Mesothelioma treatment options are improving with research and the program of treatment depends on factors such as where the cancer is situated, the stage of the cancer, how far it has spread, the patients age and needs and how the cancer cells appear under a microscope.

There are three main types of traditional treatment for people with mesothelioma lung cancer, namely, surgery to remove the cancer, chemotherapy which is the use of drugs to eradicate cancer cells and radiation therapy which uses x-rays in high dose or other energy rays to destroy cancer cells.  Usually, these therapies are combined. 

The mesothelioma cancer prognosis is usually only eight to twelve months.  However, time is of the essence when treating this disease and the earlier it is diagnosed, the better. 

In the case of surgery, sometimes diagnostic surgery is needed as a very necessary step, as mesothelioma diagnosis through fluid is sometimes inconclusive.  Sometimes a thoracoscopy (like an open biopsy but less invasive) is done to carry out multiple tissue biopsies and for assessment of the pleural cavity.  A conclusive diagnosis is obtained in up to 98% of cases.  Fluid can be drained from the intrapleural space at the same time and the extent of the tumor assessed to determine the possibilities of resection.

An alternative to thoracoscopy is video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) which is more invasive but the physician is able to see the pleural space using a camera while collecting tumor samples for examination by a pathologist.  The physician can also determine the extent of tumor invasion for example in the chest wall or pleural involvement. 

A laproscopy or mediastinoscopy are also sometimes used as other ways of gaging the extent of disease. 

Palliative procedures are used to treat symptoms of mesothelioma but do not treat the disease itself.  Such procedures include chest tube drainage and pleurodesis which are the most common palliative treatments.  Thoracoscopy and pleurodesis are done with VATS.  A pleuroperitoneal shunt  is sometimes used, but in limited capacity due to tumor seeding concerns.  Lastly a pleurectomy is sometimes carried out in cases where more extensive surgery is not possible. 

Along with diagnostic and palliative treatments, surgery with potentially curative intent is carried out where the aim is to remove all of the disease with the awareness that some microscopic elements will probably remain. 
For malignant pleural mesothelioma two surgical treatments are available namely, a pleurectomy/decortication which is carried out on early stage tumors (Stage I and sometimes Stage II) and secondly, an extrapleural  pneumonectomy which is only executed by surgeons with much expertise and where previous surgery has failed to cure or prolong life.
For peritoneal mesothelioma, cytoreductive surgery aims at removing all of the visible or gross tumor within the peritoneal cavity. Cancer cells left are treated with chemotherapy and focused in the abdominal cavity.
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with anticancer chemical substances to control the division of cancerous cells by destroying them.  It is not considered curative but seeks to control the spread, shrink tumors, to relieve symptoms like pain and to destroy microscopic cells remaining post surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy).
Radiation therapy or radiotherapy is included in the range of mesothelioma treatment options and treats the tumor with the use of penetrative beams of high energy radiation and can be used in conjunction with surgery and palliatively.
 

The type of pancreatic cancer treatment received depends on several factors such as the type of cancer, patient’s age and fitness level, general health and the stage of the cancer.  As the operation to remove pancreatic cancer is major, the patient’s general fitness and health are important in order to adequately recover.  Fitness level includes age, however this is not the only factor and the medics will not decide solely upon age.

Treatment will be offered by a multidisciplinary team of specialists including chemotherapists and radiotherapists (oncologists), specialist surgeons, psychologists, nurses, dietitians and other professionals.  They work together to deliver the best treatment and care. 

Sadly, most pancreatic cancer diagnosis is too late for surgery to be successful as the tumor is too big or has spread.  Surgery to remove cancer of the pancreas is complicated and long, hence patient health and fitness is critically important. The doctors will firstly do tests to determine if total removal of the tumor is possible and if so, surgery will be offered.  If however the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, then surgery to excise will unfortunately not cure the patient as the cancer will return making the effort of surgery pointless.  Even if surgery will offer a likely cure, sometimes cancerous cells can break away and enter the blood stream to be carried elsewhere in the body so even if the total pancreatic tumor is removed, it still doesn’t guarantee that the cancer won’t return.  Chemotherapy may be offered post-surgery in order to reduce the chances of it returning. 

