Mesothelioma is a condition that affects the connective tissue that covers most of the body's organs (called the mesothelium). The American Cancer Society estimates that between 2,000 and 3,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. Mesothelioma can affect the tissue around the lungs, abdomen, testes and heart, and is strongly linked with exposure to asbestos.
Step 1
Get surgery. There are a number of surgical options for treating mesothelioma, depending on the symptoms it is causing. If the mesothelioma has caused fluid to build up in the chest, the fluid can be drained. In addition, the cancerous tissue or all of an affected lung can be removed in an attempt to remove as much of the cancerous tissue as possible and to allow for more aggressive therapy.
Step 2
Receive chemotherapy. Chemotherapy uses special medications that are designed to poison the cancerous tissues, either by killing them or by slowing their growth. In the case of mesothelioma, the medications can be administered directly if the mesothelioma has spread to the abdomen (intraperitoneal chemotherapy) or throughout the chest (intrapleural chemotherapy).
Step 3
Undergo radiation therapy. Radiation therapy usually occurs in the form of external beam therapy, in which a device aims high energy X-ray beams at the affected tissue, which damage and kill the cancer cells. Radiation therapy can be difficult with mesothelioma, because there are a number of vital organs in the chest that can also be damaged by the radiation, requiring lower doses of radiation.
Step 4
Get combination therapy. Combination therapy uses all of the above methods in an attempt to treat the mesothelioma as aggressively as possible. For example, combination therapy might involve an initial course of radiation to shrink the cancerous tissue, which is then followed by surgical removal of the cancer, followed by chemotherapy to attempt to prevent recurrence.
Step 5
Receive palliative care. Some forms of mesothelioma (such as when it spreads to the connective tissue around the heart) are very aggressive and difficult to treat. As a result, if these types of mesothelioma are not detected in their early stages, the only available treatment may be to relieve the symptoms and reduce pain. This may include surgery, pain medication or radiation.
