Chemotherapy Mesothelioma Treatment Information

Malignant mesothelioma chemotherapy treatment uses anticancer drugs to eliminate cancer cells. There are roughly 50 different drugs that are used independently or in combination to treat cancer. A handful of these drugs have been found to help increase survival times in malignant mesothelioma patients. Overall, chemotherapy is not ultimately a highly effective treatment for mesothelioma. At this point, no stand-alone mesothelioma treatment has had great success against the disease. Combining surgery with either chemotherapy or radiation therapy in treating malignant mesothelioma has yielded the best chances of increased survival. This is especially true when mesothelioma is discovered earlier in its development

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How Chemotherapy Treats Malignant Mesothelioma

Chemotherapy drugs interfere with malignant mesothelioma cancer cells' ability to divide and reproduce. Instead, the cells become damaged and die. Because chemotherapy drugs flow through the blood stream, they reach cancer cells all over the body. These drugs are also toxic to healthy tissues, so chemotherapy must be planned so that it slowly kills the cancer and not normal cells. Following successful chemotherapy, the normal tissue will recover, but the malignant mesothelioma cells will not.

Chemotherapy drugs are given in many different ways. The manner in which you may receive mesothelioma treatment will vary according to your type of cancer and the drugs you are taking. The most common method of delivery is by injection into a vein. Less commonly used methods include oral tablets, muscular injection, or subcutaneous (under the skin) injection.

Mesothelioma Information - Chemotherapy Administration

Intravenous injection

In intravenous injection, the mesothelioma treatment drugs are often diluted with liquid and delivered from a bag via a 'drip' into a vein in your arm or hand. Another method of delivery is to insert a plastic tube directly into a vein in the chest. Two potential problems with the intravenous method are the risk of tube blockage and infection. The plastic delivery tube should be flushed with Heparin, a drug that prevents clotting about once a week. You will be able to do this yourself. Intravenous chemotherapy is given over a period of time, usually ranging from half an hour to a few hours, or sometimes a few days.

Infusion pumps

A fairly new and increasingly common method of delivery is the infusion pump. The pumps are portable and are used to deliver a controlled amount of drugs into the bloodstream over a period of time. This means that you may take your mesothelioma treatment at home and make fewer trips to the hospital.

Chemotherapy

Even though chemotherapy can cause unpleasant side effects, some people still manage to lead normal lives. Sometimes chemotherapy can actually make you feel better by alleviating the effects of the cancer. Unfortunately, the drugs can affect normal cells as well as malignant mesothelioma tissue. This can cause many unpleasant side effects. Not all chemotherapy drugs cause the same side effects, however, and some people may have very few. Cancer treatments produce different reactions in different people. Reactions also vary from treatment to treatment. It should be remembered that nearly all side effects are only temporary and will disappear once treatment has stopped.

Body parts that may be affected by chemotherapy in malignant mesothelioma treatment are those whose normal cells rapidly divide and grow. These areas are the mouth, digestive system, skin, hair, and bone marrow.

If you would like to know more about chemotherapy, side effects or additional malignant mesothelioma information, ask your doctor. Although the side effects of chemotherapy can be severe, they should be weighed against the benefit they can produce. Remember, if you are feeling violently ill, your doctor may be able to prescribe other drugs with fewer or less potent side effects.

Chemotherapy Mesothelioma Treatment Side Effects

Hair loss

Hair loss is perhaps the best-known side effect of chemotherapy. This can vary according to which medication you happen to be taking. Some people lose very little or no hair, others most or all of it. If you happen to lose your hair during chemotherapy for mesothelioma treatment, it will grow back after treatment has subsided.

Your digestive system

Feelings of sickness are a side effect linked with some chemotherapy. Many people do not become sick from their chemotherapy, nor does every drug cause it. There are now some treatments available to alleviate this sickness. Steroids and other anti-sickness drugs are often given. Some chemotherapy drugs can affect the lining of the digestive system and this may cause diarrhea for a few days. Some people may lose their appetite. Medical marijuana can help restore your appetite and relieve pain.

Bone marrow

Bone marrow contains cells that develop into three different types of cells. The three types are white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Chemotherapy during mesothelioma treatment can reduce the number of these cells. When the number of these cells is reduced, the body's ability to recover from illness and repair itself is greatly hindered.

• White Blood Cells - If the number of white blood cells in your blood is low you will be more prone to infection as there are fewer white cells to fight off bacteria.
• Red Blood Cells - If the level of red blood cells in your blood is low you may become very tired and lethargic.
• Platelets - If the number of platelets in your blood is low you may bruise very easily and suffer from nosebleeds or bleed heavily from even minor cuts or grazes.

Fertility

Chemotherapy treatment for malignant mesothelioma can cause infertility in both men and women. This infertility may be temporary or permanent, depending on the drugs you are taking. It is important to discuss this risk with your doctor before starting a treatment.

It is quite possible for a woman undergoing chemotherapy mesothelioma treatment, or the female partner of a man undergoing therapy, to become pregnant. This should be avoided, as the drugs may affect the baby. It is imperative that patients use appropriate birth control to avoid any complications during treatment.

For women

Most drugs chemotherapy drugs used for malignant mesothelioma treatment will not affect your fertility, but some may temporarily stop ovulation. Some drugs will induce an artificial menopause. Many doctors will prescribe hormones to alleviate the effects of this.

For men

Most drugs will not affect your fertility. Those that do affect it will do so by reducing the amount of sperm you produce, the motility of the sperm, as well as sperm morphology. This means that fathering children during treatment is unlikely. You will, however, be able to achieve erection and orgasm normally.

As always, the best advice regarding chemotherapy and how it can help you is available from your doctor. Each case is unique and must be treated on an individual basis.