Mesothelioma: surgery

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Mesothelioma Surgery

6:24 AM

ThE cHaMp

Surgical procedures involved in the treatment and diagnosis of mesothelioma are divided into three main categories:

Diagnostic surgery is used to confirm whether or not cancer is present and where it is located. This is typically non-invasive.
Curative surgery is carried out with the intention of removing as much cancer as possible with hopes of curing the patient. Radiation therapy or chemotherapy is often administered following curative surgery.
Palliative surgery involves the removal of cancerous tissue and is used to provide symptomatic relief, but does not offer a cure.

Mesothelioma BiopsiesA biopsy is a diagnostic surgical procedure in which suspected cancer cells are removed and tested to determine whether they are cancerous. There are three types of biopsy procedures: core biopsy, excisional biopsy, and needle aspiration biopsy. Core biopsy is generally not used to diagnose mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Biopsies
A biopsy is a diagnostic surgical procedure in which suspected cancer cells are removed and tested to determine whether they are cancerous. There are three types of biopsy procedures: core biopsy, excisional biopsy, and needle aspiration biopsy. Core biopsy is generally not used to diagnose mesothelioma.

Excisional biopsy involves an operation to determine how far the mesothelioma cancer has spread. Rather than only remove a portion of the suspected cancerous tissue, this biopsy typically removes as much tissue as possible to prevent the spread of asbestos cancer.

Needle aspiration biopsy uses a very long needle to remove a small sample of cells from the area where cancer is suspected. The cells are then tested for the presence of mesothelioma.

If a biopsy reveals that mesothelioma is present in the body, many patients have a lot of questions about the next steps to take after diagnosis. Our complimentary packet includes all the information on our Web site as well as additional information about surgery and treatment options. Patients and loved ones may receive this packet overnight by using this form.

Mesothelioma Thoracentesis

Thoracentesis is used to diagnose patients who have suspected pleural mesothelioma, and may also be used as a palliative surgical treatment for pleural mesothelioma patients who are suffering from the effects of a buildup of fluid in the lungs.

During a thoracentesis, a very long, hollow needle is inserted into the pleural spaces of the lungs and fluid is removed through the needle. This process is performed under a local anesthetic. If the procedure is used for diagnostic purposes, the doctor may order chest x-rays before the operation to determine the best location from which to extract samples. After the process, the fluid is sent to a laboratory for diagnostic testing.

Mesothelioma Pleurodesis

Pleurodesis is a palliative surgical treatment option for those coping with pleural mesothelioma. This procedure is performed in order to prevent a side effect of pleural mesothelioma, called pleural effusion. Pleural effusion is the buildup of fluid in the lungs, which can cause considerable pain and breathing difficulties.

During a pleurodesis, the pleural spaces are first drained of fluid and then treated with a talc-like chemical that causes inflammation. This causes the pleural spaces to "close up," thus preventing further fluid buildup.

Mesothelioma Pneumonectomy

A pneumonectomy is the removal of one lung. This procedure may be used for patients with pleural mesothelioma and may be a suitable method of treatment for patients who have mesothelioma in just one of their lungs. Those who have mesothelioma in both lungs, or cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, are usually not good candidates for a pneumonectomy. Suitable candidates must also be otherwise healthy to prevent the possibility of complications during or after surgery.

Pneumonectomy is performed under general anesthetic and during the procedure the affected lung is completely removed. Following surgery, patients must usually breathe with the assistance of a respirator for several days.

Mesothelioma Paracentesis

Paracentesis involves the removal of fluid that has built up in the abdominal cavity of patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. This fluid collection in the peritoneal cavity can cause considerable pain and discomfort due to the pressure the fluid places on internal organs. During a paracentesis procedure, the fluid is removed through a long, hollow needle that is inserted into the abdomen.

Note that Paracentesis is a type of palliative surgery; it provides relief from some of the symptoms of mesothelioma, but it cannot provide a cure.

Mesothelioma Thoracotomy

Thoracotomy is a generic term that refers to lung surgery that may be performed on patients with pleural mesothelioma. There are three main types of thoracotomy procedures: wedge resection, lobectomy, and pneumonectomy.

In cases where only small, localized tumors are present, a wedge resection may be performed to remove the tumor, while leaving as much healthy tissue as possible intact. In a lobectomy, one or more of the five lobes of the lungs are removed. The third option is a pneumonectomy, in which an entire lung is removed.

Mesothelioma Thoracoscopy

Thoracoscopy is a procedure that may be used as a diagnostic measure for patients suspected of having pleural mesothelioma or another lung disease. During this procedure an incision is made in the chest, and a long, thin tube is inserted into the pleural spaces of the lungs, enabling a doctor or surgeon to examine the pleura. Samples of suspected mesothelioma cancer cells are then removed to be tested for cancerous characteristics.

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Posted in biopsies, cure, mesothelioma, Paracentesis, Pleurodesis, surgery, Thoracentesis, Thoracoscopy, Thoracotomy, treatments

Mesothelioma Treatments

7:49 AM

ThE cHaMp

There are several types of treatment available for patients with mesothelioma, some recommended more frequently than others. The most commonly used treatments are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. In addition, some experimental treatments are becoming more widely used, or are showing some encouraging results in clinical trials. These treatments include photodynamic therapy, gene therapy, and immunotherapy, among others.

