What Are The Current Options For Treating Malignant Mesothelioma?
Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are currently being used to treat malignant mesothelioma. These options can be used alone or in conjunction with one another.
Surgery can be performed to remove cancerous cells and/or surrounding healthy tissue. Palliative surgery is performed to reduce the amount of pain a patient experiences as a result of the cancer; it is typically performed when the mesothelioma has spread - metastasized - to other areas of the body and when the cancer is difficult to remove completely. Curative surgery is generally performed when the cancer has not metastasized and the tumor can be removed altogether.
Chemotherapy utilizes drugs to eliminate cancer cells. Chemotherapy attempts to cure the cancer, to control the cancer, or to relieve symptoms associated with the cancer to help patients live more comfortably.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation from various sources to kill cancer cells and reduce the size of tumors.
