Chemotherapy Treatment for Mesothelioma
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Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. It is often used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. For a disease such as Mesothelioma, the chemotherapy is given intravenously through either an IV inserted into the vein, or through a catheter inserted directly into the chest or abdomen. Sometimes the chemotherapy is given to shrink existing tumors prior to surgery. The physician, known as a medical oncologist, or a registered nurse trained in the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents will administer the chemotherapy. Most of the time, the patient needs at least cycles of chemotherapy. Each treatment is followed by a chance for the body to recover. Sometimes the treatment is adjuvant, meaning it is being used to slow or stop the growth of the cancer. Sometimes chemotherapy is given to simply help relieve pain when the cancer is too advanced. This type of treatment is called palliative chemotherapy. For the patients who can not have surgery, there are clinical trials in process to find chemotherapeutic drugs that will be able to shrink the tumors.
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