Mesothelioma therapy options include treatments to reduce the symptoms of mesothelioma, kill cancer cells, and alleviate pain or discomfort. Treatments types range from aggressive surgeries to homeopathic wellness initiatives. The mesothelioma therapy types are typically chosen based on several factors including the overall health of the individual, the stage of cancer, and the efficacy of treatment. Many types of mesothelioma therapy cause side effects and pose the risk for further complications, while others carry little risk to the overall health of the individual.
There are two primary types of mesothelioma therapy:
- Curative Mesothelioma Therapy and Treatments
- Complementary Mesothelioma Therapy and Treatments
- Alternative Mesothelioma Therapy and Treatments
Mesothelioma Therapy: The Difference between Types of Treatments
The differences between each type of therapy are vast depending on the specific mode of therapy and some mesothelioma therapy options may cross over into another category. For example, curative mesothelioma therapy in the medical community is primary regarded to include treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
Alternative mesothelioma therapy might include meditation for the treatment of pain to an oncologist. A holistic practitioner can view meditation such as reiki to be a curative therapy.
Because there is no scientific evidence to prove that these types of meditations actually cure cancer – most medical experts agree that holistic treatments must be viewed as “alternative mesothelioma therapy”. The general definition of each type of mesothelioma therapy is as follows:
A curative mesothelioma therapy is intended to cure cancer by eliminating as many cancer cells in the body as possible without further harming the health of the individual.
A complementary mesothelioma therapy is intended to work alongside curative therapies to alleviate the symptoms and discomfort of mesothelioma or to increase the efficacy of curative treatments, or both.
An alternative mesothelioma therapy may be intended to provide relief from symptoms, slow the growth of cancer, or work alongside curative therapies as well.
Mesothelioma Therapy: Treatments within Each Type of Therapy
Within each category of mesothelioma therapy, specific treatments and procedures may be employed. Some treatments are common between complimentary and curative mesothelioma therapy categories. The table below describes the most common forms of mesothelioma therapy and how they apply to an individual case of mesothelioma.
| Mesothelioma Therapy Procedures |
|---|
| Curative Mesothelioma Therapy |
| Procedure | Purpose of Mesothelioma Therapy |
| Surgery | Surgery performed to remove cancer cells from the body. |
| Pleurectomy or Peritonectomy | Remove all or part of affected the mesothelium. |
| Pneumonectomy | Remove an entire lung that is affected by wide-spread cancer |
| Extrapleural Pneumonectomy | Remove an entire lung and other nearby affected structures. |
| Tumor Resection | Removal of cancer cell clusters (tumors). |
| Chemotherapy | Destroy cancer cells using chemical medications |
| Radiation | Destroy cancer cells with generalized radiation. |
| Brachytherapy | Destroy cancer cells with targeted radiation. |
| Immunotherapy | Manipulate or enhance natural immune system to inhibit cancer cell growth. |
| Gene Therapy | Change the genetic makeup of cancer cells so that they destruct themselves. |
| Photodynamic Therapy | Destroy cancer calls with light sensitive medicines. |
| Complementary Mesothelioma Therapy |
| Surgery | Surgery performed to alleviate pain and discomfort. |
| Tumor Resection | Alleviate pleurisy and other chest pain, remove pressure on nerves that cause pain, remove tumors that are applying pressure to the esophagus or blood vessels that result in the swelling of the throat causing dry cough or difficulty swallowing, remove causes for shortness of breath. |
| Pain Medication | Alleviate pain caused by mesothelioma, surgery, and other treatments. |
| Antibiotics | Reduce and eliminate infection that may be causing fever or pain as a result of a curative mesothelioma therapy or immune deficiency caused by cancer. |
| Lozenges and Cough Medications | Relieve the symptoms of dry cough caused by tumors applying pressure to esophagus or as a result of a treatment. |
| Correcting Nutritional Intake | To relieve fatigue as a symptom of cancer or as a side effect of chemotherapy and radiation, or to treat weight loss that is the result of cancer or a curative treatment. |
| Pleurodesis | To relieve the symptoms of a pleural effusion with medications that obliterate the pleural space, making it impossible for fluids to build up and cause more pain or shortness of breath. |
| Alternative Mesothelioma Therapy |
| Acupuncture | To relieve pain, nausea, muscle tension, and stress |
| Aromatherapy | To relieve nausea, stress, anxiety, and depression |
| Massage | To relieve pain, muscle tension, and stress |
| Prayer and Meditation | To relieve muscle tension, stress, worry, anxiety, and depression |
| Breathing Control | To relieve pain associated with breathing, muscle tension, stress, and anxiety |
Mesothelioma Therapy and Clinical Trials
New mesothelioma therapy options are available through clinical trials for some individuals, as well as those described above. Specialized hospitals across the world are working diligently to find a cure for mesothelioma. In some cases, specialized teams of oncologists, epidemiologists, statisticians, occupational experts, and pathologists are coordinating to find the best treatments for the symptoms of mesothelioma as well as the most effective modes of complementary therapies. Mesothelioma therapy at these institutions includes breakthrough procedures that are promising for individuals who might be diagnosed with mesothelioma at early stages or in the future.
One such treatment, nicknamed the Sugarbaker procedure, was developed by Dr David Sugarbaker at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Sugarbaker’s team in the thoracic surgery department of this cancer hospital is administering chemotherapy medications directly into the thoracic cavity of patients with mesothelioma. This direct method of chemotherapy application may eliminate more cancer cells immediately following surgery without the negative side effects associated with intravenous introduction of the chemicals into an individual’s blood stream.
Mesothelioma therapy is an ever-evolving topic in the medical community with new research information being aggregated and published at regular intervals. The most common forms of treatment indicated on this page are the result of years of accumulated study in the topics of cancer, asbestos related diseases, and mesothelioma specifically. Mesothelioma is still a very rare form of cancer. The medical community is still unsure of the exact reasons that asbestos causes mesothelioma, though much has been learned about its development in the last century. As the medical community learns more and more about this lethal form of cancer mesothelioma therapy techniques will continue to evolve.
