Mesothelioma Cancer: Understanding It
People who have mesothelioma are usually treated with radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or surgery. (See: mesothelioma lawyer)
These are typically used in conjunction with chemotherapy or radiation after a surgical procedure. If the cancer is detected before it has spread to other parts of the body, surgery is usually an option.
Chemotherapy is a treatment that attacks mesothelioma by killing the afflicted cells. The drawback of using chemotherapy to fight mesothelioma is that it kills healthy cells along with affected cells, and the side effects people encounter with chemotherapy is often debilitating. There are new chemotherapy drugs available that show much more promise than the older drugs that didn’t have much of a positive effect.
To keep mesothelioma from spreading, radiation may be used. It’s most often used after surgery, though in some instances, it is employed as a stand-alone treatment in order to relieve pain. Rarely does radiation give patients anything other than short-term relief from their symptoms.
Filed under Cancer