TREATMENT OF MESOTHELIOMA

Treatment of mesothelioma cancer can include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation

April 6, 2010 – Treatment of mesothelioma cancer, a fatal disease caused by occupational asbestos exposure, seeks to extend patients’ lives (if only by months). The other goal in the treatment of mesothelioma is to improve the quality of life for patients, and that includes the use of certain drugs to relieve the pain associated with the world’s deadliest asbestos-related cancer.

Treatment of mesothelioma can include:

• Surgery
• Chemotherapy, and,
• Radiation

Mesothelioma kills an estimated 90,000 people worldwide every year, while some 3,000 cases are diagnosed annually in the United States. It is primarily an occupational disease that infects the lining of the lungs and thoracic organs.

Workers in the construction, automotive and maritime industries are most susceptible.

Mesothelioma treatment options

The most commonly used mesothelioma treatments are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

Surgery – Surgical treatment of mesothelioma includes three main procedures: diagnostic surgery, curative surgery, and palliative surgery. Only curative surgery can potentially remove all cancer from a patient with mesothelioma. For curative surgery to be effective, an early diagnosis is especially important. The problem is mesothelioma is not usually diagnosed until it reaches Stage III or IV, when surgery is no longer an option. Surgery can only be performed during Stages I and II of the disease.

Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy is an effective treatment of mesothelioma, and involves the intravenous administration of drugs, such as Alimta and Cisplatin. Though traditional chemotherapy medications seemed to do little to fight mesothelioma, doctors have been encouraged by the results of newer chemotherapy drug treatments.

Radiation therapy – Radiation is often used in conjunction with surgery. In some cases, however, radiation may be used as a stand-alone treatment to relieve pain and other symptoms associated with mesothelioma. In either case, it is rare for radiation therapy to provide more than short-term relief.

Weitz & Luxenberg – Champion for injured workers

For the most part, there is no cure for this very preventable and very deadly cancer. Mesothelioma is preventable when employers provide safe working conditions for employees. When they don’t, injured workers are eligible to seek restitution in court.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please notify us through the communication form below. We will evaluate your eligibility for financial compensation at no cost whatsoever. If you decide to proceed with an asbestos lawsuit, we will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages and suffering.

Please know, there is no cost to you until we obtain a settlement or a verdict in your favor.