How is Mesothelioma Treated?

Treatment for mesothelioma depends on location of cancer, stage of disease, and patient's age and general health. Standard treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Sometimes, these treatments are combined.

Surgery is a common treatment for mesothelioma. The doctor may remove part of lining of chest or abdomen and some of tissue around it. For cancer of pleura (pleural mesothelioma), a lung may be removed in an operation called a pneumonectomy. Sometimes part of diaphragm, muscle below lungs that helps with breathing, is also removed. Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, involves use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy affects cancer cells only in treated area. The radiation may come from a machine (external radiation) or from putting materials that produce radiation through thin plastic tubes into area where cancer cells are found (internal radiation therapy).

How is Mesothelioma Diagnosed?

Diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult, because symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions. Diagnosis begins with a review of patient's medical history, including any history of asbestos exposure. A complete physical examination may be performed, including x-rays of chest or abdomen and lung function tests. A CT (or CAT) scan or an MRI may also be useful. A CT scan is a series of detailed pictures of areas inside body created by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. In an MRI, a powerful magnet linked to a computer is used to make detailed pictures of areas inside body. These pictures are viewed on a monitor and can also be printed. A biopsy is needed to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma. In a biopsy, a surgeon or a medical oncologist (a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer) removes a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope by a pathologist. A biopsy may be done in different ways, depending on where abnormal area is located. If cancer is in chest, doctor may perform a thoracoscopy. In this procedure, doctor makes a small cut through chest wall and puts a thin, lighted tube called a thoracoscope into chest between two ribs. Thoracoscopy allows doctor to look inside chest and obtain tissue samples. If cancer is in abdomen, doctor may perform a peritoneoscopy. To obtain tissue for examination, doctor makes a small opening in abdomen and inserts a special instrument called a peritoneoscope into abdominal cavity. If these procedures do not yield enough tissue, more extensive diagnostic surgery may be necessary.