Treatment
Options for Mesothelioma Lung Cancer - Chemotherapy, Clinical Trials,
Lung Transplants, Pain Management, Palliative Care, Thoracic Surgery,
Radiation Therapy & X-Rays
i) Chemotherapy
& Drugs Used + Side Effects - Treatment Options for Mesothelioma
Cancer
(August 1st, 2008)
 Chemotherapy
is the practice of using cytotoxic or anti-cancer drugs to destroy
tumorous cells in the lungs. The mission of these drugs is to stop
the growth & spread of cancerous cells by individually targeting
each cell & destroying them. Although chemotherapy cannot completely
cure mesothelioma, it does prolong the life of the patient by several
months and helps to reduce pain. This is known as palliative treatment
and can significantly improve the life of the patient. Chemotherapy
is also usually given after a surgery. Examples of drugs used in
chemotherapy treatments include Alimta (pemetrexed), doxorubicin,
Vinblastine and mitomycin C, among others. Chemotherapy was used
in treating mesothelioma lung cancer since the 1940s. New research
& advancements since then have introduced a variety of drugs
that help in alleviating pain & increasing the quality of life
for the patient.
ii) Clinical
Trials for Mesothelioma Lung Cancer - Basic Info, Trial Phases,
Eligibility & Current Clinical Trials
(August 14th, 2008)
 Clinical
trials are a means of testing new drugs & health products in
the market on patients that are most likely to benefit from them.
Clinical trials measure the effectiveness & safety of new drugs
before they are released to the general public. Cancer clinical
trials for mesothelioma are ongoing all over the country and any
patient who wishes to undergo one should talk to his/her doctor
for eligibility & benefits. It is important to understand that
clinical trials are for newly released drugs that could have both
benefits & risks. The risks are that the drugs could negatively
impact your health, while the benefits are you will receive treatment
from top notch doctors who are leaders in the field of medical research.
For example, some of the mesothelioma lung cancer clinical trials
are conducted by some of the top medical doctors in the US. Since
lung cancer clinical trials are done in large US Cancer centers,
travel may be necessary.
iii) Lung
Transplant for Mesothelioma Patients - How To, Risks Associated,
Symptoms & Prognosis
(August 3rd, 2008)
 Lung
transplants become a necessary survival option for mesothelioma
patients when a person's respiratory system has been damaged to
a level where he/she will not be able to live without a replacement
lung. For instance in a disease known as pulmonary fibrosis, the
lungs become so scarred such that their air sacs are replaced with
fibrotic tissues. These tissues accumulate in masses and lose the
lung's ability to transfer oxygen into the bloodstream. It is of
utmost important that the lungs be able to transfer oxygen to the
rest of the body via the bloodstream and when this is interrupted,
the patient's life is threatened. Once the lungs become extremely
scarred, there is no reversal, meaning they cannot heal themselves;
thus a lung transplant will be necessary. A lung transplant surgery
is a complicated task and can only occur when the right donor is
available. The donor's lungs are carefully removed and immediately
transported to the hospital where the receiving patient is being
cared for. Since lungs can only be preserved for 5-6 hours, it is
important that once they are extracted from the donor's body, they
be immediately delivered to the receiving patient.
iv) Pain Management
for Mesothelioma & Lung Cancer Patients - Types of Pain, Pain
Control, Side Effects of Pain Medicines & How to Administer
Pain Medicines
(August 26th, 2008)
 Most
lung cancer patients fear the pain resulting from it, rather than
the cancer itself. Pain management theories were developed to help
patients control or minimize their pain while undergoing cancer
treatments. About 80% - 90% of cancer patients control their pain
through a combination of pain medicines & other exercises. In
order to successfully control pain from cancer, it is important
to understand where that pain originally derives from. Cancer pain
occurs when malignant tumors slide or press on internal organs such
as bones, nerves and the lymph nodes. The extent of pain also depends
on the location of the tumor and what organ it is pressing on. For
example, a small tumor pressing on a vital organ of the body such
as the lungs can cause lots of pain, while a large tumor elsewhere
could cause little pain. Pain also derives from cancer treatments
including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Pain from
these cancer treatments has more chance of occuring in patients
whose immune system has been damaged as a result of these therapies.
