Mesothelioma Treatment Options - How To Decide | Shrader Law
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Many studies have been completed regarding which course of mesothelioma treatment options should be used for victims given the limited life expectancy of mesothelioma patients. These studies have concluded that surgical interventions of all types have had an advantage in treating the disease. Along with a combination of chemotherapy that should be administered first, extrapleural pneumonectomy – removing the entire diseased lung – does increase the lifespan of a mesothelioma patient by approximately two years. Some cases that had a local recurrence of the disease after the lung had been removed showed the best results happened with a high-dose of radiation administered to the entire side of the thorax containing the diseased lung and that this would increase life expectancy. However, these drastic surgery techniques and high-dose irradiation of the entire side of the thorax are connected with mortality risks. The procedures are only performed in hospitals that specialize in these mesothelioma treatment options.

Your treatment options for an asbestos-related illness will depend solely on your individual form of the illness, your lifestyle and your health. Predicting life expectancy is difficult because of this. General guidelines have been established based on patients’ reactions to treatments. Average life expectancy for a diagnosis of mesothelioma is between six to 18 months. This is of course difficult for any mesothelioma patient to hear and for any doctor to convey to their patient. The therapies currently available do impact this statistic based upon the stage of the illness. It has been concluded that for many patients, selection of a therapy that includes a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation can yield the highly sought-after result of a longer than average life expectancy.

It is important to keep in mind that many patients succumb to respiratory failure because of a tumor that extends beyond the pleura, heart failure caused by a tumor in the sac surrounding the heart extending into the heart muscle or from a small bowel obstruction from a tumor in the abdominal cavity extending below the diaphragm. New techniques and mesothelioma clinical trials are being established that can diagnose asbestos-related diseases at earlier stages and treat them with smarter medicine.

At this stage, there are many mesothelioma treatment options that a patient can discuss with their medical professional. Because many mesothelioma patients have tumor growth localized in one area, curative surgery may be a smart option to select because it can remove all visible cancer growth. What is important to remember is to go with what your team of doctor’s suggests is best for your individual case of asbestos-related illness. Each patient has a best course of action for their particular set of circumstances.

A mesothelioma prognosis is terrifying and it is important to remember you do not have to handle this alone. Find out what your legal rights are to file suit and seek legal recourse for your exposure.