Malignant Mesothelioma and Treatment
Treatment Option Overview
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Key Points for This Section
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There are different types of
treatment for patients with malignant
mesothelioma.
Different types of treatments are
available for patients with
malignant
mesothelioma. Some treatments are standard
(the currently used treatment), and some are being
tested in clinical
trials. Before starting treatment, patients may want
to think about taking part in a clinical trial. A
treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to
help improve current treatments or obtain information on
new treatments for patients with cancer.
When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better
than the standard treatment, the new treatment may
become the standard treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many
parts of the country. Information about ongoing clinical
trials is available from the
NCI Web site.
Choosing the most appropriate cancer treatment
is a decision that ideally involves the patient, family,
and health care team.
Three types of standard treatment
are used:
Surgery
The following surgical
treatments may be used for malignant mesothelioma:
- Wide local excision:
Surgery to remove the cancer and some of the healthy
tissue
around it.
- Pleurectomy and decortication:
Surgery to remove part of the covering of the lungs
and lining of the chest and part of the outside
surface of the lungs.
- Extrapleural
pneumonectomy: Surgery to remove one whole lung
and part of the lining of the chest, the
diaphragm,
and the lining of the sac around the heart.
- Pleurodesis:
A surgical procedure that uses chemicals or drugs
to make a scar in the space between the layers of the
pleura.
Fluid
is first drained from the space using a catheter
or chest tube and the chemical or drug is put into the
space. The scarring stops the build-up of fluid in the
pleural
cavity.
Even if the doctor removes all the cancer
that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some
patients may be given chemotherapy
or radiation
therapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells
that are left. Treatment given after surgery, to
increase the chances of a cure,
is called adjuvant
therapy.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment
that uses high-energy x-rays
or other types of radiation
to kill cancer cells. There are two types of radiation
therapy. External
radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to
send radiation toward the cancer. Internal
radiation therapy uses a radioactive
substance sealed in needles, seeds,
wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or
near the cancer. The way the radiation therapy is given
depends on the type and stage
of the cancer being treated.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that
uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by
killing the cells or by stopping the cells from
dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected
into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream
and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic
chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly
into the spinal
column, an organ,
or a body cavity such as the abdomen,
the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional
chemotherapy). Combination
chemotherapy is the use of more than one anticancer
drug. The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the
type and stage of the cancer being treated.
Other types of treatment that are
being tested in clinical trials include the
following:
Biologic therapy
Biologic
therapy is a treatment that uses the patients immune
system to fight cancer. Substances made by the body
or made in a laboratory are used to boost, direct, or
restore the bodys natural defenses against cancer. This
type of cancer treatment is also called biotherapy or
immunotherapy.
This summary section refers to specific
treatments under study in clinical trials, but it may
not mention every new treatment being studied.
Information about ongoing clinical trials is available
from the NCI Web
site.
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