How Is Mesothelioma Treated?
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs
where they inhaled asbestos particles. However, they may
have been been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other
ways. This could include working with asbestos or by home
renovation using asbestos cement products or even by washing
the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos. The
resulting disease is rare form of cancer in which malignant
(cancerous) cells are found in the mesothelium, a protective
sac that covers most of the body's internal organs.
Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and
risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in
either men or women at any age. About 2,000 new cases of
mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year.
Although reported incidence rates have increased in the
past 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare
cancer.
There are various procedures used for the treatment of
mesothelioma. The type of treatment depends on the location
of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient's
age and general health.
A common treatment of the disease is by means of surgery by
the removal of part of the lining of the chest or abdomen
and some of the tissue around it. For cancer of the pleura,
a lung may be removed in an operation called a pneumonectomy.
Sometimes part of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs
that helps with breathing, is also removed.
Another method is Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy.
This involves the use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells
and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy affects the cancer cells
only in the treated area. The radiation may come from a machine
or from putting materials that produce radiation through thin
plastic tubes into the area where the cancer cells are found.
Anticancer drugs can be used to kill cancer cells throughout
the body. This is known as chemotherapy and involves the
administration of the drugs by injection into a vein
(intravenous, or IV). Currently, doctors are also studying
the effectiveness of putting chemotherapy directly into the
chest or abdomen.
Because mesothelioma is very hard to control, the U.S.
National Cancer Institute (NCI) is sponsoring clinical trials
that are designed to find new treatments and better ways to
use current treatments.
by Wendy Owen
where they inhaled asbestos particles. However, they may
have been been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other
ways. This could include working with asbestos or by home
renovation using asbestos cement products or even by washing
the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos. The
resulting disease is rare form of cancer in which malignant
(cancerous) cells are found in the mesothelium, a protective
sac that covers most of the body's internal organs.
Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and
risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in
either men or women at any age. About 2,000 new cases of
mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year.
Although reported incidence rates have increased in the
past 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare
cancer.
There are various procedures used for the treatment of
mesothelioma. The type of treatment depends on the location
of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient's
age and general health.
A common treatment of the disease is by means of surgery by
the removal of part of the lining of the chest or abdomen
and some of the tissue around it. For cancer of the pleura,
a lung may be removed in an operation called a pneumonectomy.
Sometimes part of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs
that helps with breathing, is also removed.
Another method is Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy.
This involves the use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells
and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy affects the cancer cells
only in the treated area. The radiation may come from a machine
or from putting materials that produce radiation through thin
plastic tubes into the area where the cancer cells are found.
Anticancer drugs can be used to kill cancer cells throughout
the body. This is known as chemotherapy and involves the
administration of the drugs by injection into a vein
(intravenous, or IV). Currently, doctors are also studying
the effectiveness of putting chemotherapy directly into the
chest or abdomen.
Because mesothelioma is very hard to control, the U.S.
National Cancer Institute (NCI) is sponsoring clinical trials
that are designed to find new treatments and better ways to
use current treatments.
by Wendy Owen
posted by Jane at 10:30 AM
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