Mesothelioma Treatment

For your convenience, we have consolidated mesothelioma treatment information for your review. This section is updated on a weekly basis.

Conventional Therapies

Conventional therapies include mesothelioma surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. You should keep in mind that if you choose one course of action for mesothelioma treatment, you may preclude other courses. All of your options should be considered as soon as possible.

Stage of the disease at diagnosis, as well as general patient age and health, will determine what type of mesothelioma treatment each patient is eligible for. Surgery is more likely in those diagnosed with stage 1 mesothelioma or similarly early-staged disease. Diagnostic surgeries like mesothelioma biopsy, and palliative surgeries like pleurocentesis, are more common in patients with more advanced disease.

Chemotherapy options include the FDA-approved combination of Alimta and Cisplatin, as well as other drugs which are currently in active clinical trials. Other drugs showing positive results in trial include Gemcitabine and Navelbine. Conjunctive treatments include the approach which combines one conventional therapy with another such as surgery in combination with chemotherapy. Multi-modal mesothelioma treatment includes heated intra-operative chemotherapy which applies a potent dose of chemotherapy to the surface of the actual affected area.

Experimental Therapies

Several forms of mesothelioma treatment such as the drug Alimta®, gene therapy, immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy and multimodality therapy are still in their experimental stages. We invite you to read the following articles on experimental therapies for malignant mesothelioma.

Alternative Treatments

Many of those being treated for serious illness find comfort in different alternative therapies such as massage and acupuncture. These untraditional methods of disease management can complement conventional therapies and allow the patient to be more at peace and comfortable during this difficult time. Meditation and Yoga are common methods used by many to reach a state of relaxation, and release endorphins, our body's natural pain relievers.

The majority of these treatments are based upon patient preference but patients undergoing mesothelioma treatment are encouraged to utilize one or many of these options, which can dramatically improve patient stamina and strength while undergoing treatment for mesothelioma. Nutritional supplements and other health enhancers should also be considered by all patients undergoing mesothelioma treatment, as the disease can deplete strength and general immune health.

Treatment by Stage

This section lists typical treatment strategies based on the stage (using the Butchart staging system) of a pleural mesothelioma. Stage one mesothelioma can be treated with any number of  different methods, depending on the patient's health, including surgical resection of the disease or more advanced procedures like extrapleural pnemonectomy and lung pneumonectomy. Patients diagnosed with advanced-stage disease will likely manage their disease and its symptoms through some combination of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and alternative therapies.

Mesothelioma Doctors

We have become familiar with medical doctors who specialize in aggressively treating mesothelioma cancer. Some of these doctors will review your medical records for free to see if you are a candidate for their mesothelioma treatment protocol.

Some of the more notable mesothelioma doctors include Dr. David Sugarbaker of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Valerie Rusch of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Dr. Harvey Pass of the New York University Medical Center Division of Thoracic Surgery. Each of these oncologists have an acute knowledge of the behavior and pathology of malignant mesothelioma and its treatments. It is likely that if you are diagnosed with mesothelioma, you will be referred by your personal physician to a larger scale comprehensive cancer center like those discussed here.

Cancer Centers

Top Cancer Centers for mesothelioma treatment have been listed alphabetically by state for your convenience. Listings include contact information and Web site links where available.

Some of the most exciting and advanced mesothelioma treatment techniques are being researched and explored through the International Mesothelioma Program at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute's Harvard University Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston under the auspices of Dr. Sugarbaker. Multi-modal therapies, including combination therapies including advanced surgical procedures in conjunction with chemotherapy are some of the many exploratory therapies being researched at the IMP. Exciting studies are also arising out of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the University of California San Francisco under the auspices of Dr. David Jablons.

Clinical Trials

Information about current studies of promising new or experimental mesothelioma treatments. Several clinical trials are actively recruiting patients of malignant mesothelioma. Patients undergoing mesothelioma treatment should strongly consider participating in a clinical trial. Mesothelioma survival rate can be dramatically extended in those who are treated with as-yet unapproved/experimental therapies. Given the lack of a mesothelioma cure, participation in clinical trials among mesothelioma patients is common. A patient's ability to participate in a clinical trial will be dependent on a number of factors including age, general health, and stage of disease at diagnosis.