| Surgery is an important step in confirming and | | | | Though the surgery combined with chemotherapy |
| knowing the nature of the cancer. It can be | | | | and radiation gives promising results, it does not |
| conducted on patients with the combination of | | | | guarantee a cure. Researches have shown that |
| adjuvant chemotherapies and radiations, before | | | | patients treated with extrapleural |
| and after the surgery. | | | | pneumonectomy and therapies have a medium |
| Pleurectomy: | | | | life span of 35 months after the surgery, |
| The most common surgery for Mesothelioma | | | | compared to only 9 months of pleurectomy. Still, |
| treatment is pleurectomy, in which doctors open | | | | some doctors question the surgery for its high |
| the patient's chest and remove the excessive | | | | risks, which include internal bleeding, blood clotting, |
| fluid or tumor from the lining of the lungs (pleura). | | | | pneumonia, amassing of pus, respiratory failure |
| Although this procedure controls the accumulation | | | | and even death. Thus, many surgeons |
| of fluid and decreases pain, it still is not a cure. On | | | | recommend the idea of pleurectomy instead of |
| the other hand, if the tumor is in its initial form | | | | the technically complicated EPP. |
| and has not extensively grown, a pleurectomy | | | | Thoracentesis: |
| can increase the survival rate of a patient when | | | | A minor surgery is often conducted on patients |
| combined with chemotherapy and radiation. | | | | who cannot undergo EPP or pleurectomy, called |
| Additionally, a pleurectomy can be performed on | | | | thoracentesis. In thoracentesis, a thoracic surgeon |
| patients with less-approving health conditions and | | | | inserts a needle into a patient's chest to remove |
| has lower mortality rate than the extrapleural | | | | the excessive fluid built up in the lining of the lungs |
| pneumonectomy. | | | | (pleura). This method neither cures nor decreases |
| Extrapleural Pneumonectomy (EPP): | | | | the cancer, but rather alleviate the painful |
| Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) is an invasive | | | | symptoms of Mesothelioma. In some cases, talc |
| and severe form of surgery conducted on | | | | or other agents are infused into a patient's chests |
| patients with Mesothelioma. In this treatment, | | | | to scar the chest wall and help them breathe |
| parts of the lungs, the pleura (the lining of the | | | | properly without letting the tumor to increase, to |
| lung), the pericardium (lining of the heart) and the | | | | some extent. |
| hemi-diaphragm, along with the tumor cells, are | | | | Paracentesis: |
| removed. It decreases the progression of | | | | Paracentesis is a similar method of using a needle |
| Mesothelioma, while allowing a patient to breathe | | | | to extract fluid, but from the abdominal section of |
| smoothly. It is usually conducted on patients with | | | | the body. It follows the same procedure of |
| early stages of the cancer and when the tumor is | | | | extracting fluid from the lining of the stomach or |
| in chest cavity. EPP is recommended for patients | | | | other abdominal organs. Patients with peritoneal |
| with good heart and lungs conditions, in order to | | | | Mesothelioma can benefit from paracentesis |
| endure the severities of the post-operative term. | | | | surgery. |