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Types Of Lung Cancer Treatment

Malignant mesothelioma is a disease in which cancer or malignant cells are found in the sac lining the chest or abdomen. Most people acquire malignant mesothelioma while working in an environment affected with asbestos, which is the main cause of mesothelioma. There are treatment options available for all patients with malignant mesothelioma. Generally, there are three kinds of treatment frequently used. They are surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.

Surgery is a common treatment of malignant mesothelioma. Physicians remove part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some tissue around it. In case of a serious problem, a lung is also removed by an operation called pneumonectomy. Sometimes part of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing, is also removed.

Among the types of lung cancer treatment are ablative therapies which include Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) Therapy, Percutaneous ethanol (alcohol) injection, and Cryosurgery. Treatment involves the placement of needles in the tumors and injecting them with alcohol, heat, or by freezing. This kills the tumors and the surrounding infected cells as well. These therapies are used primarily in cases where surgery is ruled out and are usually conducted on tumors that are up to 5 cm. The placement of the needles is directed by an ultra-sound or CT scan, or laparoscopy, depending on the size and location of the tumor.

Radio-frequency ablation (RFA) involves heating the tumor with specially designed needles through which electrical current is passed. Cryoablation involves freezing the tumor with liquid nitrogen gas through specially designed needles. Smaller lesions are treated with alcohol injected into the tumor with a thin needle which is guided through ultrasound or CT scan. These therapies are an ideal form of outpatient treatment, eliminating the need for hospitalization.

Among the top therapies recommended by surgeons is Radio-frequency ablation (RFA). The procedure is performed with a laparoscope. The procedure can be performed without making any incision in the abdomen with the use of ultrasound. The heat generated through the electrodes melts the tissue thereby killing the cancer cells.

Percutaneous ethanol (alcohol) injections are administered through a thin needle which is guided by ultrasound or CT scan. The alcohol draws the water from tumor cells, thereby dehydrating and destroying them while altering the structure of the cellular protein. This therapy is usually performed on tumors of less than 3 cm in diameter.

Cryosurgery involves freezing the tumor by placing a probe into the region of the tumor, guided by Computed Tomography(CT), Ultrasound, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). This type of treatment has lesser side effects than the other forms of ablative therapies, with the added benefits of cost and a quick recovery period as well.

Intraoperative photodynamic therapy is a new kind of treatment used during surgery, developed by High-Tech Medical Research. The therapy uses special drugs and light in order to kill cancer cells. A few days before surgery, drugs that make cancer cells more sensitive to light are injected into the veins of patients. This form of treatment is under further investigation for providing a cure for malignant mesothelioma. Like most cancer, malignant mesothelioma is best treated when it is diagnosed in its early stage. However, if symptoms of shortness of breath, pain in chest or pain or swelling in abdomen are observed, the patient should consult a physician.