The three most common treatments for malignant mesothelioma are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. If you received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, you will likely undergo one of these three treatments. While many people do succumb to this terrible form of cancer, there are treatment options available, and some people in the United States have experienced good results following one of the three treatments, or some combination of the three.
The Three Options
Surgery is probably the most common treatment of malignant mesothelioma. Your surgeon may be able to remove part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some of malignant tissue around it. If the cancer has progressed to a certain degree, removal of a lung may also be an option. The surgery to remove a lung is known as a pneumonectomy. In this procedure, part of the diaphragm may also be removed. The diaphragm is the large muscle just beneath the lungs that aids breathing.
Radiation involves using high energy x-rays to kill the malignant cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external radiation therapy) or from putting materials that produce radiation (radioisotopes) through thin plastic tubes in your body at the location cancer cells are found (internal radiation).
Chemotherapy uses chemicals to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by pill or may be administered intravenously or intramuscularly. Chemotherapy is referred to as “systemic treatment” because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and kills cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy to treat pleural mesothelioma is known as intrapleural chemotherapy.
If you feel you have suffered due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing related to asbestos exposure, you may have a valid legal claim. Please contact the Baltimore mesothelioma lawyers at Brown | Kiely, LLP today to schedule a confidential, no-cost consultation.
