Chemotherapy Treatments for Mesothelioma

After being diagnosed with mesothelioma, your first question may be, “How long do I have to live?”  Today, there is no cure for mesothelioma.  There are however, treatment options that will address your pain and extend your life.  One of the options is chemotherapy treatments.

Chemotherapy treatments involve using chemicals to kill the malignant cells.  Cancerous cells grow and spread quite rapidly at times, so the chemicals that are used will stop this from happening.  There are over 50 different chemicals that can be used in different combinations to fight against the cancer cells. 

Chemotherapy treatments can be used in conjunction with other mesothelioma treatment options.  Doctors can try to remove the malignant mesothelioma through surgery but that may leave some cancer cells behind.  Chemotherapy treatments can then be used to kill the cancerous cells that were left behind.  Chemotherapy treatments will not cure mesothelioma, but should help with the decrease some of the symptoms you may be experiencing.

Chemotherapy treatments can also be administered by taking a pill or through an intravenous injection.  Chemotherapy allows drugs injected into the body to enter the bloodstream.  This allows the chemicals to kill cancerous cells all over the body.  This method is most efficient for taking care of a malignant mesothelioma that has begun to spread throughout the body. 

Since chemotherapy attacks cancerous cells as well as normal and healthy cells, there are side effects present.  One of the most noticeable side effects is hair loss.  This is not a guaranteed side effect, since every patient entering chemotherapy varies in the stage of mesothelioma they are in and what their health status is, which means that the side effects they will experience will vary as well.  Chemotherapy leaves a lot of patients feeling sick and fatigued.  Today, there are drugs that the patient can take to help mitigate these side effects.  Steroids are an example of one of these drugs that helps alleviate side effects.  Bone marrow cells are also killed during chemo, which will result in the body taking longer to recover and repair itself. 

Chemotherapy is not an easy treatment to undergo.  If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you should consult with your doctor to see if chemotherapy is a treatment option for you.  Mesothelioma patients also have important legal rights and options, which should not be ignored or “left for later,” as waiting may prevent you from pursuing a valid claim.  Contact an attorney today for a free consultation to see what your rights are and how they can be enforced.