Mesothelioma Cure

Though a cure for mesothelioma does not currently exist, many patients elect to undergo treatment to combat the cancer. Patients may also wish to participate in clinical trials conducted to test up-and-coming treatments and medications before they are released and recommended for public use. Clinical trials are extremely important in the search for a mesothelioma cure. Knowledge gained from study results greatly help medical professionals come closer to the discovery of a cure for mesothelioma.

Certain doctors such as Dr. David Sugarbaker have actively pursued better treatment options for mesothelioma patients and have been instrumental in the quest for a cure. Utilizing a multi-modal approach, Dr. Sugarbaker has made great strides in mesothelioma treatment and has increased survival rates for mesothelioma patients.

Learning that a cure does not exist can be discouraging to mesothelioma patients and their loved ones, but stories of survivors continue to surface, instilling hope in those affected by the cancer.

Mesothelioma Surgery

Surgical treatments for mesothelioma include three main types - diagnostic surgery, curative surgery, and palliative surgery. Some types of surgery fall into more than one category.

For example, thoracentesis may be used as a diagnostic procedure, and as a palliative treatment to provide symptomatic relief. Only curative surgery can potentially remove all cancer from a patient with mesothelioma.

However, for curative surgery to be effective, it is particularly important that mesothelioma be diagnosed as early as possible. Unfortunately, mesothelioma is not usually diagnosed until it reaches Stage III or IV, when surgery is not an option.

Mesothelioma Chemotherapy

Most forms of chemotherapy involve the intravenous administration of drugs such as Alimta and Cisplatin. Chemotherapeutic drugs are targeted to kill cells that are rapidly dividing by interfering with processes that occur during cell division.

However, while cancer cells themselves divide rapidly, so do some types of healthy cells, causing some of the unpleasant side effects that are often associated with this form of treatment. Though older chemotherapy medications seemed to do little to fight mesothelioma, newer chemotherapy drugs are showing much promise.

A relatively new form of chemotherapy called heated chemotherapy is an option for patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.

This treatment is carried out following surgery, and involves the perfusion of heated chemotherapeutic medications into the peritoneum.

Mesothelioma Radiation

Radiation therapy, or "ionizing radiation", is used to kill cancer cells and to limit the spread of cancer. For patients with mesothelioma, radiation therapy is most often used in conjunction with surgery.

However, in some cases radiation may be used as a stand-alone treatment to relieve pain and other symptoms associated with mesothelioma. In either case, it is rare for radiation therapy to provide more than short-term symptomatic relief.

Mesothelioma patients may receive one of two types of radiation therapies, depending on whether or not they are suitable candidates for either procedure.

External beam radiation therapy is the traditional type of radiation therapy, where tumors are bombarded with beams of radiation to kill cancer cells. Brachytherapy is a newer type of radiation treatment. It involves tiny radioactive rods which are implanted within a tumor to provide a strong, concentrated dose of radiation to tumors while doing very little damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy is a highly specialized and specific form of treatment that is most often used to treat skin cancers, some types of lung cancer, and pleural mesothelioma.

However, this treatment is usually unsuitable for patients with metastasized cancer; it is most effective in patients who have localized disease.

This type of therapy involves the use of light energy to kill cancer cells. In photodynamic therapy treatment, the patient is given an intravenous solution of a medication that makes cancer cells highly sensitive to a particular kind of light.

One to three days after this treatment, the patient is exposed to the light, and cancer cells that have absorbed the medication are killed.

Gene Therapy

Gene therapy involves using genetic material to specifically target cancer cells and make them more vulnerable to chemotherapy treatment.

The main type of gene therapy being developed for use in mesothelioma patients is called "suicide gene therapy," because it forces cancer cells to produce substances that cause their death.

When undergoing this type of gene therapy, the patient is treated with a non-infectious virus that has been altered with genetic material that makes them produce a particular protein.

Following this procedure, the patient is then treated with a chemotherapeutic medication that is specially formulated to be toxic only to cancer cells. This type of therapy has produced some promising results for mesothelioma patients, but it is still only available through clinical trials.

Immunotherapy is a type of treatment in which the patient's own immune system is 'tricked' into killing cancer cells. A healthy, normally-functioning immune system does not kill cancer cells, because even though these are diseased cells, the immune system is unable to recognize them as being harmful.

There are two main types of immunotherapy: active and passive. In active immunotherapy, mesothelioma cancer cells are removed from a patient and then treated in a laboratory to turn them into a vaccine. Following this laboratory treatment, the patient is injected with the vaccine and if the treatment is successful, the patient's immune system recognizes the vaccine as a harmful substance, thus recognizing the cancer as being harmful as well.

Passive immunotherapy is somewhat different in that it does not attempt to activate the patient's immune system. Instead, it uses substances such as cytokines (molecules that direct and regulate the immune system) and other agents to help boost the patient's immune response to their cancer.