are sometimes used to relieve symptoms arising from tumor growth, such as obstruction of a major blood vessel.

Radiotherapy is commonly applied to the sites of chest drain insertion, in order to prevent the growth of the tumor along the track in the chest wall.

Chemotherapy - is used to stop the cancer cells from growing and dividing.

Immunotherapy: Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy requires the removal as much of the tumor as possible followed by the direct administration of a heated between (40 and 48°C) chemotherapy agent, into the abdomen for 60 to 120 minutes and then drained.

Palliative Procedures

Pleuroperitoneal Shunt is a procedure where a catheter is placed under the skin from the pleural to the peritoneal cavity. This procedure raising concerns as the catheter can cause damage by embedding itself into the abdomen.

Pleurectomy, a palliative procedure, may be performed when more extensive surgery is not an option. The procedure does not effectively remove all tumors. It is considered the most effective means of controlling pleural effusion (fluid buildup) in cases where the lung's expansion is restricted by the mesothelioma.

Potentially Curative Procedures

These procedures are performed with "curative intent".

Pleurectomy/Decortication is usually performed on patients with early stage pleural mesothelioma disease (Stage I and selected Stage II), and attempts to remove all gross tumor.

Extrapleural Pneumonectomy is surgery to remove a diseased lung, part of the pericardium, part of the diaphragm and part of the parietal pleura. This type of surgery is used most often to treat malignant mesothelioma and is combined with traditional chemotherapy and/or radiation, gene therapy, immunotherapy or photodynamic therapy.

Cytoreductive Surgery removes visible tumors in the peritoneal cavity. The remaining cancer cells are treated by Intra-Peritoneal Hyperthermic (heated) Chemotherapy (IPHC) and then delivered to the abdominal cavity.

New or Experimental Therapies

Gene Therapy: The best known tumor suppressor gene is called p53. If this gene is damaged or non existent oncogenes or cancer genes multiply at an abnormal rate. The main focus of gene therapy for mesothelioma involves injecting a virus that has been modified in the laboratory. The virus is injected into the pleural space in the chest, where mesothelioma develops as an attempt to kill the cancer cells.

Drug or Vaccine Therapy

Patients with mesothelioma have much higher levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) a chemical controlling blood vessel than people with any other type of cancer. Trials are being conducted to see if VEGF can be blocked, thus stopping the growth of blood vessels feeding the mesothelioma tumors.

Bevacizumab is a drug vaccine currently in use. One trial recently reported that this drug may increase survival for patients with lung cancer. An American phase 2 trial tested bevacizumab for mesothelioma, in combination with chemotherapy drugs. Bevacizumab is still in the experimental phase and much larger trials are needed before we will know how effective it will be in treating mesothelioma and other types of cancers.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

In Photodynamic therapy a drug called a photosensitizing agent is injected into the bloodstream and absorbed by the body's cells rendering the cells sensitive to light. When the area to be treated is exposed to laser light, the cells are killed. PDT has to be combined with surgery to treat patients in the early stages of mesothelioma. PDT is still in the trial stages and very experimental.

Clinical Trials and Eligibility

Clinical Trials provide research by using a sampling of people affected by the cancer. The National Cancer Institute states that the purpose of most listed clinical trials is to test new cancer treatments or new methods of diagnosing, screening for or preventing cancer.

Eligibility requirements for clinical trials are not the same; each study has specific guidelines for participation. Some trials allow participation after other treatments have failed, while others require that the patient did not have prior treatment. Choosing a clinical test should only be done after a medical consultation.

Prevention trials - study ways to reduce the risk, or chance, of developing cancer. Most prevention trials are conducted with healthy people who have not had cancer. These trials use drugs, vitamins or diet to reduce risk of cancer. Some trials are conducted with people who have had cancer and want to prevent the return of cancer (recurrence), or reduce the chance of developing a new type of cancer.

Screening Trials - study ways to detect cancer. They are often conducted to determine whether finding cancer before it causes symptoms decreases the chance of dying from the disease. These trials involve people who do not have any symptoms of cancer.

Diagnostic Cancer Trials - develops new tests or scans

Treatment Trials - studies new drugs or combinations of drugs; new ways of giving treatment, and new types of treatment

Quality of life trials explore ways to improve the comfort and quality of life of cancer patients and cancer survivors. These trials may study ways to help people who are experiencing nausea, vomiting, sleep disorders, depression, or other effects from cancer or its treatment.

Genetics Study Trials - are sometimes part of another cancer clinical trial. The genetics component of the trial may focus on how genetic makeup can affect detection, diagnosis, or response to cancer treatment.

Clinical trials are conducted in 4 phases:

Phase 1 trials look at whether a trial treatment drug is safe or has any harmful effects and attempts to establish the right dosage required.

Phase 2 trials look at the effectiveness of the treatment.

Phase 3 trials test a new treatment against the existing standard treatment. If it yields better results, it may become the new standard treatment.

Phase 4 trials are carried out after a drug has been licensed. They collect information about side effects, safety and the long term risks and benefits of a drug.

Ongoing research attempts to improve mesothelioma treatment options but clinical trials will not all result in new and better treatment. After testing, it may be discovered that the treatment being tested does not work, or that it has worse side affects than existing treatments. But, to researchers and doctors, and in the end for patients, it is crucial to keep this research going.

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Mesothelioma Treatment Option: Why Is The Removal Of The Lung And Other Organs Necessary?

Image : http://www.flickr.com

One of the most successful Mesothelioma treatment options involves the removal of the lung and other organs via surgery. However many patients and their loved ones do not quite understand why this is necessary.

