Ohio Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
- Case Western Reserve University Cancer Research Center—Cleveland, OH: University Hospital’s Seidman Cancer Center is part of Case Western Reserve University Cancer Research Center, a top cancer clinic where mesothelioma doctors employ some of the best and latest treatment methods. The Seidman Cancer Center is one of 12 cancer centers in the U.S. designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute.
- Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center is another top Ohio cancer center where leading mesothelioma doctors use the most advanced treatment protocols to help cancer patients.
- Joseph Cancer Care Center—Warren, OH: The St. Joseph Cancer Care Center in Warren, Ohio ranks among the best cancer centers in the midwest.
- The Cleveland Clinic—Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Clinic is home to one of the best mesothelioma cancer centers in the nation with top doctors and oncologists.
- Toledo Community Hospital Oncology Program (CCOP)—Toledo, OH: Toledo Community Hospital Oncology Program (CCOP) is among the best mesothelioma cancer centers in the nation with top doctors providing state of the art cancer treatment for patients.
The Symptoms of Asbestos Exposure
Mesothelioma, lung cancer, adenocarcinoma and asbestosis may lay dormant for decades after initial exposure, and symptoms may not present until many years later. When signs of illness do appear, however, typical symptoms include:
- Chest pain
- Pain in the lower back
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent Cough
- Fever & Nausea
- Excessive sweating
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Trouble swallowing
What is Mesothelioma?
After exposure, a patient may develop malignant mesothelioma, a cancer that grows in the thin layers of tissue that surrounds the lungs and other organs.
Mesothelioma may cause symptoms similar to those of lung cancer, which can include lumps of tissue in the chest area, chest pain, painful coughing, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and weight loss. The cancer can grow in other places within the body, including:
- The pleura—tissue surrounding the lungs
- The tissue in the abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma)
- The tissue surrounding the heart
- The area surrounding the testicles
Four Stages of Mesothelioma
Each person’s cancer is unique, though almost all cancers have similar stages. Mesothelioma Cancer is the most common type, and starts in the pleura, or the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Stages of malignant pleural mesothelioma are dependent on the cancer spreading to predictable locations:
- Cancer in the pleura lining the chest wall
- Cancer in pleura lining the diaphragm
- Cancer in the pleura covering the lung
- Cancer in lymph nodes
- Through the heart lining or into the heart itself
- Cancer spread to distant organs such as the bones, the liver
Tri Modal Treatment
According to a recent study at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, mesothelioma patients who undergo aggressive multimodal treatment live almost twice as long after diagnosis than those who do not. The researchers found that a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation extended survival time significantly, regardless of the stage of cancer.
The team of researchers recommends that all patients diagnosed with mesothelioma be evaluated by multidisciplinary teams experienced in the management of mesothelioma for consideration of aggressive multi-modality (surgery, chemotherapy and radiation) treatment.
The study, published by the American Journal of Clinical Oncology utilized the National Cancer Database to review data on cancer patients and survival rates.
Malignant mesothelioma is a type of deadly cancer caused primarily by asbestos exposure that occurs in the thin layer of tissue that covers internal organs. Mesothelioma most often affects the tissue that surrounds the lungs. This type is called Mesothelioma Cancer.
Other, rarer types of mesothelioma affect tissue in the abdomen, around the heart and the testicles. Mesothelioma treatments are available, but for most people with mesothelioma there is no cure.
Tri-modal Treatment Success
The Anderson Center study began with 20,561 mesothelioma patients identified from 2004 to 2014. Of those cases, overall median survival was:
- 20.8 months for those undergoing tri-modal treatment (surgery, chemotherapy and radiation).
- 13.9 months for patients undergoing surgery
- 10.5 months for patients electing no surgery
Asbestos Cancer Treatment
The use of tri-modal treatment showed a survival advantage regardless of lymph node involvement or cancer stage. It also provided a clear contrast to the less aggressive treatment plans many patients still choose.
The researchers wrote, “The greatest estimated treatment effect on survival was observed when cancer-directed surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy were combined, which underscores the importance of tri-modality therapy…currently available therapeutic modalities seem to result in improved survival.”
Among the patients in the study mentioned above, 2,015 received only chemotherapy, around 850 patients received only surgery, and 274 were able to complete the tri-modal regimen. As these treatment procedures have certain risks, the researchers emphasize the need for patients to find a center with experience treating mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma Treatment Options
Sometimes it isn’t possible to remove all cancer in a patient, though surgery can help to reduce the signs and symptoms caused by mesothelioma. Surgical options may include the following:
- Surgery to decrease fluid buildup—pleural mesothelioma frequently causes fluid to build up in the chest, causing difficulty breathing. Surgeons can drain the fluid and then inject medicine into the chest to prevent fluid from returning.
- Debulking Surgery— surgeons may remove tissue lining the ribs, the lungs, and the abdominal cavity. Doctors may elect to remove as much of the cancer as possible, which allows doctors to more accurately direct radiation treatments to relieve pain and fluid buildup caused by mesothelioma.
- Removal of a lung and surrounding tissue—removing an affected lung and the tissue that surrounds it may relieve signs and symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. If you’ll be receiving radiation therapy, this procedure also allows doctors to use higher doses without the need to protect the lung from damaging radiation.
- Chemotherapy—these procedures use chemicals to shrink cancer cells and slow the growth of a mesothelioma tumor that cannot be removed by surgical methods. Chemotherapy may also be used before or after surgery.
- Radiation therapy—this form of therapy focuses high-energy beams to a specific places on the body. Radiation may be used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells.
- Keytruda Treatment
