The best way to prevent
mesothelioma is to take a proactive stance on your health and seek regular
medical exams to check for signs of asbestos-related disease. If a previous job
or project exposed you to asbestos, an experienced doctor can schedule the
appropriate screenings to detect mesothelioma or another asbestos-related
disease. Those with a history of asbestos exposure should not wait for symptoms
to arise; monitoring development of asbestos-related disease offers the most
opportunity for effective treatment.
Mesothelioma surgeries are often
complex procedures. Surgeons must remove all of the visible tumor without
damaging the vital organs the tumors may have grown on, such as the lungs or
heart. Although many patients can benefit from debulking surgeries or
palliative surgical treatments, not all patients will be candidates for these
procedures. A team of surgeons and oncologists will carefully evaluate each
mesothelioma patient's current health - specifically their pulmonary function,
previous treatment history and specific diagnosis before approving surgery as a
viable treatment option.
Once the patient's specialist or
treatment team approves the patient for surgery, he or she will be admitted to
a treatment facility or cancer center. Many facilities require that patients
stay in the hospital for monitored recovery so that any side effects that do
arise can be properly managed.
Less radical surgeries such as a
pleurodesis or thoracotomy are typically associated with the most minor side
effects, while potentially curative surgeries come with a larger set of risks.
For example, 64 percent of patients experienced at least one minor complication
after a radical extrapleural pneumonectomy.