Lung cancer mesothelioma is one of the serious health problems that, unfortunately, attack many workers in the modern era. It happens a lot to the worker in the working environment with high asbestos exposure. Therefore, this problem is also known as asbestos cancer.
Even though it has cancer in its name, it doesn’t mean that you can’t treat it. With today’s medical science and technology, many patients have been treated and helped from this health condition. This time, we are going to learn more about the treatment for Mesothelioma lung cancer.
Traditional Treatment for Mesothelioma
There are two types of treatment that you can use to treat Mesothelioma lung cancer. The first type is the traditional treatment. Even though it is said to be a traditional treatment, it doesn’t mean that it is obsolete and ineffective. It is the opposite. These treatments have been proved to be an effective method for treating Mesothelioma lung cancer. So, you don’t need to worry. Here are some of the treatments you can use:
Surgery
One of the old and standard methods to treat Mesothelioma is surgery. Surgery is the best choice when lung cancer is still in the early stages. The chance of success is much higher and provides the patients with a higher life expectancy. The surgery method will remove all visible tumors that are detected in the infected area. Then, this method is also combined with chemotherapy to remove the hidden infected part.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy also is another treatment for lung cancer because of the Mesothelioma condition. It often is included in the surgery method. In some cases, doctors also advise this treatment only for certain Mesothelioma conditions. This method can cure all infected parts in a quite short time.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is the solution when the doctor can’t use surgery to treat the condition. It could cause side effects, including physical change on the patient. However, this method is quite effective. Once you receive this treatment, the basic symptoms most likely will be cured. It is a good choice for relieving pain and discomfort in the chest area. This treatment also lowers the recurrence rate, especially if you combine it with surgery.
Multimodal Therapy
As its name implies, this therapy uses a combination of several treatments to improve the result. Mostly, this method uses multiple conventional treatments for pleural and peritoneal Mesothelioma. With this combination, you will have better control for cancer growth than using one type of treatment. However, this therapy can be considered one of the more complicated techniques. Therefore, it requires a skillful and experienced doctor to provide the treatment.
Tumor Treating Fields
It is also known as TTFields. This treatment utilizes electric energy to affect the cancer cell in the infected area. This method creates the electrical fields that can disrupt the cancer cells’ growth. It prevents the problem from getting even worse.
TTFields also has been approved by FDA. ASCO also recommends this method to treat Mesothelioma lung cancer. Therefore, it is a safe method you can use for treating this condition. Furthermore, it is also easy to apply. The patient only needs to wear the portable device that delivers the electrical pulse. Then, the adhesive pads will be placed on the infected area, which will become the place where the electrical pulse affects the tumor cell.
Immunotherapy
Another treatment that you also can use for Mesothelioma lung cancer is immunotherapy. This method uses drugs or medicine that improves the antibodies, which will be used to fight the tumor cell. The purpose of this method is to limit cancer growth.
One of the drugs that medical science uses in this treatment is Bevacizumab. ASCO recommends this drug for this treatment. Other than that drug, FDA also approves several other drugs for Mesothelioma treatment, for example, Keytruda (pembrolizumab) that can improve the body’s immune system to kill the cancer cells.
Clinical Trials and Emerging Treatments
The other treatment for lung cancer mesothelioma than the method we mentioned above can be considered as the clinical trial and emerging treatments. These methods are being tested to find their effectiveness and safety for treating Mesothelioma.
The goal of these methods is similar to the traditional treatment, which is to find the cure, treat the patient, and improve the patient’s life expectancy. Even though it is still in the testing stage, many of these methods often came up to the surface as the conventional treatment option for a patient with a certain condition. Here is an example of the Mesothelioma treatment in this category.
Cryotherapy
This method utilizes low temperatures to freeze the cancer cells to kill those cells. Mostly, doctors pair it with other treatments, such as surgery, to help reach the best result. The doctor will apply it before the surgery to make the tumor shrink. Thus, it will be easier to remove by using the surgery method.
Gene Therapy
Lung cancer because of Mesothelioma occurs because of the mutation of the cell inside the patient’s body. Therefore, this method aims at the root of cancer, which is the gene or cell. By modifying that cell, you can prevent cancer cell growth and even kill it. One of the examples of this treatment is the p53 gene modification. It will kill the cancer cell before it grows and replicates itself. Thus, the infected area can be limited.
Photodynamic Therapy
This method utilizes light to detect and kill cancer cells. The patient will take a light-sensitive drug. After that, the doctor will use the laser to activate the drug on the area where the cancer cell is. Once the drug is activated, its substance will work to kill the cancer cell. This method has good accuracy, so the complication or side effects because of the drug can be minimized.
Virotherapy
This treatment uses viruses to detect cancer cells. Once it detects it, the viruses will attack and kill the cancer cells. This method has low effectiveness. However, when you combine it with gene therapy or immunotherapy, it becomes one of the most effective methods for treating Mesothelioma lung cancer. It has accuracy and can attack the cell directly.
The Supporting Treatment
After the patient receives one of the treatments we mentioned above and produces a good result, they still need to do another thing to ensure 100% recovery. The thing they need to do is have a healthy lifestyle. Diet and nutrition are a necessary part of the recovery process. The patient needs proteins and more calories because their body needs them to speed up the regeneration process.
Exercise and training are also necessary to speed up the recovery. You don’t need to do something that gives you a high physical burden. Yoga, walking, swimming, cycling, or lightweight strength training are enough to support your recovery process.
Conclusion
Lung cancer of any type, including the one that is caused by Mesothelioma condition, is a dangerous condition that everyone can have. Therefore, by understanding the treatment for this condition, we hope you have a better chance to recover. Consult your doctor to find the best way to treat lung cancer mesothelioma. That way you can recover and have a better rate to get the best result.
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