Surgery can be conducted to relieve pancreas cancer symptoms such as jaundice.  A tube called a stent is inserted to relieve this or surgery can relieve blockages in the digestive system that may be caused by the cancer.  The duodenum (part of the small bowel) is susceptible to blockage from this type of cancer and so surgery can go around this to aid the digestive system’s continued functioning.

Pancreatic cancer symptoms can be quite general.  The most common type of pancreatic cancer are exocrine tumors.  There is a rarer type that produces hormones which are called endocrine pancreatic tumors.  The symptoms of this are quite specific depending on the hormone produced by the tumor.

Firstly, exocrine tumors can include weight loss, back pain, jaundice and weight loss.  The majority of patients experience jaundice at the first visit to the doctor.  Symptoms of this are yellowing of the whites of the eyes and the skin, darker urine, extreme itching and pale colored feces. 

Other symptoms of pancreatic cancer include sickness, diabetes, a change in bowl movements, shivering and fever.  There are many different types of cancer all manifesting different symptoms such as mesothelioma cancer which is a is a completely different type of cancer and caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma symptoms can be general like chest pain, shortness of breath and a persistent cough as it manifests in the lungs.

Sadly, pancreatic cancer prognosis is not good.  Once the patient is diagnosed with this condition, they are usually only expected to live five to eight months.  However, 20% of patients will live to one year. The pancreatic cancer life expectancy for patients living over five years is very low, at 5%.  These figures are devastating indeed and it is no wonder that this form of cancer is the leading cause of death in the world claiming the lives of 1% of the population of the USA.  Successful pancreatic cancer treatment is low due to the vague nature of the initial symptoms.
 

Liver cancer treatment depends on your over all state of health and on how advanced the cancer is.
Primary liver cancer (cancer that starts in the liver) is rare in Britain.  More men than women are affected and about 2,500 cases are diagnosed per year.   However, unfortunately secondary liver cancer (cancers which start elsewhere but spread to the liver) is far more common.  Cancerous tumors can start in many organs of the body such as lungs, breasts or bowel for example, and then can spread (metastasize) to the liver.  This is also known as metastatic liver cancer.

Treatments vary depending on whether the cancer has metastasized and where it is located in the body.  Side effects are caused by all treatments and full knowledge of each treatment is important before proceeding.  Treatment for patients with secondary liver cancer will depend on where the original cancer has spread from. 

Medical professionals are researching new drugs to try and increase liver cancer life expectancy.  So far, surgery is the best treatment for liver cancer and can provide the only possible cure.  Unfortunately however, less than one in three people who have cancer of the liver can have surgery to excise it because it is likely is has spread or is too large.  Stage 4 liver cancer is when the tumor has spread to other organs or lymph nodes and it can be of any size.

That said, if it is possible, there are several different surgeries available namely, a lobectomy which removes a whole lobe of the liver, a liver resection when only the cancerous part of the liver is taken away and a whole liver transplant where the liver in its entirety is removed and replaced with another healthy human liver.  An extremely small amount of patients are eligible for a replacement however.

The liver has an incredible capacity to repair itself and if a resection or lobectomy is performed, within a few weeks only, it can grow back to its normal size even if as much as 80% is taken away.

Other treatments include ethanol injections, (an alcoholic liquid which kills cancer cells) is another possible treatment if the cancer is small.  Treatment is localized and injected straight into the skin directly in the cancerous area.  In each injection session there may be one or two injections and the amount of sessions needed depends on the size of the tumor and how many there are.

Chemotherapy is unfortunately not very good at treating liver cancer, however chemoembolization could be more effective.  Chemotherapy uses medicines injected into an artery or vein which destroys cancer cells, shrinks tumors and reduces the symptoms they cause.  Chemoembolization uses these medicines and combines them with lipiodol, an oily substance which assists chemotherapy drugs to stay longer in the liver and so having a better effect.  Additionally, very small amounts of gel are injected into the surrounding area which starves the tumor of its essential blood supply and so killing it.

Radio frequency ablation destroys cancer cells using heat from radiowaves.  A narrow needle is inserted into the tumor acting as a vehicle for radiowaves to be passed down to kill the cancerous cells.

