Common Treatments

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a treatment approach that uses chemicals, in medicine form, to treat the growth of cancer tumors. Cancer is caused when the production of healthy cells goes into overdrive. The body reacts by attacking the overproduced cells, but it cannot distinguish healthy cells from cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs work by attempting to slow or stop the rate of cell production in cancerous tumors and, as a result, slowing or stopping the growth of the cancerous tumors.

Radiation
Radiation is a treatment approach that is generally used on patients who have already undergone surgery to remove mesothelioma tumors. Radiation destroys cancer cells by exposing them to a radioactive source that is focused onto the area (abdomen, lungs) that contains the cancerous tumor. Although radiation alone is not a form of therapy that has been shown to treat mesothelioma tumors, when used in conjunction with surgery or chemotherapy, some patients with have been known to extend their lifespan by as many as 5 years.

Surgery
Surgery is a treatment approach that attempts to remove mesothelioma tumors or adjacent body structures (lung tissues, abdominal lining, etc.) that are infected with mesothelioma cells. A surgical procedure known as a pleurectomy/decortication is the most common surgery. This is a procedure surgeons remove the lining of the lungs that is infected with cancerous tumors or cells. Another surgical intervention known as an extrapleural pneumonectomy is sometimes performed, removing part of the diaphragm or the sac lining the heart, though this is a less common approach. Overall, surgery has not proven to be a very effective means of mesothelioma treatment.