The most awkward of cancers to deal with is Mesothelioma. The treatment of Mesothelioma is also very limited. It is an awkward cancer to deal with as it attacks the linings of internal organs and it makes it an extremely difficult area to deal with.
As a very invasive and aggressive cancer it spreads quickly if given the chance and if not caught early. Its root cause is the mineral, asbestos. The fibers get into the body through inhalation of fine asbestos dust and even larger particles. It is therefore also known as Asbestosis.
These fibers settle in the lining of a particular organ and could stay there for many years. An unrelated illness such as pneumonia, can awaken the cells which had been chafed by these fibers in the body, thus creating the cancerous cells.
For the treatment of Mesothelioma, not much has changed over the last decade. A discussion at a medical conference one year came up with the idea of trapping the cancer within the lining of the organ. Eager doctors have tried that. However, cancer does not allow itself to be stopped in any way hence this method has proven not to be very successful. It is especially so for this particular cancer.
It actually causes more harm as the cancer then pushes itself out into areas where it would not have gone before such an operation. To add to the woe of patients is that after the incredibly painful operation, the patients still have to undergo the treatment of Mesothelioma, such as chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy places more strain on an already depleted body. It causes hair loss, nausea and general weakness of the body. The patient also has to suffer with a terrible redness in the face. Sometimes they are bedridden and cannot do much.
The body can only take so much of the chemical as well. Hence, the next step would be to have radiation treatment. Sometimes these two for the treatment of Mesothelioma are given together and the side-effects are even worse to deal with. In the case of radium treatment, it is done internally and is targeted at the affected area.
Another option is to cut away as much of the lining as is possible after which chemotherapy is administered. This would depend entirely on how soon the cancer is caught. If early enough there is a reasonable chance of a prolonged life.
There is alternative medication, such as natural "cures," but not all countries allow for these medical alternatives. However, it still remains the patients' choice of what they want to do with regards to he treatment of Mesothelioma. Others prefer to just let the disease take its course while others make every effort to be healed. The success of these natural treatments also depends entirely on how soon the cancer is caught, because this is a longer process than the conventional treatment.
A lot of the success of a treatment also has to do with the patient's attitude. To be positive under these circumstances is not a very easy thing, though. Most of all the best treatment for this particular cancer is prevention.
http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/
http://www.asbestos.com/treatment/
Source by Bernadette E Ontong