Mesothelioma

Your care starts with a visit to the doctor, where you'll discuss your medical history and any risk factors for mesothelioma, such as asbestos exposure. During your exam, your doctor will listen to your heart and lungs, tap your abdomen or chest and look for signs of fluid buildup.

If you have symptoms of pleural mesothelioma, you may also have a pulmonary function test to check how your lungs are working. As mesothelioma shares symptoms with many other conditions, your doctor may order additional tests after your exam to help with diagnosis.

Surgery can be used to treat mesothelioma to remove as much of the cancer as possible. Though often, mesothelioma can’t be completely removed with surgery. The type of surgery that your care team recommends will depend on the location of your cancer and how much your mesothelioma has spread.

• Extrapleural pneumonectomy: This extensive and complex surgery aims to remove all the areas of cancer caused by pleural mesothelioma, like a pneumonectomy, where your surgeon will remove one of your lungs. An extrapleural pneumonectomy also removes the lining in the chest on that same side, part of your diaphragm, lymph nodes and, in some cases, the sac around your heart.
• Pleurectomy and decortication: During this surgery, known as P/D, your doctor removes the lining around the affected lung and the pleural coating around your lung and diaphragm on that side of the body.
• Debulking: Debulking surgery removes as many areas of cancer as possible in the lining of the lungs or abdomen, while leaving as much healthy tissue in place as possible. When used in the lining of the lungs, it may be called a partial pleurectomy.
• Pleurodesis: Pleurodesis is a procedure that removes fluid buildup and then uses chemicals to make scar tissue in the lining of the lungs. This process prevents any additional fluid from building up in the space.