Radiation Therapy:

Radiation therapy is treatment that is used in combination with surgery and chemotherapy. Sometimes it is used alone to kill cancerous cells, manage tumors and it help to stop cancer from spreading along the path of the incision. Recent data shows that surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation together helps to kill cancer cells. Although oncologists have been using radiation treatment to help treat cancer for many years, technology has made it a more refined treatment.  Click the button below to learn more about the pro’s and con’s of radiation therapy.

Surgery:

Traditionally, treatment for this serious and very aggressive cancer have been limited. More options have become available, some in the form of surgery. There are different types of surgery for mesothelioma and when surgery is recommended it is either for the purpose of curing the cancer, to relieve debilitating and painful symptoms of the disease, or to diagnose the cancer type and stage. Below are various surgery options that are used to treat mesothelioma.

• Pleurectomy / Decortication (P/D)
• Extrapleural Pneumonectomy (EPP)
• Cytoreduction / HIPEC
• Palliative Surgery

Multimodal Therapy:

Clinical Trials:

Studies of experimental or new therapies used on patients are known as clinical trials. Often doctors suggest that a patient participate in a clinical trial or new treatment if it is believed the patient may receive a positive outcome or other positive benefits from the trial. Clinical trials test groundbreaking research that have not yet been approved by the FDA and is still in a testing phase.  On our clinical trials page, we will discuss,

• Clinical trial objectives
• Why choose clinical trials
• What clinical trials offers the patient
• Common concerns about clinical trials
• Recruitment specifications
• Participation guidelines
• Available clinical trials that are going on today.

S.M.A.R.T. Treatment For Mesothelioma

Surgery for Mesothelioma After Radiation Treatment

Is another multimodal approach to pleural mesothelioma. This approach can change how the disease is treated. Many studies have indicated that the combination of chemotherapy or radiation treatment with surgery has substantially increased the life expectancy of mesothelioma patients. Most multimodal treatments are treated with chemotherapy or radiation upon completion of surgery. SMART switches up the order and the results have been positive.

SMART is considered to be a potential breakthrough, however further research still needs to be conducted to determine if SMART can become a standard treatment for mesothelioma patients. Patients who undergo SMART treatment are living much longer.

Doctors who use the SMART approach simply reverse the two-step process. Usually, doctors treat the patient with chemotherapy or radiation after surgery has been completed. In this approach radiation therapy is administered prior to surgery.

Cancer treatment of any type is costly and planning ahead could help patients to avoid those unexpected expenses. When diagnosed with a serious disease, the cost of treatment and how that cost is going to be covered comes to mind quickly. If patients and families plan ahead, they can avoid being caught off guard by unexpected expenses.

Patients usually end up with more expenses than they expected because mesothelioma treatment can be extremely costly. These costs include medical costs as well as travel and caregiver expenses. Out of pocket expenses may include copayments, deductibles, and coinsurance. These are just some of the costs that patients must plan for.

Bringing up the cost of treatment to the doctor immediately will give patients a realistic expectation and allow them to take some type of immediate action to cover the treatment costs. Treatments can be paid for in several different ways. Sometimes patients have insurance and a savings they can utilize, but this might not be enough. You may also want to consider consulting with a mesothelioma law firm to help pay for treatment.