Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is measured in four stages, with the first being considered local, and the other three categorized as advanced. If mesothelioma is caught in its early stage, it is usually by accident. However, a history of asbestos exposure can help contribute to early diagnosis, since doctors know that the mineral is the sole proven cause of mesothelioma.
Many MPM patients receive chemotherapy and radiation. These modes of treatment help shrink tumors and slow malignant growth. Surgeries, on the other hand, are more dependent on MPM stage.
As a rule of thumb, the less invasive a procedure is, the more often it is used.
- Fluid draining is a procedure involving the insertion of a needle into the chest cavity to drain built-up fluid and relieve pressure. This is a very common minor surgery for MPM, and one that nearly all patients will undergo. All draining surgeries end in the suffix -centesis (e.g. thoracentesis, paracentesis and pericardiocentesis).
- Surgical resections involve the removal of tissue. These procecures are also quite common, but the extent depends on disease stage. In debulking and pleurectomy/decortication, doctors remove as much tumor mass as they can while leaving the organs mostly intact. The operations are usually utilized for stages I, II and sometimes III.
- Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) is a more radical surgery that comes into play when MPM is more advanced, as in stages II and III. In an EPP, surgeons take out the diaphragm muscle, the chest cavity lining, the sac surrounding the heart and one lung.
Stage IV mesothelioma is typically considered “unresectable,” meaning it is so advanced and a patient is so weak that surgery is not an option.
Two things to keep in mind:
- There is no one-size-fits-all treatment for MPM. Every case of mesothelioma is different, and doctors take many wellness factors into account before recommending certain procedures.
- All treatments for MPM, surgical or otherwise, are considered palliative. This is because, for now, none is curative. However, treatments ease the tumor burden and improve comfort level, two very important benefits for people living with mesothelioma.