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Mesothelioma - Radiation Or Chemotherapy?
By Rick Ferring
It’s important for the reader to understand that there is no cure for mesothelioma. There are treatments to remove tumors, to slow the growth of tumors and indeed treatments that will improve the quality of a patient’s life. On average, these patients are only diagnosed once this rare form of lung cancer has advanced too far for effective treatment. This condition is usually fatal within one year of diagnosis.
Radiation treatment is used to treat the affected area of the body. It is similar to an x-ray, but with much higher doses of radiation being delivered to the site with the tumors. These treatments are usually given for five days in a row with the next two days off so that the body can rest. These treatments go on for about 6 to 7 weeks. If radiation is given for palliative care only, then the treatments go only for 2-3 weeks. By doing these smaller and frequent doses, it is hoped to minimize the damage to the surrounding tissues.
This type of treatment is usually given externally, however technological advances allow it to now be administered internally in some cases. A radioactive pill can be surgically deposited in or near the tumor. As the pill deteriorates, it destroys the tissue surrounding it. Internal radiation therapy can also be given orally as a liquid or injected into the blood stream. Radiation therapy is rarely used as the only treatment used against mesothelioma.
There are several advantages to radiation therapy; it is painless, the treatment focuses on only a small area, and treatments are short in duration and
repetition. The disadvantages are the side effects. These can include nausea, vomiting, and exhaustion.
Chemotherapy uses very toxic drugs to kill off tumor cells, unfortunately many healthy cells can be affected too. It’s intended to get rid of cancerous cells in the body, possibly shrink them prior to surgical procedures booked to remove them fully. It is then used to clean out the rest of the cancer cells from the body. A combination of drugs often works better than a single one. Several examples of these drugs in use are: Alimta (can alleviate symptoms), and Cisplatin (used to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells).
The advantage to undergoing chemotherapy is the chance to slow or stop the growth of the cancerous tumors. The disadvantages to these treatments are the side effects. These could include: fatigue and exhaustion, nausea and vomiting, and anemia are all common side effects that patients experience.
This gives you some idea of what is involved with these two medical treatments and allows you to understand the pros and the cons of both. Article Directory: http://www.articlecube.com Rick has been writing about health related topics for over 12 years. He specializes in mesothelioma and asbestos related ailments.
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