Mesothelioma Traditional Care
Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer believed typically to be caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma affects the mesothelium, which is the protective lining of the internal organs. When mesothelioma develops, it causes the cells in the mesothelium to reproduce abnormally and very rapidly. This can result in tumors and metastases to other parts of the body. To date, mesothelioma is considered to have a 100% mortality rate, which means there is no cure for the disease. However, there are several different methods doctors can use to treat the disease and hopefully prolong the lives for those who have been diagnosed. These methods can collectively be considered as mesothelioma traditional care.
One of the biggest roadblocks to diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma is the symptoms it causes. Pleural mesothelioma, which affects the linings of the lungs, can often be mistaken for viral pneumonia for some period of time. Nonspecific symptoms of chest pain and tightness, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, and even pleural effusions (fluid buildup) are usually related to more common diseases. In peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects one or more linings of the abdominal organs, symptoms can include abdominal swelling, constipation and/or diarrhea, ongoing stomach pain, and unexplained weight loss. If mesothelioma is not caught in time, it can become unmanageable and/or metastasize, or spread.
Symptomatic Care
A major challenge in treating mesothelioma is the alleviation of the symptoms that accompany the disease. Patients who have mesothelioma often experience a great amount of pain, from the disease itself or from other treatment modalities, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Pain management techniques of multiple narcotics, as well as learning how to relieve stress and foster relaxation are often implemented. Pleural mesothelioma can cause shortness of breath, and this can sometimes be relieved through oxygen therapy, or a physician may perform a thoracentesis, which drains the fluid collections in the lungs and relieves the symptoms. In peritoneal mesothelioma, the fluid collection, called ascites, will be drained in a procedure called a paracentesis. In the most advanced stages of mesothelioma, symptomatic care, sometimes called palliative care, is the only treatment advisable.
Surgery
Although surgery is often performed to try to remove the cancerous areas, it is not usually the only advisable treatment for mesothelioma. As a cancer, mesothelioma tends to be very spread out and bulky, which makes it hard to remove completely. Depending on how advanced the disease is when it is caught, different surgical procedures may be utilized. The removal of a small area of cancer could be carried out, or, if necessary, a complete resection of an organ will need to take place. In some cases, an entire lung may be removed in a procedure called a pneumonectomy.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy will often be recommended in place of or after surgical removal is attempted. Radiation therapy kills cancer cells through powerful radioactive x-rays. A special machine is used to beam the x-rays towards the affected part of the body, or a device is implanted into the area that will emit the radioactive rays. Radiation therapy can often damage other parts of the body, however, but it is sometimes effective in helping to reduce the pain that accompanies the disease.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is typically used in combination with surgery and/or radiation therapy to help kill the cancer cells, and is delivered either by pill or intravenous injection. While most of the time, chemotherapeutic agents are injected into the body through a vein, the effectiveness of direct injection into the affected area is being researched as a more effective form of delivery. Mesothelioma has traditionally been treated with the most common cancer-fighting drugs; however, there have been new drugs approved with mesothelioma in mind that are proving to be very effective in the struggle against this disease.
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