Mesothelioma Cancer & Lung Disease

Before any surgery is attempted – you will have a complete assesment of how functional you are and whether you can tolerate surgery. During the assesment a series of routine test are performed, including how your heart and lungs are functioning.

You will only be considered for surgery if mesothelioma is only present on one side of your chest, and in cases of peritoneal mesothelioma, the disease must be contained in the abdomen and not spread. As a rule of thumb  – if you have good lung and heart function with few symptoms of the disease then you are most likely to be offered surgery.

Which surgical procedure will I have?

It is difficult to estimate the extent on your type or length of surgery. The surgeon will have some idea by your CT scan results, but will have a clearer idea in the operating theatre as to the size of the tumour and what procedure he or she will need to take. The attitude of the individual surgeon can play a role in what operation takes place, i.e. one may decide that an ‘extrapleural pneumonectomy’(EPP) is nessecary – this involves complete removal of the pleura and lung, whereas -a ‘pleurectomy’ is less invasive and involves partial removal of the pleura. Attitude among medical professionals is somewhat controversial concerning saving a lung during surgery. For instance- some thoracic surgeons argue that the patients quality of life has been compromised after the removal of a lung, but  others feel that complete removal of a lung is necessary to remove as much of the tumour as possible.

Don’t be afraid to talk to your surgeon about his or her views concerning operation procedures for mesothelioma. This will lessen any anxiety you may have prior to going to theatre.

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