Looking at the common palliative surgeries for mesothelioma

Palliative Surgery May be an option if the cancer has advanced and spread beyond the mesothelium and can not be removed completely, or if you are too ill to withstand the stress to undergo major surgery. The aim of this operation is to relieve or prevent symptoms, as opposed to trying to cure cancer.

For pleural mesotheliomas, pleurectomy / decortication is the most common type of palliative surgery. But in many cases, this surgery can be stressful for the patient to wear.

Surgical treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma is often done, or to help relieve symptoms or to remove a tumor from the wall of the abdomen and other digestive organs. As with pleural mesothelioma, these tumors are often too extensive to remove completely. Similar operations can be done to remove the mesothelioma of the pericardium (sac around the heart).

Surgery for mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, which occurs in the groin area, is also usually not curative. Most of the time surgery is done because the tumor is reminiscent of a hernia. Surgeon succeeds suspected hernia and only realized after the operation began. This type of mesothelioma typically can not be eliminated entirely.

Other palliative procedures

Several less invasive procedures can be used to control some symptoms caused by mesotheliomas, especially those due to fluid buildup.

Thoracentesis / paracentesis / pericardiocentesis:

In these procedures, the doctor uses a long, hollow needle is inserted to drain excess fluid from the lining of the lung pleura {} or {peritoneum lining the abdominal cavity}, they can be done to provide relief from symptoms caused by fluid accumulation, such as difficulty in breathing. The main disadvantage of these techniques is that they often must be repeated.

Pleurodesis:

This procedure can be done to try to prevent fluid from building up in the chest cavity. small incision in the skin of the chest, and a hollow tube located in the chest to remove fluid. Or talk or drugs such as doxycycline or chemotherapy drug is then implanted into the chest cavity. This causes the lining of the lungs (visceral pleura) and chest (parietal pleurae) stick together, sealing the area and prevent further accumulation of fluid. the tube is generally left in a day or two to drain any new fluids that can accumulate.

Shunt placement:

This approach can be used if pleurodesis or other techniques are not effective. shunt is a device that allows fluid to move from one area to another. For example, pleural-peritoneal shunt allows the fluid in the chest to move in the stomach, where it is more likely to be absorbed by the body. shunt is a long, thin, flexible tube with a small pump in the middle. In the operating room, doctor inserts one end of the shunt into the chest cavity and the other end of the peritoneum. (pump is located beneath the skin over the ribs.) After the shunt is in place, the patient uses the pump several times a day to move the fluid from the chest and the abdomen.

Catheter placement:

This is another approach is sometimes used to control fluid buildup. One end of a catheter (a thin, flexible tube) is placed in the chest or abdomen, and the other end remains outside the body. This was done in the outpatient clinic or hospital. Once in place, the catheter can be attached to a special bottle or other device to drain the fluid on a regular basis

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