Surgery

Before considering surgery as a treatment option a patient should always contact their doctor or primary healthcare provider to go over other options of treatment and examine the overall condition of the patient. Various tests should be performed to determine how safe the option of surgery is depending on the patient.s condition and the spread of the tumor. There are a number of reasons why a patient.s lung and heart function can decrease such as exposure to asbestos, smoking and age, all of which must be considered before surgery is performed.

There are two types of surgical procedures performed in most mesothelioma cases: aggressive surgery, which can prove to be a long-term solution and palliative procedures usually performed as a means of symptom relief.

Aggressive surgery can be performed in order to remove the affected organs such as a lung, pleura, or a diaphragm with the purpose of removing as much of the cancer as possible. Such procedures are extremely complicated and not hospitals will be willing to perform them. This type of operation is usually only performed on younger patients with good overall health and the consequences of such operation are evaluated thoroughly. Please check with your doctor or healthcare professional in order to determine your eligibility.

Pallative procedures are usually performed in order to alleviate some of the symptoms of mesothelioma and are performed in later stages of the disease. These procedures are performed in order to remove the collected fluid in a patient.s lungs in order to relieve loss of breath and are not aimed at curing mesothelioma. During such procedures a needle is usually inserted into the chest and the fluid is drained therefore easing the pain and shortness of breath.