This Mesothelioma treatment option is necessary and is one of the most successful because the disease usually starts in the lining of the inner chest wall and the lining that covers the diaphragm. This is called the parietal pleura. The disease then grows into the lining that covers the lung (visceral pleura).

Because it is impossible to separate the visceral pleura from the lung so as to remove the Mesothelioma cancer, there is no option but treatment through the removal of the lung. Secondly it is also important to note that Mesothelioma often attacks the lung tissue so the only way to completely remove the tumor is by removing the lung.

Quality of life for patients after this Mesothelioma treatment option is difficult to predict. Many people may suffer a degree of shortness of breath, which incidentally is also, one of the symptoms of the disease before surgery. Also because the surgery involves a large incision and sometimes portions of the rib are also taken out, many patients suffer a lot of pain after the surgery, however this is usually quickly controlled by pain medication.

However many times this Mesothelioma treatment option results in a big improvement, especially if surgeons are able to properly remove the tumor. In fact many patients are able to breath a lot better with one lung. The reason is because of the relief of tumor compression on the lung and the related restriction of chest wall movement.

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The Most Common Mesothelioma Treatment Options

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Mesothelioma treatment options are improving with research and the program of treatment depends on factors such as where the cancer is situated, the stage of the cancer, how far it has spread, the patients age and needs and how the cancer cells appear under a microscope.

There are three main types of traditional treatment for people with mesothelioma lung cancer, namely, surgery to remove the cancer, chemotherapy which is the use of drugs to eradicate cancer cells and radiation therapy which uses x-rays in high dose or other energy rays to destroy cancer cells. Usually, these therapies are combined.

The mesothelioma cancer prognosis is usually only eight to twelve months. However, time is of the essence when treating this disease and the earlier it is diagnosed, the better.

In the case of surgery, sometimes diagnostic surgery is needed as a very necessary step, as mesothelioma diagnosis through fluid is sometimes inconclusive. Sometimes a thoracoscopy (like an open biopsy but less invasive) is done to carry out multiple tissue biopsies and for assessment of the pleural cavity. A conclusive diagnosis is obtained in up to 98% of cases. Fluid can be drained from the intrapleural space at the same time and the extent of the tumor assessed to determine the possibilities of resection.

An alternative to thoracoscopy is video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) which is more invasive but the physician is able to see the pleural space using a camera while collecting tumor samples for examination by a pathologist. The physician can also determine the extent of tumor invasion for example in the chest wall or pleural involvement.

A laproscopy or mediastinoscopy are also sometimes used as other ways of gaging the extent of disease.

Palliative procedures are used to treat symptoms of mesothelioma but do not treat the disease itself. Such procedures include chest tube drainage and pleurodesis which are the most common palliative treatments. Thoracoscopy and pleurodesis are done with VATS. A pleuroperitoneal shunt is sometimes used, but in limited capacity due to tumor seeding concerns. Lastly a pleurectomy is sometimes carried out in cases where more extensive surgery is not possible.

Along with diagnostic and palliative treatments, surgery with potentially curative intent is carried out where the aim is to remove all of the disease with the awareness that some microscopic elements will probably remain.

For malignant pleural mesothelioma two surgical treatments are available namely, a pleurectomy/decortication which is carried out on early stage tumors (Stage I and sometimes Stage II) and secondly, an extrapleural pneumonectomy which is only executed by surgeons with much expertise and where previous surgery has failed to cure or prolong life.

For peritoneal mesothelioma, cytoreductive surgery aims at removing all of the visible or gross tumor within the peritoneal cavity. Cancer cells left are treated with chemotherapy and focused in the abdominal cavity.

Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with anticancer chemical substances to control the division of cancerous cells by destroying them. It is not considered curative but seeks to control the spread, shrink tumors, to relieve symptoms like pain and to destroy microscopic cells remaining post surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy).

Radiation therapy or radiotherapy is included in the range of mesothelioma treatment options and treats the tumor with the use of penetrative beams of high energy radiation and can be used in conjunction with surgery and palliatively.

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Mesothelioma Treatment Forum

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Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, a mineral usually found in various industrial products. It is suspected that many people suffering from mesothelioma not even be aware of. There are many local and national forum for treatment of mesothelioma, free to test on humans, symptoms of the disease. Patients suffering from mesothelioma search through enormous social and psychological support> Treatment Forum.

There are many people who show obvious symptoms of mesothelioma and is recommended for treatment due. However, in the prevailing conditions of poverty, ignorance or inaccessibility to good medical therapy, many patients have no treatment of mesothelioma may reduce normal, to relieve symptoms or pain caused by.

Forums treatment of mesothelioma expand its assistance to patientsEndometriosis of all ages. They provide information about the disease and its dangerous consequences if left untreated. Patients are updated on the latest developments in disease related to medical treatment, and recommended that new techniques and drugs. many forums also help patients network with doctors from around the world.

Mesothelioma Treatment Forum is a platform for the patient receiving mental support that helpsthem to cope with the disease. The forum also short-lived family and friends of patients on the different stages of the disease. Are precautions taken to avoid the effects of the disease can help minimize. Many patients with early signs of mesothelioma also participate in these forums to get information about the disease, together during interactive educational presentations on mesothelioma.

In addition to the national forum, there are many onlineSupport and discussion forums that people on mesothelioma and share experiences of others who are afflicted with the disease. The main objective of this forum is to provide sound opportunities for patients to medical treatment in various corners of the world. Help educate patients and their relatives / friends to the severity of the disease and benefits of early treatment.

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