Doctors perform mesothelioma surgery for various reasons, such as to remove tumors, improve a person’s symptoms, and for diagnostic reasons.
Mesothelioma is a cancer that occurs in the thin tissue that lines various organs in the body. Surgery for mesothelioma can be curative or palliative. There are various types of mesothelioma, and the exact procedure depends on what kind a person has.
This article reviews surgery for mesothelioma, including the types of procedures doctors may perform and what it can mean for a person’s outlook.
Surgery for mesothelioma can take place for many reasons. It
Curative
If a person with malignant or cancerous mesothelioma is in otherwise good health and the specialist thinks they can completely remove the cancer, they may recommend curative surgery.
During this procedure, the surgeon aims to remove all or most of the cancer. However, in most cases, it is not possible to remove every single cancer cell, which can mean that some cells are left behind. These cells can grow and divide and cause cancer to return sometime after surgery.
For some people, undergoing curative surgery can completely cure mesothelioma. Others may find that curative surgery does not completely cure the disease but does improve their life expectancy.
Palliative
If cancer has spread to other parts of the body, palliative surgery may be an option to enhance a person’s life quality by helping reduce symptoms. Palliative surgery does not cure the cancer but is an option for those who are not well enough to undergo more extensive surgery.
Doctors can perform surgery to treat pleural mesothelioma. The main aims of surgery are to relieve cancer symptoms or to confirm the diagnosis when other tests do not provide a clear result.
Surgery is only suitable for a small number of people since it is a major procedure.
What it involves
During the procedure, the surgeon may remove portions or all of the pleura — the membrane that lines the chest and lungs.
Depending on the situation, doctors can perform this surgery by making several small openings in the skin, called keyhole surgery, or by making one large single cut in the chest, known as a thoracotomy.
A factor that healthcare professionals consider is how far the cancer has spread.
If the mesothelioma is advanced, the surgeon may also remove parts of the lung, pericardium, or diaphragm. They
Benefits and risks
Undergoing surgery for pleural mesothelioma may improve a person’s outlook, including life expectancy, and provide symptom relief. Surgery may increase survival by more than
Undergoing surgery can also lead to complications, including:
- wound infection
- deep vein thrombosis
- respiratory failure
- heart attack
- bleeding
- air leak
- arrhythmia
Surgery is not suitable for most people with peritoneal mesothelioma. Eligibility depends on the stage of the cancer and the person’s overall health.
What it involves
During the surgery, a specialist will remove most of the peritoneum — the membrane that covers the abdominal cavity — and the organs nearby where the cancer may have spread. This can include the gallbladder, spleen, or a portion of the bowels.
If the surgeon removes part of the bowels, they will create an opening in the abdomen called a stoma and fit a bag to it to collect the digestive waste. The stoma can be temporary or permanent.
After removing the tumors, the surgeon may administer a heated chemotherapy drug in the person’s abdomen. This is known as hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), and it can help kill the remaining cancer cells.
Benefits and risks
Undergoing surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma may help improve the outlook and extend the life of a person with this cancer type. Surgery allows for the removal of most of the tumors in the peritoneum before treating the cancer with HIPEC.
Similar to surgery for pleural mesothelioma, surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma may cause several complications, which can
- organ failure
- wound infection
- bleeding
Surgery can treat pericardial mesothelioma by removing the pericardium, the sac that protects and surrounds the heart. This procedure is called pericardectomy and
In some cases, surgeons may create a hole in the pericardium, called a pericardial window, rather than removing it completely. The pericardial window can also deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to the area surrounding the heart.
If a person has surgery for testicular mesothelioma, surgeons may remove the tunica vaginalis, the layer that covers the testicles. However, this surgery rarely cures testicular mesothelioma as, in most cases, the surgeon cannot entirely remove the mesothelioma.
The life expectancy of people with mesothelioma can vary depending on the stage of their cancer.
The
Relative survival rate
The relative survival rate suggests how long someone with a condition may live after their diagnosis compared to someone without the condition of the same race, sex, and age over a specific time. This is different from overall survival rate, which is a percentage of people still alive for a specific time after diagnosis of a condition.
It’s most important to remember that figures are estimates, and everyone is different. Talk with your doctor about your specific condition.
However, these statistics do not take into account many factors like:
- a person’s age at diagnosis
- their overall health conditions
- the continuous improvement of medical treatments
Undergoing mesothelioma surgery may increase a person’s life expectancy. People with malignant pleural mesothelioma who do not receive treatment may die
Surgery can help diagnose mesothelioma and determine the stage and type of cancer. It involves collecting tissue samples directly from the cancerous area — also known as a biopsy.
Doctors may perform laparoscopy or thoracoscopy to collect samples. Both procedures involve inserting a thin tube with a camera either down a person’s throat or through a small incision in the side of their chest near the ribs.
If these procedures are not enough to diagnose the cancer, doctors may perform an open surgery. This requires making an incision in the chest or the abdomen to reach the area with the suspected cancer to collect samples and remove tumors.
Surgery can help diagnose, treat, and improve the symptoms of mesothelioma.
While surgery does not usually cure mesothelioma, it can often increase a person’s life expectancy. However, as it is a major procedure, only a few people can undergo mesothelioma surgery.
Surgery may not be an option for someone who is not well enough or has advanced mesothelioma.