THE MULTIMODALITY APPROACH TO TREATMENT
Since the beginning of 2006, the best regarded treatments for mesothelioma always include surgery of some form. BUT surgery alone is not considered sufficiently effective and is always combined with other forms of treatment. Resorting to more than one type of treatment is known as a multimodality approach. A combination of surgery with either chemotherapy, radiation, or both, is now the preferred approach, basically because it has shown the best progress of any of the approaches when used singly.
Today, even chemotherapy is not used in isolation but is usually administered as an adjunct to two or more complementary agents. Frequently, each of the therapies are directed towards achieving targets - for instance, one therapy may be designed to shrink the tumor, while another is designed to reduce pain.
Surgery, while almost always an aspect of treatment, comes with serious and life-threatening side effects, yet the advantages far outweigh the risks. Even so, you should ensure that you receive treatment at a center of excellence for mesothelioma treatment.
You will hear a number of medical terms when your surgery is being discussed and you should always ask for clarification of anything that you don't understand. However, to help you on your way, the following are some of the most commonly used surgical treatments of mesothelioma:
Pleurodesis
This is a treatment administered through a tube inserted through the chest wall. The procedure itself sets up an inflammation that eliminates the pleural space. This means that fluid cannot accumulate and embarrass the function of the lungs.
Pleurectomy
Surgery to remove part of the chest or abdomen lining and some of the tissue surrounding it.
Pleurectomy/decortication
Surgery as for pleurectomy plus the removal of as much tumor mass as possible. This tends to be used as a way of relieving pain caused by the tumor.
Pneumonectomy
Surgery to remove a lung.
Extra pleural pneumonectomy (or EPP)
Extensive surgery to remove the pleura, diaphragm, pericardium, and entire lung involved with the tumor.
Read more here Treatment For Mesothelioma