Mesothelioma is a disease that leads to formation of cancer and it is caused by exposure to the asbestos dust. It is a fatal ailment as a patient survives around 2 years after being diagnosed. A person who has any friend or relative diagnosed with mesothelioma needs to know about the available treatment options. It helps a person to cope with the disease and adopt preventive measures.
For detecting whether a person has got afflicted with the disease, knowing its symptoms is imperative. People who are exposed to asbestos regularly can think about having a test for Mesothelioma if they feel a pain in the abdomen and chest region. As the tumor increases in size the severity of the pain also increases. If the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, a person can have the sensations of pains in those regions.
The pain a victim of Mesothelioma feels is caused for the formation of fluid. With time the tumor expands and grows in size and it makes fluid in the affected body part. If the fluid is accumulated in the chest it causes pain by compressing the lungs. The victims of the disease may suffer from difficulties in sleeping and their urge for eating also takes a nosedive.
As per the information available from the NCI or National Cancer Institute the disease can be treated in a number of ways. The most commonly used treatment methods are chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. In certain cases, a doctor may decide to combine all the modes of treatment for reducing the pain and giving some relief to the victim. The treatment and response of the patient depends on the stage of the disease a person is in.
If a person is suffering from the first stage of the disease it is likely that the cancer has not spread in other body parts. This is often treated with surgery. If the Mesothelioma affected body parts are removed by means of surgery the patient can get some relief from the pain. In some more complicated cases the cancerous lung needs to be removed. Removing the diaphragm, pericardium or parietal pleura can also give relief to a patient.
High energy radiation is also used in mesothelioma treatments. The ray helps in shrinking the tumors and killing cancer cells in a person’s body. This is used for treating those patients who are too weak to withstand surgery. Sometimes the doctors try employing new anti cancer drugs apart from using chemotherapy and radiation. To give the patient relief from the pain doctors often drains the fluid from the chest and abdomen by means of a tube.
For detecting whether a person has got afflicted with the disease, knowing its symptoms is imperative. People who are exposed to asbestos regularly can think about having a test for Mesothelioma if they feel a pain in the abdomen and chest region. As the tumor increases in size the severity of the pain also increases. If the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, a person can have the sensations of pains in those regions.
The pain a victim of Mesothelioma feels is caused for the formation of fluid. With time the tumor expands and grows in size and it makes fluid in the affected body part. If the fluid is accumulated in the chest it causes pain by compressing the lungs. The victims of the disease may suffer from difficulties in sleeping and their urge for eating also takes a nosedive.
As per the information available from the NCI or National Cancer Institute the disease can be treated in a number of ways. The most commonly used treatment methods are chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. In certain cases, a doctor may decide to combine all the modes of treatment for reducing the pain and giving some relief to the victim. The treatment and response of the patient depends on the stage of the disease a person is in.
If a person is suffering from the first stage of the disease it is likely that the cancer has not spread in other body parts. This is often treated with surgery. If the Mesothelioma affected body parts are removed by means of surgery the patient can get some relief from the pain. In some more complicated cases the cancerous lung needs to be removed. Removing the diaphragm, pericardium or parietal pleura can also give relief to a patient.
High energy radiation is also used in mesothelioma treatments. The ray helps in shrinking the tumors and killing cancer cells in a person’s body. This is used for treating those patients who are too weak to withstand surgery. Sometimes the doctors try employing new anti cancer drugs apart from using chemotherapy and radiation. To give the patient relief from the pain doctors often drains the fluid from the chest and abdomen by means of a tube.
