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Mesothelioma Treatments:
Mesothelioma
treatments depend on many factors, including the stage of
the cancer, where it is, how far gone the cancer is, where it has
spread to and how the cancer cells look under a microscope.
Mesothelioma treatments
are divided into two
categories; traditional mesothelioma treatments and new
mesothelioma treatments. Traditional mesothelioma treatments are
the same as those used to treat most other cancers, and include:
Surgery, Chemotherapy, Radiation therapy (radiotherapy).
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. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays
help to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumors.
Trimodalitytherapy, in which all three of these modalities are
used, is considered the mosteffective, and aggressive, approach.
Photodynamic therapy destroys cancer cells by using the energy from
light and may also be effective when combined with surgery.
Immunotherapy (or biological therapy) treats cancer by usingthe
body's own immune system to fight cancer cells.
New mesothelioma
treatments have been researched and developed with the
hope of succeeding where traditional methods have not. Mesothelioma
treatments such as chemotherapy and pain-relieving drugs can have
severe side effects such as nausea, fatigue, vomiting, hair loss,
and constipation. There are new directions for treating
mesothelioma
because
conventional therapies are not curative for the overwhelming
majority of mesothelioma patients. Researchers are always
investigating new types of mesothelioma treatments and
therapies.
Often, conventional mesothelioma treatments are used
alongside one another with some patients, but before deciding on
the most appropriate form of conventional therapy or treatment to
use on a mesothelioma patient, the doctor will carry out an
assessment. Anti-angiogenesis drugs are relatively new
mesothelioma treatments
that have been
successful in shrinking and killing cancerous cells in animals.
Among mesothelioma treatments, especially in the early or
preventive stages, taking care of your respiratory health is among
the most important. One of the breakthroughs in recent years, in
terms of mesothelioma
treatments, is the drug Alimta, which was manufactured by
Eli Lilley.
Several forms of mesothelioma treatments such
as the drug Alimta, gene therapy, immunotherapy, photodynamic
therapy and multimodality therapy are still in their experimental
stages. For those diagnosed with mesothelioma, an
asbestos-related cancer of the lining of the lung (pleura)
or the lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneum), finding a
credible source of information about the disease itself and the
medical options available, is of the highest priority.
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