One of the first decisions that the person who was with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer diagnosed from asbestos, to follow what kind of treatment.A number of treatment options that fall into three main categories: the established therapies, experimental treatments and holistic therapies are divided.
The doctors, patients can understand the range of options before them, and then select the most appropriate treatment. Resources for education, since this can also help answer questions.
been among the first steps in determining the most appropriate method of treatment after a patient diagnosed with mesothelioma, is staging the disease.
This process ranks the severity of the disease on factors such as the prevalence of breast cancer has spread to lymph nodes is based and whether it has metastasized to more distant parts of the body. In the treatment recommendations of physicians assess factors such as disease stage, age, gender and health in general and wishes of the patient.
Treatment options of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery are the most common place and treatments for malignant mesothelioma.
In chemotherapy drugs to kill cancer cells are treated mesothelioma. There are several approaches to the sequencing of chemotherapy. neoadjuvant therapy reduces the tumor is performed before the operation. Surgical Adjuvant gets cancer cells that to free it after the operation. Chemotherapeutic agents can also be used to enhance the effects of radiation therapy or immunotherapy. Can also be used to have to destroy the cancer metastasis or a survey (spread) to other parts of the body.
The names of some of the most commonly used drugs are cisplatin, gemcitabine, alimita, coramsine and endostatin. Drugs can be administered alone or in combination, which is called in pairs. Some couples are common: vinblastine and vincristine, methotrexate, cisplatin and mitomycin and doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide (or ifosfamide) and cisplatin.Chemotherapy drugs work differently, but all geared towards the same goal: to destroy the cancer cells and prevents them from reproducing. These drugs are often very powerful and very often affected healthy cells in the body. In particular, the rapidly growing cells, including ciliated cells and cells in the mouth, stomach and other parts of the digestive system. That is why hair loss is a side effect of chemotherapy. Another common side effect: nausea. Most side effects when treatment is completed.
Chemotherapeutic agents can be administered intravenously or orally (with pills). The duration of a course can also vary. Patients may receive chemotherapy in a doctor's office or hospital.
Radiation therapy for mesothelioma radiation is often combined with chemotherapy or surgery. Radiation target cancer cells and prevents the cells multiply quickly. It can also be used as a palliative treatment to reduce the symptoms. However, radiation can also kill healthy cells, and no one should be made as accurately as possible. Mesothelioma is often resistant to this form of therapy.
There are several ways to deliver radiation therapy, either internally or externally. internal radiation penetrates the body and can be revealed or closed. ensure not sealed internal radiation which is administered by pill or injection, and radiation from the cervix is in the body of a seed capsule or wire. External radiation therapy is implanted by a linear accelerator, or a kind of machine radiation source is a radioactive substance.
A course of external radiation therapy is administered in an outpatient five days a week for several weeks. However, internal radiation therapy includes a stay in hospital for three days a week. Side effects of radiotherapy are treated include fatigue, nausea, respiratory problems and reactions such as hair loss in the fields.
Surgery: There are two general approaches to surgery: reconstructive surgery to relieve the pain caused by a tumor or symptoms of disease, causes such as accumulation of fluid in the chest wall or abdominal cavity and curative surgery to reduce or stop the growth of disease and helps extend the life of a patient.
Palliative surgery is performed when the tumor has spread beyond the mesothelium and can not be completely eliminated. Occur even if the patient is too ill to be more invasive surgery. The purpose of this type of surgery is to relieve symptoms of mesothelioma and make a patient feel better. An example of thoracentsis palliative surgery, a procedure in which a physician drains the fluid from the chest wall to relieve pressure in the lungs and make it easier to breathe for a patient.
Curative surgery is performed when doctors believe that there are good chances to cure the disease by a tumor has spread more aggressively. When it is more efficient, surgery leads to a dismissal or a period in which a patient is free of cancer. An example of a curative operation was pneumonectomy, in which a doctor removes a patient's lung. In some cases, part of the membrane are also deleted.
Mesothelioma Clinical Trials In addition to these conventional treatments, there are a number of experimental therapies that are still tested for safety and effectiveness. Depending on your eligibility may be the patient in a position to try an experimental treatment through participation in a clinical study. Several types of experimental therapies are briefly described here.
Therapeutic angiogenesis to slow cutting of the blood supply of tumors to grow. Gene therapy changes the genetic codes of living cells to fight cancer. Immunotherapy is designed to trick not to recognize the cancer cells of the body, normally through the introduction of drugs called biological response modifiers in the body. Multimodality treatment is a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, to get the benefits of, and to compensate for weaknesses of each type of therapy. For example, this approach could involve the use of several chemotherapy drugs or a combination of surgery and radiotherapy.
In some patients the possibility of holistic treatments that stimulate the immune system and increase relaxation can follow. Examples include changes in diet, a macrobiotic diet, taking supplements like fish oil or melatonin, or the practice of yoga and breathing exercises.
