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The Colorado mesothelioma lawyers at Trine & Metcalf have provided the following information on pleural mesothelioma treatments. For further inquiries about our mesothelioma law firm, please contact us today.
Pleural Mesothelioma
Minimal Medical Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment
Aggressive Medical Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment
Alternative Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment
Gene Therapy and Other Experimental Treatments
Pleural Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the pleura, the thin sac that lines the outer edge of the lungs. The disease is caused by exposure to asbestos, a naturally occurring yet lethal fiber used in many products and as insulation in older buildings. When inhaled, asbestos fibers become embedded in the pleura and cause lesions, scarring, and degeneration. People who work in factories that manufacture asbestos-containing products are at highest risk for developing pleural mesothelioma, for which there is no cure.
Common symptoms of mesothelioma include:
- Continuous coughing
- Coughing up blood
- Abdominal pain
- Shortness of breath
- Extreme tiredness or fatigue
- Chest pain
- Substantial weight loss
Pleural mesothelioma is often fatal; most people die within two years of diagnosis. However, as more is learned about the disease, new treatments are developed, increasing chances of survival. Some current methods of treatment used to combat the disease include:
- Minimal Medical Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment
- Aggressive Medical Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment
- Alternative Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment
- Gene Therapy
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The goal of minimal medical pleural mesothelioma treatment is to make both the patient and the patient's family more comfortable. The cancer is not treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. Instead, minimal treatment involves removing accumulated fluid from the chest - a principal cause for pain and shortness of breath - as well as progressively stronger pain-relieving narcotics, hospice or nursing support, and psychological support from the patient's friends and family.
The accumulation of fluid in the chest is one of the principal causes of pain and shortness of breath in people with mesothelioma. These fluid accumulations (called pleural effusions) are common with mesothelioma. Progressively stronger narcotics are usually prescribed.
Pain is usually relieved via medication. Progressively stronger narcotics are usually prescribed.
Caring for a loved one who is dying from cancer can be physically and emotionally draining. Professional care assistance can be a great relief for both the patient and the patient's family.
A diagnosis of mesothelioma, as with other forms of deadly cancers, can be very stressful for the patient's loved ones. Professional counselors and support groups can provide important assistance in coping with stresses experienced by the entire family.
To learn more about minimal medical pleural mesothelioma treatment or to speak with our lawyers about a lawsuit, contact our offices in Boulder, Colorado. Also assisting residents of Washington and several other states.
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Aggressive mesothelioma treatment includes the surgical removal of the entire pleura, the lung on the affected side, the diaphragm, and the pericardium, or any combination of these organs; chemotherapy; and radiation therapy. In many cases, more than one means of treatment may be used.
There are several medical centers in the U.S. where thoracic surgeons with special training and facilities perform a major, radical surgery called extrapleural pneumonectomy. During this surgery, the entire pleura (a thin sac surrounding the lung) and lung on the affected side are removed. Frequently, the diaphragm and pericardium (the lining around the heart) on the affected side are also removed. Synthetic materials are then used to reconstruct the diaphragm, primarily to keep the content of the chest separate from the abdomen.
There appears to be little evidence that currently available chemotherapeutic agents (by themselves and without accompanying surgery) have any real effect on mesothelioma. Therefore, chemotherapy is usually administered after an extrapleural pneumonectomy. People may have very strong adverse side effects to chemotherapy. However, there are some people who do have, at least for a period, a positive response to chemotherapy.
Radiation treatments may also be given as a follow-up treatment to radical surgery. As with chemotherapy, there is little evidence that radiation alone has any real benefit in prolonging life or quality of life in mesothelioma patients. Some people may have significant adverse side effects to radiation treatment.
Extrapleural pneumonectomy (the surgery for mesothelioma treatment) is serious. Patients who have this surgery sometimes take up to a year to recover from the surgery. Therefore, there are significant quality-of-life issues that a patient should consider before agreeing to this surgery, if the surgery is an available option. In addition, the chemotherapy and radiation treatment administered after the surgery may cause some patients to feel extremely sick while they are receiving treatments.
