Surgical Treatment of Mesothelioma - attorney mesothelioma

Surgery for mesothelioma can be performed to try to cure the disease or to alleviate symptoms caused by the tumor.

The surgery to try to heal the disease is known as potentially curative surgery. This type of surgery is an option if the disease has not spread and the patient has a state of good general health. Unfortunately, even when the surgeon removes all visible tumor, some cancer cells may be left in place. These cells can grow and divide, causing the disease récidive after surgery. Still, the potentially curative surgery is performed in some major centers of treatment, a small percentage of patients who had surgery had remission.


Palliative surgery may be an option if the tumor has spread beyond the mesothelium and is difficult to remove completely, or if the patient has no clinical conditions for a more extensive surgery. The goal of surgery is to alleviate or prevent the symptoms of the disease.

The most common types of surgery are:

Surgery for Pleural Mesothelioma
Surgery for pleural mesothelioma can be taken to help prevent or alleviate symptoms or try to remove the entire tumor. Unfortunately, these tumors are often too large to be completely removed.


Pneumonectomy Extrapleural - This is an extensive surgery that removes the lining of the pleura, part of the diaphragm, pericardium, lymph nodes, and all the affected lung. The diaphragm and the pericardium are reconstructed with synthetic materials. The success of this procedure depends on the spread of the disease, extent of exposure to asbestos, lung function conditions and absence of other diseases to tolerate this surgery.

Pleurectomy - it is a less extensive surgery. In this procedure all the abdominal lining and surrounding tissue may be removed. The lung and the diaphragm are not removed. This surgery can be used to try to cure some cancers, but is also used as a palliative procedure to relieve symptoms, help control fluid accumulation, improve breathing and reduce pain caused by the disease.

Tumor Reduction - The objective of this surgery is to remove as much of the mesothelioma. In general, this surgery is less removed tissue in pleurectomy.

Surgery for Mesothelioma Peritoneal
Surgical treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma is often performed to help relieve symptoms or to remove the abdominal wall tumor and other organs of the digestive tract. As with pleural mesothelioma, these tumors are often too large to be completely removed.

Tumor Reduction - The objective of this surgery is to remove as much as possible of mesothelioma. Sometimes this means removing parts of the intestine.

Omentectomy - Cancers involving the peritoneum often spread to the omentum which can be removed as part of the surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma.

Surgery for Mesothelioma Pericardial
Surgery may be performed to remove mesothelioma membrane that protects the heart called the pericardium.


Surgery for Mesothelioma Tunic Vaginal Testis

Surgery for mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, which occurs in the groin, is rarely curative. The majority of times this operation is performed because the tumor resembles a hernia. The surgeon begins the surgery for hernia and only realizes the diagnosis during surgery.


Palliative surgery
Several less invasive procedures may be performed to manage some of the symptoms caused by mesotheliomas, especially those due to accumulation of liquid.


Withdrawal of liquid - Procedures such as thoracentesis, paracentesis, pericardiocentesis and can be used to remove the liquid formed and accumulated causing symptoms. In these procedures, the physician uses a needle to remove fluid from a body cavity. The main disadvantage of these techniques is that the fluid is produced again, so that procedures need to be repeated.

Pleurodesis - This procedure is performed to try to prevent the liquid to accumulate in the chest. A small incision is made in the skin of the thoracic wall and a tube is inserted so that the liquid can be drained out. Then a substance is put through this tube into the chest cavity, such as talc, doxycycline (antibiotic) or a chemotherapy drug. This causes the lining of the lung (visceral pleura) and the chest wall from sticking to each other, sealing the space and preventing the formation and accumulation of liquid. This tube is typically left in place for 1 or 2 days to drain any liquid that may accumulate.

Shunt placement - Placement of a pleural, peritoneal shunt allows the liquid to move the chest to the abdomen where it can be absorbed into the body. This derivation is made with a thin flexible tube with a small pump in the middle. This procedure is performed in the operating room, where the doctor inserts one end of the shunt into the chest cavity and the other end in the abdomen. The patient uses the pump several times a day to remove liquid from the chest to the abdomen.

Placing the catheter - This is another approach, sometimes used to control the buildup of fluid. One end of the catheter is placed on the chest or abdomen, and the other end is left outside the body. Once in place, the catheter may be connected to a container or other special device to allow the liquid to drain.

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