Because of the rarity of this cancer, it is simply critical to locate a physician who specializes in the field of mesothelioma cancers.  It is too important to the overall survival not to have a mesothelioma specialist in charge of leading the patient’s care. 

Currently there is no cure for malignant mesothelioma.  However, there are treatments available.  Treatment of mesothelioma may include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.  Although there are other options also available, both traditional therapies and non-traditional therapies, for the purposes of this article we will focus on two of the mesothelioma treatments; surgery and radiation.

Surgery is very common in the treatment of mesothelioma.  It may be the first type of treatment utilized after diagnosis.  Surgery may include the removal of the pleura, or the lining of the chest, and may also include the removal of the peritoneum, or the lining of the abdomen.  Surgery may be quite extensive depending on the spread of the disease.  In some instances, an entire lung may need to be removed.  Again, this is dependent on how far the cancer has spread.

Radiation therapy is a treatment in which high doses of radiation are used to target cancer cells in order to kill them and are used to target tumors in order to shrink them.  External radiation therapy is defined as radiation therapy in which beams of radiation are directed at the body from a large machine.  Internal radiation therapy is defined as radiation therapy in which sources of radiation are inserted into the body near the cancer. 

Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment is critical.  Utilizing a physician who specializes in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma is one of the important “first steps” in this journey. 

So even though there is currently no cure for malignant mesothelioma, there are still options available for the treatment of mesothelioma.  Seek out those treatment options and hold on to the hope for a cure. 

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