Mesothelioma Cancer Surgery

After a careful evaluation of the stage of mesothelioma cancer tumors, and patient's overall health situation, mesothelioma cancer surgery may be indicated for some asbestos cancer patients.

If the cancer has already spread/advanced (metastatic cancer disease) to other parts of the body, however, surgery for symptomatic relief might be more appropriate.

If the disease is contained and localized, however, an aggressive surgery to remove mesothelioma tumor might be an option.

In other words, there are two distinctively differet surgical treatment options for mesothelioma patients:

• Extrapleural Pneumonectomy -- Extrapleural pneumonectomy is considered to be a rather complicated, risky, and serious surgery. It is considered primarily for patients in good overall health -especailly for young age patients diagnosed early with Stage I Mesothelioma Cancer.

  The goal of extrapleural pneumonectomy is to aggressively remove as much of the cancer tumor as possible. Doing so may require removal of:

  • Pleura,
  • Lung,
  • Diaphragm and
  • the Pericardium.

  Considering the highly risky nature of this complex and rather aggressive procedure, extrapleural pneumonectomy is indicated only for young mesothelioma cancer patients who are in good overall health, and whose cancer is diagnosed early on.

• Palliative Procedures -- In case of advanced (mesothelioma cancer stage II, stage III or stage IV) malignancy, aggressive surgery may not be an option. In such cases, epsecially for older patients who may not be able to endure an agressive high-risk surgery, palliative procedures can be performed for symptom relief. Palliative procedures are quite helpful to relieve symptoms such as breathlessness, tightness in chest, bowel obstruction, etc. Palliative procedures do not cure the disease, they help manage the symptoms. Palliative needle procedure involves draining of pleural effusion (collection of fluid in the pleural cavities), thereby allowing more space between the lungs and the pleura, and by reducing the pressure caused by tumor(s) compressing against the lungs and/or other organs.

  The following two types of palliative procedures may be indicated:

  • Thoracentesis

    The goal of this procedure is to treat the fluid accumulation (ascites) in peritoneal mesothelioma as well as pleural effusion in pleural mesothelioma. A needle is inserted into the pleural cavity through the chest-wall and between two ribs. Draining of the accumulated fluid helps relieve chest pain and breathlessness. Talc mixture (and in some cases Doxycycline) may be introduced into the pleura to prevent repeat occurances of fuild accumulation.

  • Pleurectomy or Decortication

    This procedure involves surgical removal of the pleura. The goal of this procedure is to:

    • Prevent recurrent ascites,
    • Help reduce bowel obstruction,
    • Prevent recurring episodes of pleural effusion, and
    • Reduce the pain caused by the tumor mass.

  As stated above, palliative procedures do not cure the disease, they help manage the symptoms and improve the quality of life for mesothelioma patients suffering from advanced stage mesothelioma cancers.

Mesothelioma Surgical Treatment Prognosis:

Extrapleural Pneumonectomy is a very risky procedure. It is a high risk surgery, with most fatalities occuring within 30 days from the time of surgery. Palliative procedures, on the other hand, are relatively low risk procedures. Mesothelioma cancer patients' prognosis largely depends on the location, size, type and stage of the malignant tumor as well as on the surgical procedure performed.

Additional information available on: Lung Cancer Causes, Lung Cancer Risk Factors, Lung Cancer Early Signs, Lung Cancer Symptoms, Lung Cancer Early Diagnosis, Staging of Lung Cancer Tumors, Lung Cancer Treatment, Lung Cancer Vaccine, Lung Cancer Prognosis, Small Cell Lung Cancer, - SCLC, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer - NSCLC, Mixed Small Cell/Large Cell Lung Cancer, Asbestos, Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer Caused by Asbestos Exposure, Pleural Mesothelioma, Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Pericardial Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Diagnosis, Mesothelioma Symptoms, Mesothelioma Treatment, Mesothelioma Drugs, Mesothelioma Surgery, Mesothelioma Chemotherapy Drugs, and Mesothelioma Radiation Therapy.

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