Factors affecting treatment options for Lung Mesothelioma
There are a number of treatment options for lung mesothelioma and that will depend on several factors, such as the stage at which the cancer is diagnosed, your other medical conditions, and general fitness. Unfortunately, to treat the lung mesothelioma and to be cure means destroying the lung mesothelium cells lining the lungs. Thus a complete cure from the disease does not yet exist because it is frequently discovered in its advanced stages but treatment has been shown to increase the chances of survival.
Certain factors affect mesothelioma prognosis;
Doctors estimate prognosis after they review the diagnosis expecting on how long the patient tend to survive. Certain factors play an important role in their estimations.The prognosis and treatment options depend on the following:
• The size and tumor stage of the cancer (stage one, two, three, or four).
• Location of the mesothelioma (pleural, peritoneal, pericardial).
• The amount of fluid in the chest or abdomen.
• The patient’s overall health and general fitness, including lung and heart health.
• The type of mesothelioma cells (epithelioid, sarcomatoid, or biphasic) and how they look under a microscope.
• Blood Characteristics; white blood cells and blood platelet count and the level of hemoglobin .
• The patient’s age and sex.
• Whether the cancer has just been diagnosed or has recurred (come back).
• The type of treatment for malignant mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is almost invariably fatal disease and every treatment for lung mesothelioma is intended to increase the survival rate u to five years by controlling the cancer growth for a possible period and decreasing the health symptoms . You may undergo chemotherapy to reduce the signs and symptoms from mesothelioma by attempting to shrink the lung mesothelioma and stopping the cancer cells’ ability to grow and divide. For people who have early lung mesothelioma, the complete removal of the lung tumor and the nearby lymph nodes in the chest done by surgery, followed by radiotherapy, chemotherapy or both.
Chemotherapy;
Chemotherapy makes use of anti-cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells, usually by stopping the cancer cells’ ability to grow and divide helping in slowing down the progress of the disease. These anti-cancer drugs are normally injected in a vein for lung mesothelioma. Chemotherapy is used when surgery is contraindicated; the mesothelioma cancer’s cells have spread enough to be controlled by surgery and also used to keep symptoms under control .Generally when surgery is indicated in early stages of lung mesothelioma, chemotherapy prior to surgery or thereafter is indicated.
Radiotherapy;
Radiation therapy is the use of high energy x-rays or other particles to destroy lung mesothelioma cells. Radiotherapy is not an option for all patients, is normally given to minimize the symptoms of lung mesothelioma in stages 2, 3 and 4. It can also delay the tumor’s growth by destroying the cancer cells. The radiation beam is directed on the scar tissue on the chest wall to stop any new growth of lung mesothelioma. In certain cases radiotherapy treatment is essential after surgery to prevent future growth of the mesothelioma cells or delay its growth as possible…this is considered in early stages.
Surgery;
Surgery may be performed to complete removal of the lung tumor if it was localized lung mesothelioma the nearby lymph nodes in the chest. A safety margin “negative margin” about 1cm of healthy cells around the lesion is also removed.
Two main kinds of surgery can be used for this purpose. The first is Pleurectomy which means remove the pleura that surround the lungs but the lungs are left behind. The second kind of operation is Extrapleural pneumonectomy, which is a serious operation suitable for cases on which the lung mesothelioma confined to the chest cavity in its early stages. In Extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery involves the removal of the linings of the lung, parietal of the diaphragm, pleura, and pericardium. As said Extrapleural pneumonectomy is only performed on certain condition on which the patient is sufficiently healthy and has normal lung and heart function.
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the organ lining, unfortunately, when mesothelioma is diagnosed, it has usually already advanced.