Mesothelioma Surgery Eligibility Determined by Several Factors

When developing a treatment plan for a mesothelioma patient, a cancer specialist will consider several factors to determine the most effective mode of therapy. Surgery is one of the most commonly performed traditional treatments, and certain mesothelioma tumors are potentially resectable.  When deciding whether or not a mesothelioma is operable, a doctor will often weigh several factors to ensure that the procedure will be safe and beneficial.

Generally, most stage I mesotheliomas and a small number of stage II and III tumors are deemed resectable. Although not all early-stage cancers are removable, when the disease is detected near the beginning of its progression, the chances for a successful surgery are greatly improved. Patients whose cancer is diagnosed and treated in stage I typically show the most long-term benefits, including the potential for long remissions.

Conversely, stage IV mesothelioma tumors cannot be fully removed because of the extent of the cancer. Most stage IV mesotheliomas do not respond to curative treatments. Instead, doctors typically recommend palliative treatments to slow the growth of the cancer and alleviate the pain and other associated symptoms.

When deciding to operate on a malignant mesothelioma tumor, an oncologist will also consider its size and subtype. Many doctors assert that tumors made of epithelioid cells are resectable while those comprised of sarcomatoid and biphasic cells are not responsive to the procedure. If the tumor has metastasized to other locations of the body, surgery is typically not recommended.

If a resection is approved, the procedure will be specified by the location of the tumor. Pleural mesothelioma is often treated with a pleurectomy or an extrapleural pneumonectomy. A pleurectomy removes part of the lining of the lung. The latter option removes an entire lung and is typically used in pleural mesothelioma patients whose cancer is restrained to just one lung.

Surgical resections are intended to remove all or part of a mesothelioma tumor, but in instances when this procedure poses more risks than benefits, chemotherapy and radiation may be elected in place of an operation. These treatments may also be used to follow up a successful surgery when a patient can tolerate a more aggressive approach to fighting the cancer.

Additional information about mesothelioma may be found through the Mesothelioma Center.