The pioneering work in aggressive mesothelioma treatment was performed by a surgeon working in Boston. The treatment is only available in major medical centers and teaching hospitals. Surgeons offering this type of treatment carefully select patients for the treatment. Age, overall health, and extent of spread (the 'stage') of the mesothelioma are factors that surgeons and oncologists evaluate when selecting candidates for the surgery.
The surgery and follow-up treatments are very expensive. The cost includes fees for the physician, significant periods of hospitalization, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. If the patient and any family members or friends must travel long distances to reach a facility where the treatment is provided, they incur the additional expenses of airfare, lodging, and related travel expenses. We have seen the medical expenses associated with this type of treatment exceed $150,000. Cost varies depending on where the treatment takes place, but it is always an expensive course of treatment no matter where it is provided. Some patients decline these treatments because of the high cost; pain and discomfort of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation; and the negative impact on the quality of their lives. Other patients feel the treatment is a chance they must take.
To learn more about aggressive medical pleural mesothelioma treatment or to speak with our attorneys about a lawsuit, contact our offices in Boulder, Colorado. Also assisting residents of Washington and several other states.
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There are institutions, such as Oasis Medical Center in Tijuana, Mexico, that offer non-traditional approaches to managing mesothelioma. These alternative programs are administered by physicians and other health care professionals. The alternative approaches may involve use of nutritional supplements and unconventional regimes of medicines. We understand that the Oasis Center in Tijuana does not claim its approach will cure mesothelioma. Instead they believe their treatments may inhibit the growth of the tumor, thereby extending the patient's life without the substantial period of pain and rehabilitation associated with major surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
The growth of the mesothelioma in one of our clients appears to have been significantly slowed after receiving treatment provided at the Oasis. We do not know (perhaps no one knows) if the indolent behavior of his mesothelioma is due to the treatment he received from Oasis or other factors.
The cost of alternative treatments is significantly less than that of aggressive medical treatment. However, many medical insurances providers only cover the aggressive medical treatment.
To learn more about alternative medical pleural mesothelioma treatment or to speak with our lawyers about a lawsuit, contact our offices in Boulder, Colorado. Also assisting residents of Washington and several other states.
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There may be mesothelioma patients treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation who survived longer than they would have without the treatment. Some patients may have an increase in quality of life as a result of some types of treatment. However, very few mesothelioma patients have been 'cured' as a result of such treatments. ('Cure' is defined as survival more than five years after treatment.) Increasingly, doctors are offering patients experimental treatments to combat their mesothelioma when standard treatments fail. Currently, these include gene therapy, photodynamic therapy, and immunotherapy.
Gene therapy is being explored as a possible treatment for mesothelioma. Specially prepared genetic material is injected into the cancer. This genetic material selectively attacks the cancer genes, killing the cancer. Medical scientists at the cutting edge of gene therapy for mesothelioma (such as those at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center) say gene therapy for mesothelioma is in the experimental stage. They are cautiously optimistic that gene therapy may prove to be a useful tool in treating at least some people with mesothelioma.
Gene therapy for mesothelioma can be used with or without other types of treatment. To date, it has been more frequently employed as a supplement or follow-up to surgery. Surgery is performed to remove the bulk of the tumor. Gene therapy is used in an effort to eliminate the cancer cells that always remain after surgery for mesothelioma.
The cost of gene therapy is significant. Costs for a complete course of gene therapy for mesothelioma can range from $150,000 to $950,000.
Other forms of experimental treatment for mesothelioma are photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy. As with gene therapy, these therapies are available only at specific medical centers (usually teaching hospitals engaged in highly specialized medical research).
To learn more about gene therapy and other types of experimental pleural mesothelioma treatment or to speak with our attorneys about a lawsuit, contact our offices in Boulder, Colorado. Also assisting residents of Washington and several other states.
Please note: You should only rely on the advice of your physician when considering treatment options for mesothelioma or any other disease. The above information is a distillation of our own experience with clients diagnosed with mesothelioma, their efforts at getting treatment, interviews with medical and cancer experts, and readings of the current medical literature concerning mesothelioma.
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