The 3rd source of cancer pain derives from other common illnesses
such as headaches, pain in the kidneys, arthritis, muscle strains,
etc.
v) Palliative
Care for Mesothelioma Lung Cancer - Pain Management, Shortness of
Breath, Fatigue, Dry Mouth, Loss of Appetite, Gastrointestinal &
Skin Problems
(August 29th, 2008)
 Palliative
care is a specialized type of caregiving where the pains and sufferings
created from the symptoms of mesothelioma are reduced. The purpose
of palliative care is to make the life of the mesothelioma sufferer
as pain free and comfortable as possible. Palliative care does not
prolong human life but rather eases it from suffering. The image
on the left summarize what palliative care is for:
- To affirm life
- To promote quality of life
- To treat the patient
- To support patient, family and friends
vi) Thoracic
Surgery - Thorax Definition, Types of Thoracic Surgery, The Society
for Thoracic Surgeons, Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS), How
to Prepare & Risks Involved
(August 25th, 2008)
 The
term "Thoracic" derives form the word Thorax, which stands
for the breasts or chest from ancient Latin & Greek languages.
Thorax refers to the area of the body that is located between the
neck and the abdomen including organs such as the heart, the great
vessels, esophagus, lungs, trachea, pleura, mediastinum, the chest
wall and diaphragm.. Thoracic surgery is the use of medicine to
treat diseases of the chest including lung cancers, coronary artery
diseases, tumors contained in the chest cavity, heart & lung
transplants, and abnormalities of the great vessels and heart valves.
Thoracic surgeons are some of the most highly educated surgeons
because after college and medical school, they have to spend 5 years
in a general surgical residency, another 2-3 years to thoracic surgery
residency and pass a tough examination set by the American Board
of Thoracic Surgery. The patient is placed under general anesthesia
and endotracheally intubated. The exact procedure varies on what
organ of the body is undergoing surgery but usually, a cut is made
to the chest allowing the surgeon to gain access to the thoracic
cavity. The incision (cut) is made beginning from the back under
the shoulders and extends under the arm to the front of the chest.
The ribs are spread with a retractor and the muscles are cut.
vii) Radiation
Therapy (External, Internal & Systemic Radiation), How It Works,
Side Effects
(August 5th, 2008)
 Radiation
therapy or Radiotherapy is the use of ionizing radiation to kill
or control the growth of malignant or cancerous cells. Radiotherapy
is used as a palliative treatment option for patients suffering
from mesothelioma lung cancer because no definite cure is available
for this disease. The basic theory behind radiotherapy is that it
uses energy waves or particles to destroy cancer cells & tumor
masses. In other cases, radiotherapy is used to prevent future tumor
cells from growing; where no present cancer cells can be found.
There are 3 types of radiation therapy; external, internal, and
systemic and each of them is discussed below. Radiotherapy is usually
confused with radiology which is the use of radiation in medical
imaging techniques; they are two different things. Before conducting
a radiotherapy campaign on a patient, doctors have to determine
the type of tumor they are trying to kill, location & what stage
it has developed to. Overall well being of the patient & previous
side effects is also taken into account.
viii) X-Rays - How
It Works, Units of Radiation Exposure, X-Rays of the Lungs for Diagnosing
Mesothelioma
(August 12th, 2008)
 X-ray
is a form of electro-magnetic radiation with a wavelength of 10
to 0.01 nanometers; much like gamma rays but shorter than UV rays.
X-rays contain high energy radiation exposure because they have
an extremely short wavelength and high frequencies. Just like Computed
Tomography (CT) scans, X-Rays use ionizing radiation to create radio
waves to create visuals of different organs of the body including
the lungs. Once the x ray machine aims at the part of the body that
is to be visualized such as the lungs, it will emit a small burst
of radiation that will pass through the skin and record image of
internal organs of the body on a photographic film or a special
image recording plate. Different organs of the body will absorb
the x ray radiation in different ways. For instance dense bones
will absorb almost all of the radiation while soft tissues such
as muscles, fats & other organs will allow more of the x-rays
to pass through them. Due to this, bones appear white on x-rays
while soft tissues are presented in shades of grey and black. X-Rays
are also very similar to visible light rays where electromagnetic
energy is carried by particles known as photons. The difference
between x-rays and visible light rays is the energy levels of individual
photons, also known as the 'Wavelength.'
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