How is mesothelioma treated?

Depending on the type and stage, mesothelioma can be treated using surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or immunotherapy. Your care team may use a combination of these treatments, known as a multimodal approach.

Mesothelioma cancer treatments may include:

medical provider going over male patients mesothelioma treatment options in an office setting

Surgery

Surgery is often one of the first steps in your care plan for mesothelioma. The type of surgery will depend on where your mesothelioma started and how far it has progressed.

Your healthcare provider will discuss the goals of your specific surgery. In most cases of mesothelioma, surgery is unable to remove all the cancer. Instead, the goal of surgery is to manage symptoms and improve your quality of life.

Mesothelioma chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy cancer cells in the body and is a standard part of treatment plans for mesothelioma. In the later stages of the disease, chemotherapy is often the primary treatment option to slow cancer growth.

In earlier stages of mesothelioma, your care team may recommend chemotherapy along with surgery. Before surgery, chemotherapy helps shrink the size of tumors. After surgery, it helps destroy cancer cells that couldn’t be seen or removed during your procedure. In some cases, your care team may use localized chemotherapy during surgery.

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)

This type of local chemotherapy is given during a surgical procedure to treat peritoneal mesothelioma. After areas of cancer are surgically removed, your care team delivers a high dose of heated chemotherapy drugs directly into the abdomen.

Hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy (HITHOC)

HITHOC is a type of localized chemotherapy treatment for pleural mesothelioma. Your care team delivers a high dose of heated chemotherapy drugs directly into the chest. As this type of chemo is more targeted to the specific area of cancer, it may have fewer side effects than chemotherapy infusions that affect the whole body.

Mesothelioma radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is a treatment for pleural mesothelioma that destroys cancer cells by using targeted beams or particles of radiation. Although it is not typically a treatment option for peritoneal mesothelioma, it can be used after surgery has removed a lung. In the later stages of mesothelioma, radiation therapy is usually a palliative treatment to manage symptoms or relieve pain.

External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT)

EBRT is the most common type of radiation therapy to treat pleural mesothelioma. During this therapy, your care team delivers radiation to a specific area in the chest using high-energy X-ray beams.

 

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

This advanced type of external beam radiation therapy uses computer technology and 3D imaging to help customize multiple rays and intensities of radiation. This gives your team greater precision in delivering radiation designed for your specific cancer and minimizes the effects on nearby healthy tissue.

Internal Radiation Therapy

Also called brachytherapy, internal radiation therapy uses radioactive materials, like ribbons, seeds or particles, delivered directly into or nearby tumors within the body. It’s not commonly used in the treatment of mesothelioma.




Mesothelioma immunotherapy

Immunotherapy helps your immune system better recognize and fight cancer cells. It’s an approved treatment option for some people living with pleural mesothelioma who can’t be treated using surgery. Immunotherapy destroys cancer cells and often has fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy drugs.

The main immunotherapy drugs for mesothelioma treatment are checkpoint inhibitors. This type of immunotherapy works by blocking certain checkpoints on cancer cells, allowing the body to recognize those cells as harmful and destroy them.

Targeted therapy for mesothelioma

Mesothelioma cancer cells have undergone abnormal changes. Targeted therapies identify these changes to specifically target the cells and slow the growth of cancer; they are often used together with chemotherapy.

The primary targeted therapy for mesothelioma is a drug called bevacizumab. It targets a protein in cancer cells that aids new blood vessel growth. Stopping new blood vessels from growing deprives or “starves” the cancer cells of nutrients, preventing them from spreading.

Clinical trials

Clinical trials continue to test new ways to diagnose or treat mesothelioma and ways to improve symptoms or quality of life. Immunotherapy drugs, for example, are a recent advancement in mesothelioma care developed through clinical trials.

Clinical trials give you access to new and innovative treatment options if other treatments are ineffective. Most clinical trials have detailed criteria, so your care team will talk with you about any current mesothelioma trials and if they could be right for you. It's important to discuss the benefits and the risks before deciding to include a clinical trial as part of your care.

View current cancer research

female patient at medical provider as she explains mesothelioma treatment options

Supportive care

Mesothelioma affects you and your family in many ways, not just physically but also emotionally, spiritually, socially and financially. Connecting with support services gives you the tools to navigate each step of your care confidently.

Financial assistance
Patient navigation
Resource centers and boutiques
Support groups and events
Survivorship program

Finding specialized mesothelioma cancer treatment

We help you get care at a location that fits your needs. We offer several locations for your care, including specialized cancer treatment centers in North and Central Texas.