Mesothelioma Treatments

While there is currently no known cure for malignant mesothelioma, treatments are available with the most common being surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Your doctor will recommend one treatment or a combination of therapies that are best for your situation. The course of treatment will depend on a number of factors including the location of the disease, the stage of the disease, your age, overall health and your preferences.

The information provided throughout this website is for your information only, and should NOT take the place of a full medical diagnosis.

Mesothelioma Treatment Types

As in all forms of cancer treatment, there are traditional modalities for the treatment of mesothelioma, as well as experimental, non-traditional options.

Traditional Mesothelioma Treatment Options

•  Surgery (physical removal of the cancer)
  There are several types of surgeries that may be available for mesothelioma. The disease type, stage and the individual’s age and condition will determine if and what type of surgery may be performed.
  
  
•  Chemotherapy (using drugs to fight the cancer)
  Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells and may be used as the primary treatment to mesothelioma, or it may be used as part of a multi-modal approach. Chemotherapy is referred to as systemic treatment because the drug is introduced into the patient’s bloodstream and travels throughout the body killing cancer cells. The drugs may be in pill form, or injected into the body through a needle.
  
  
•  Radiation Therapy (using high-dose x-rays to kill cancer cells)
  Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays help to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumors. The radiation may come from outside the body from a machine (external radiation) or from radioactive materials placed directly in or around cancer cells through thin plastic tubes (internal or implant radiation).

Doctors will often use two or more of these treatment courses jointly to provide the maximum likelihood of success. This multi-modal approach holds the most promise for survival of malignant mesothelioma patients. Trimodality therapy, in which all three of these modalities are used, is considered the most effective, and aggressive, approach.

Non-Traditional Mesothelioma Treatment Options

•  Photodynamic Therapy
  Photodynamic therapy destroys cancer cells by using the energy from light and may also be effective when combined with surgery. Although this treatment is in the experimental stage for mesothelioma, it has shown promising results in treating other cancers.
  
  
•  Gene Therapy
  This is a new treatment, currently in clinical trials. This approach allows treatment to target tumors, rather than destroying healthy cells which is the negative of traditional chemotherapy.
  
  
•  Immunotherapy
  Immunotherapy (or biological therapy) treats cancer by using the body’s own immune system to fight cancer cells. Another name often applies to this therapy: biological response modifiers (BRMs).