Mesothelioma Patient

Mesothelioma Patient
By Dave Casey

Mesothelioma patient survival rate is determined to be up to a year; while some leading cancer centers have reported life expectancy after diagnosis to be as much as five more years.

Screening

Imaging tests allow doctors to see a picture of the cancer site. These tests could include x-rays, CT scans (computed tomography), or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

New Screening Instrument: The Mesomark Test

The Food and Drug administration has just approved (January 2007) the world's first in-vitro test for mesothelioma. The Mesomark assay test, developed by Fuji Rebio Diagnostics is administered to patients diagnosed with biphasic or epithelioid mesothelioma by a simple blood test. The test measures proteins within the blood that reflect changes in the patient's tumor volume, a key factor for monitoring patient status and response to therapies.

Traditional Treatment Types

Surgery, removal of the entire lung and a part of the chest lining, the diaphragm and part of the sac surrounding the heart.

Thoracoscopy is the insertion of an endoscope, which is a small narrow tube, containing a tiny camera into the pleural cavity to look directly at the tumor. Pathologists perform a biopsy to collect a tissue. Often, chemical pleurodesis (draining fluid in the intrapleural space) can be accomplished during the same procedure.

Mediastinoscopy, another type of surgical incision is sometimes used to stage the extent of disease when enlarged nodes are seen using imaging techniques.

Laproscopy is used in

mesothelioma patients when imaging techniques suggest that the tumor has penetrated through the diaphragm. This information is important in evaluating a patient for potential pleurectomy or extra pleural pneumonectomy.

Radiation Therapy (using high-dose x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells.

Radiation - Although

mesothelioma tumors are highly resistant to radiotherapy, these treatments are sometimes used to relieve symptoms arising from tumor growth, such as obstruction of a major blood vessel.

Radiotherapy is commonly applied to the sites of chest drain insertion, in order to prevent the growth of the tumor along the track in the chest wall.

Chemotherapy – is used to stop the cancer cells from growing and dividing.

Immunotherapy: Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy requires the removal as much of the tumor as possible followed by the direct administration of a heated between (40 and 48°C) chemotherapy agent, into the abdomen for 60 to 120 minutes and then drained.