Mesothelioma Symptoms

For those living with mesothelioma, therapeutic treatments are used to remove or destroy cancer cells. Often, you’ll have access to more than one of these treatments as part of your care plan.

• Surgery: Several different surgical options are used in mesothelioma to remove areas of cancer and relieve symptoms. The right surgery for you depends on where the tumor is located and if it has spread.
  • Pneumonectomy is a surgery used to treat pleural mesothelioma. It removes the affected lung and part of the pleura on one side of the body, along with part of the diaphragm, nearby lymph nodes and the lining around the heart.
  • Pleurodesis is a surgical procedure that stops fluid from building around the lungs. It uses chemicals to create scar tissue in the pleura and close the space between the chest wall and the lungs, preventing this buildup.
• Chemotherapy: In earlier stages of mesothelioma, chemotherapy drugs are used to destroy cancer cells together with other treatments, such as surgery. In later stages, chemotherapy may be one of the main therapeutic options.
• Radiation: Radiation therapy is used in mesothelioma to both destroy cancer cells and reduce symptoms. The most common radiation therapy for mesothelioma is external beam radiation, which uses high-energy beams to target cancer. Another option is brachytherapy, which places small amounts of radioactive materials inside the body.
• Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy uses your immune system to fight cancer cells. Checkpoint inhibitors are a common type of immunotherapy for mesothelioma. These inhibitors block specific proteins in cancer cells, allowing the immune system to recognize the cells as cancer and attack them.

The goal of palliative care is to alleviate pain, reduce symptoms and improve your well-being. You can continue to have treatments like chemotherapy or radiation along with palliative treatment options.

Palliative treatment plans may include procedures to remove fluid buildup, medications, respiratory therapy, physical or occupational therapy and pain management techniques.

Procedures aimed at reducing the symptoms caused by fluid buildup include:

• Pericardiocentesis removes fluid around the heart
• Paracentesis removes fluid in the abdomen
• Thoracentesis removes fluid around the lungs
• Pleurodesis removes the space between the lungs and chest wall, which prevents fluid from collecting there

Alternative treatments work along with your therapeutic and palliative treatments to relieve pain, boost healing and reduce stress. Some alternative treatments you could choose to include in your mesothelioma care include:

• Integrative medicine services, like massage or relaxation programs, to support your well-being
• Medical nutrition therapy to address challenges with diet and support healthy nutrition during treatment