Mesothelioma Treatment

When discovered early enough several treatment choices are commonly available. After assessing overall health and the stage of the disease, the treatment options most often available include surgery, chemotherapy or special clinical trials. However, some oncologists may also recommend immunotherapy, radiotherapy or gene therapy in certain cases. Patients should not hesitate to ask about the pros and cons of the various treatments. Also continued research is offering new options which the patient should consider. The standard treatment options include surgery (taking out the cancer), chemotherapy (using drugs to destroy the cancer), and radiology (using targeted high-dose x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells) or some combination of these treatments. They have limited effectiveness. Treatment depends on the location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient's age and general health. Treatments are themselves very aggressive, and invasive, and in many cases not recommended. Also, when a patient is not diagnosed early enough for them to be effective, the treatment emphasis is on managing the symptoms of the disease rather than trying to limit or cure the disease.