Traditional Care of Mesothelioma | Asbestos Lawyers in Maryland

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Your doctor’s choice of traditional mesothelioma treatment depends upon several factors. The stage to which mesothelioma has progressed determines whether traditional treatment might be effective or if the patient qualifies for a clinical trial. The size of the tumor determines whether it can be removed by surgery.

According to the National Cancer Institute, treatment decisions are based on four factors:

• Prognostic factors: The likelihood of success of each particular treatment.
• Cellular classification: The appropriateness of any given treatment for that particular type of cancer cell.
• Staging: Determines how far the disease has progressed based upon one of several methods of determining its stage.
• Treatment options by cancer stage: Each stage has a history of successful treatments associated with it.

Traditional Treatment Options

Treatment options include standard treatments and clinical trials. Prior to qualifying for clinical trials, mesothelioma is usually treated by surgery, removing the tumor and affected mesothelium along with some of the tissue around it. If mesothelioma is in the pleura (mesothelial lining around the lung) it may affect adjacent tissue. Nearby sections of lung or diaphragm may also be removed if there’s a chance that the cancer has metastasized to that tissue.

Also a traditional treatment, radiation therapy kills cancer cells and shrinks tumors. Radiotherapy directs radiation directly to the mesothelioma cells by a machine. Alternatively, radiotherapy can be delivered directly to the affected area by intravenous injection (IV).

Chemotherapy is most often administered by IV. Research is being done to learn whether administering chemotherapy drugs directly to the affected area is effective.

Treating complications

Traditional care may involve treating complications caused by mesothelioma. With a chronic irritant lodged in the pleura or peritoneum, fluid can build up, much like in a blister. As the fluid builds up, it can compress lung tissue and cause breathing difficulties. If in the abdomen, it can cause bloating. Left untreated, it is likely to become infected causing further complications.

Treatment for fluid buildup involves draining the fluid through a needle or small tube that is inserted through the chest wall (thoracentesis), or abdominal wall (pericentesis.).

Prevention

Other treatment includes preventative care such as regular checkups, not smoking, healthy lifestyle, plenty of rest, good diet, receiving regular flu vaccinations, and a pneumonia vaccination.

If you have been exposed to asbestos and have an associated disease such as mesothelioma, please contact the lawyers experienced in mesothelioma cases in Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Please contact the law office of Parker, Dumler & Kiely, LLP.

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Learn how the lawyers at PDK can help you obtain a settlement for your mesothelioma litigation.