Mesothelioma Treatment
Mesothelioma treatment begins immediately after being diagnosed. The type of treatment a mesothelioma victim receives will be dependent on a variety of factors including
- Location of the tumor
- Type of cancer (pericardial mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma, pleural mesothelioma etc.)
- Size of the tumor
- Whether or not the tumor has metastasized (spread to other areas of the body)
- The stage of the cancer
- The patient’s age
- How healthy the patient is in general
If you’re diagnosed with the mesothelioma, you’ll probably see a variety of different doctors including oncologists, pulmonologists, radiologists, etc. reason for seeing numerous different types of doctors is to find the best mesothelioma treatment for your condition.
There are three types of treatments for mesothelioma including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.
Surgery - Surgery is performed to remove the tumor in an attempt to cure the disease and/or make the patient more comfortable. In most cases surgery is performed to alleviate the patient’s pain and make them more comfortable. Since it usually takes many years to be given a mesothelioma diagnosis, the cancer is so advanced at this point that surgery is not curative.
Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy is used in order to provide relief from mesothelioma symptoms. Chemotherapy is either given as an injection or in pill form. Various drugs are used Patients can undergo multiple doses of chemotherapy though many only go through one. The side effects of this type of mesothelioma treatment can be too painful for many people to handle.
Radiation Therapy - Radiation therapy is often used for patients who cannot undergo chemotherapy or surgery. This type of treatment does not cause the severe side effects that chemotherapy does.
Alternative mesothelioma treatments may include various vitamins, herbs and therapies such as massage, hypnosis, and acupuncture.
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