It's a small gain for mesothelioma patients, but it's significant. That's the way doctors view the 3-months' additional survival time that can come with combining specific surgeries with pemetrexed and cisplatin chemotherapy to treat mesothelioma. Given that up until now no guidelines existed, this is good news for doctors struggling to help their patients.
The report comes out of the 15th Annual National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Conference on Clinical Practice Guidelines and Quality Cancer Care. In the past doctors had thought that treating this asbestos related disease by removing part or all of a lung (pneumonectomy) was the best way to treat mesothelioma. But the new guidelines suggest that other types of surgery combined with chemotherapy and radiation may extend survival more effectively.
Guidelines suggest that surgeons choose from two surgical options. They may choose to perform a less intensive surgery in which they remove some portion of the lining of the lungs (pleurectomy). Or they may decide to perform a more complex procedure known as extrapleural pneumonectomy. In this operation they remove a diseased lung, part of the pericardium (membrane covering the heart), part of the diaphragm (muscle between the lungs and the abdomen), and part of the parietal pleura (membrane lining the chest).
The new guidelines also encourage doctors not to attempt surgery if the cancer is too far along, thus hopefully saving some patients from unnecessary trauma.
Many other treatments are being researched to deal with lung cancer effects including photodynamic therapy for lung cancer and pleurodesis surgery. As doctors continue to search for better treatments, more victims are filing asbestos lawsuits. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, don't hesitate to call us with questions. We are a leading mesothelioma asbestos law firm, and our attorneys know how to help you find out if you might recover compensation by filling a mesothelioma lawsuit. Call with questions at 800.443.6353.
The report comes out of the 15th Annual National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Conference on Clinical Practice Guidelines and Quality Cancer Care. In the past doctors had thought that treating this asbestos related disease by removing part or all of a lung (pneumonectomy) was the best way to treat mesothelioma. But the new guidelines suggest that other types of surgery combined with chemotherapy and radiation may extend survival more effectively.
Guidelines suggest that surgeons choose from two surgical options. They may choose to perform a less intensive surgery in which they remove some portion of the lining of the lungs (pleurectomy). Or they may decide to perform a more complex procedure known as extrapleural pneumonectomy. In this operation they remove a diseased lung, part of the pericardium (membrane covering the heart), part of the diaphragm (muscle between the lungs and the abdomen), and part of the parietal pleura (membrane lining the chest).
The new guidelines also encourage doctors not to attempt surgery if the cancer is too far along, thus hopefully saving some patients from unnecessary trauma.
Many other treatments are being researched to deal with lung cancer effects including photodynamic therapy for lung cancer and pleurodesis surgery. As doctors continue to search for better treatments, more victims are filing asbestos lawsuits. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, don't hesitate to call us with questions. We are a leading mesothelioma asbestos law firm, and our attorneys know how to help you find out if you might recover compensation by filling a mesothelioma lawsuit. Call with questions at 800.443.6353.
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