Mesothelioma is a cancer that starts in the lining of the chest cavity or the lining of the abdominal cavity. The lining in the chest cavity covers the lungs and is called the pleura. Pleural mesothelioma is when mesothelioma forms in this tissue.
Significance
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer, with the American Cancer Society estimating 2,000 to 3,000 new cases a year in the United States. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common kind of mesothelioma.
Features
There are various factors that help influence the course of treatment, including the stage of the cancer, characteristics of the patient such as general health and age, the tumor size, and the characteristics of the cancer cells.
Surgery
Surgery can include the removal of part of the tissue covering the lungs, part of the outside surface of the lungs or removal of one lung. Pleurodesis can also be done, preventing fluid buildup around the lungs.
Radiation
Radiation is not used as a treatment in the traditional sense but as a palliative measure to relieve any pain the cancer might cause or side effects from the cancer.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy, or medication that interferes with the replication of cancer cells and kills the cancer cells, is used in the treatment of mesothelioma.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials that are being done in 2009 for mesothelioma include combinations of chemotherapy drugs, chemotherapy that is placed into the chest cavity to kill the cancer, and biological therapy, which works with the individual's immune system to kill the cancer.
