There is no cure for this serious disease, the treatment options are only palliative. The treatment focuses on breathing and inhalers, medication such as bronchodilators, aspirin, and antibiotics, are normally prescribed.
Chest percussion or postural drainage may also help with chest congestion and difficulty in breathing. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations are also recommended and protect the vulnerable lungs from bacteria that can cause serious conditions, such as pneumonia. Other general recommendations are to:
- avoid crowds and people with respiratory infections,
- keep the patient's ambient clean,
- exercise regularly to maintain cardiopulmonary strength.
If none of these treatments works, then surgery is performed to remove scar tissue. In very rare cases, lung transplant is recommended. There are also available alternative treatments such as acupuncture, massage therapy and homeopathic medicines.
It is highly advisable to implement a change of lifestyle with a balanced diet that includes plenty of fruit, vegetable and liquids. Quitting smoking is a must because it worsens the asbestosis symptoms.
Each treatment is individual and based on the type of mesothelioma, the stage of it, the type of cells and the general health of the patient. Surgery is an option when the disease is discovered at an early stage. Chemotherapy and radiation are treatment options used at any stage.
radiotherapy pleurectomy with decortication hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy cytoreduction surgery
- extrapleural pneumonectomy
- pleurectomy with decortication
- hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy
Immunotherapy is designed to boost the immune system of the patient to target and annihilate the cancerous cells. There are also palliative procedures that may assist and make the patient feel more comfortable such as:
- Thoracentesis (fluid from the patient's chest or abdomen is periodically drained and breathing may become more facile)
- Video Assisted Thoracoscopic (VAT) Talc Pleurodesis (fluid is drained and stopped coming back by making the lung stick to the inside of the chest)
- Partial Pleurectomy
- Painkillers may assist relieve the pain.
In some cases, carefully assed based on criteria such as age, general health and extent of the tumor, an aggressive treatment, named multimodal therapy, is used.
It involves a sequence of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. Patients, for which the traditional treatments are no longer an option, may opt to participate in clinical trials that aim to discover a cure in the future.