Before considering surgery as one of the propositions for the treatment of malignant cancer, the health of the patient needs to be carefully evaluated. Tests are performed to check whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Evaluation of the patient’s lung and heart functions is also performed. In the case of the former, a mesothelioma surgery cannot be performed. Both the heart and lungs need to be in a properly functioning state for surgery to take place.

Surgery is of two types: aggressive surgery (long-term control) and palliative procedures (relief of symptoms). Let’s define each of them separately.

Aggressive Surgery

Aggressive surgery involves removal of the lung, the pleura, the diaphragm and the pericardium by a procedure known as extra pleural pneumonectomy. The intent of this method is to physically remove as much of the tumor as possible. It adopts a bold method to do away with the disease—hence the name is “Aggressive Surgery”. This surgery is extremely complicated and involves a high risk factor. Extra pleural pneumonectomy is usually performed on younger patients who are in good health and are in a position to tolerate the surgery.

Palliative Procedures

Palliative procedures are usually performed when the cancer is in its advanced form. These procedures are used to control the symptoms of mesothelioma rather than to cure them. Pleurectomy (also decortications) is the process to surgically remove the pleura. This method reduces the pain caused by the cancerous mass and may also prevent the recurrence of pleural effusion (fluid collection which causes tremendous breathlessness). For patients suffering from peritoneal mesothelioma, complete surgical removal of the tumor is not usually possible. In this case the surgery aims to extenuate the symptoms.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy can also be used to treat mesothelioma. This method is usually only partially successful. The efficiency of this method often increases if a combination of drugs is used along with the chemo. Some of these combinations have proved successful and new drugs are being developed for the treatment of this cancer.


Radiation Therapy

In this method the tumor is killed by using radiation doses. However, killing the tumor cells is quite difficult with radiation. It is difficult to specifically locate the malignant cells. The heart, lungs and other organs may surround the tumor, and they are at the risk of getting damaged by the radiation dosage. However, lower doses of radiation can be used to reduce the disease to a certain extent.

Dual Therapy

Both chemotherapy and radiation are used in conjunction with each other after the surgery. They both help in killing any remaining tumor cells that were not removed by surgery and may also help in relieving symptoms of the disease.

The treatment methods, which are described above, are direct ways of treating a person suffering from mesothelioma. However, doctors and researchers are always on the lookout for new ways to treat the disease. The necessity for the evolution of alternative ways to treat patients suffering from mesothelioma arises because of the complex nature of different types of cancers, and because patients respond differently to various types of medical care. 2 types of care used are Immunoagumentive Therapy (IAT) and Intraoperative Photodynamic Therapy (IPT). The goal of IAT is to strengthen the body's own immune system. The same is done by balancing four different proteins found in the blood. IPT is being used to cure early stages of mesothelioma in the chest. IPT uses special drugs and light to kill cancer cells during surgery. A drug that makes tumor cells more sensitive to light is injected into a vein several days before surgery. During surgery, a special light is used to locate the cancer.