Radiotherapy seeks to kill cancer cells but unfortunately leads to damage of healthy liver cells and so, it is not usually used.
Liver cancer symptoms include swollen abdomen, loss of appetite, weight loss, sickness, jaundice and fatigue but it is likely in the early stages that no symptoms will be detected.

Mesothelioma cancer is a totally different type of cancer and caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma symptoms can be general like, shortness of breath, chest pain and a persistent cough.

Unfortunately, the liver cancer survival rate is low with the three-year survival rate being less than 5%.  Liver cancer prognosis is affected by various factors such as whether the cancer has spread.  Adults have a poorer outlook as their cancer is usually diagnosed too late.  When symptoms occur, the disease is usually in advanced stages.  Only 10% of patients are diagnosed in the early stages which is when surgery, the most effective form of liver cancer treatment, can help.
 

Stage 4 lung cancer can means 3 things namely, that the cancer has spread to both lungs; it has spread to another area of the body like the bones or liver; it has lead to a collection of fluid around the heart or lung containing cancerous cells. This is called a pericardial effusion (heart) or malignant pleural effusion (lungs).

Pleural effusion is when fluid builds up between pleura or membranes that surround the outside of each lung. When the lungs expand and contract with breathing, the fluid takes up the space making it extremely hard to breath using a full lung capacity therefore resulting in breathlessness. When fluid is extracted, it is tested for cancer cells and if detected this is considered lung cancer stage 4. The presence of fluid does not necessarily mean the cancer has spread and if the fluid does not contain cancerous cell this does not count towards the 4^th stage of cancer. Pleural effusion is just one of the several factors that medical professionals consider when deciding the stage.

Stage 4 lung cancer prognosis and treatment depends largely on the stage, the histological type of cancer and the patient’s performance status (a measure of the general well being and therefore tolerance to treatment). The most likely treatments include chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery.

There are two main types of lung cancer – small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). The treatment varies depending on which one is diagnosed so the distinction is important. Stage 4 lung cancer life expectancy varies greatly from person to person such as:

patient’s age – younger patients are more likely to live longer than older patients.

type of lung cancer and its location – within stage 4 there are several types of lung cancer which may have stayed in one place or spread to one or several locations.

general health when diagnosed – those with good all round health are expected to live longer. Survival can be extended with the ability to stand up to treatments.

sex of the patient – female sufferers have a higher life expectancy at each stage of lung cancer.

response to treatments – people respond differently to the side effects of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapies. If there is a low tolerance to these side effects then treatment could be limited.

lung cancer complications such as blood clots can reduce life expectancy.

additional health conditions for example, asthma or emphysema.

Statistically, the life expectancy of stage 4 NSCLC is sadly only about 8 months. The five year lung cancer survival rate (the amount of patients expected to live to five years after a diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer) is less than 10%. However, bear in mind that although lung cancer is not usually curable but it is treatable.

Staging cancer helps doctors assess the extent that a cancer has spread. Scans and tests carried out to help diagnose the cancer provide information about the stage however, an operation maybe the only way to obtain a definitive answer. But, in the majority of cases, the tests are adequate enough.

All cancer staging is determined by several factors namely, whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, the size of the tumor and whether it has moved to other areas of the body.

There are a variety of tests. A CT scan looks though section of the body using x-rays. Or a combined PET-CT scan gives in depth pictures of the body’s structures and uses a slightly radioactive dye which focuses on areas where there is abnormal activity in cell growth.

A bronchoscopy test uses a flexible, narrow tube which is inserted into the nose or throat down into the windpipe. This is normally carried out under local anesthetic however, a sedative or general anesthetic is sometimes used.

A tumor biopsy test involves the insertion of a very fine needle into the lung through the skin. The patient holds their breath while this is taking place and only takes a two to three minutes. The collected cells are then taken for examination.

Lung cancer can be caused by various factors such as tobacco smoke (most common cause), radon gas, genetic factors, air pollution (including second had tobacco smoke) and asbestos. Asbestos exposure leads to a rarer kind of cancer called mesothelioma cancer. Mesothelioma symptoms can be general such as chest pain, shortness of breath and a persistent cough. There are two types namely, malignant mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma.

So, stage 4 lung cancer is a serious disease however, advances in treatments and new clinical trials are aiming to reduce the symptoms and help to improve survival.