Mesothelioma Treatment: Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy refers to the use of drugs and other
chemical agents to fight cancer. It is one of the major
modalities used in the treatment of nearly all forms of the
disease, including
mesothelioma. Chemotherapy is the most
commonly deployed therapeutic modality for mesothelioma
treatment because most patients are diagnosed only in the
disease’s
later stages and are not eligible for curative
surgery. For these patients, chemotherapy represents their
best chance to control
symptoms and to extend life.
Although it has not demonstrated the same life-saving
efficacy that it has for other forms of cancer, recent
advances in the chemotherapy agents administered to
mesothelioma patients have led to longer survival times for
some patient groups.
The following pages provide a detailed introduction to
the practice of chemotherapy for mesothelioma treatment. For
people who are interested in an
overview of chemotherapy
itself, we provide an introduction to the basic biological
principles that underlie its use and potential
effectiveness, as well information on the major factors
involved with its administration. This information applies
to
mesothelioma treatment as well as to cancer treatment in
general.
We also provide information on the specific use of
chemotherapy in the treatment of mesothelioma. We have a
page that describes the chemotherapy standard of care for
pleural mesothelioma, which is combination therapy using
pemetrexed and cisplatin, as well one that provides an
overview of some of the
different groups of chemotherapy
drugs that are available. This page describes the basic
differences between these various groups and it details a
number of the individual drugs that have previously been
deployed for treatment. It also provides information on some
recently developed agents that researchers are still
investigating for mesothelioma treatment.
Related Information
To learn more about chemotherapy and how it is used to
treat mesothelioma, please read the following pages:
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