Mesothelioma is a type of cancer which happens because of accidental intake of asbestos in our body. Mesothelioma is a cancer of chest and abdomen where the mesothelium membrane surrounding these organs is infected. The mesothelium cells forms lining around the lungs, heart and the diaphragm. Thus these organs can also be infected depending on how much the tumor has spread in the chest.
There are ways to treat Mesothelioma using chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, immunotherapy, etc. There are two types of surgery available for Mesothelioma patients, Pleurectomy Decortication and Extrapleural Pneumonectomy.
The Pleurectomy Decortication surgery is used commonly for mesothelioma patients who are at there earlier stages. In a Pleurectomy Decortication the pleura from both sides of the chest are removed and in certain cases even the parts of pericardium and diaphragm is removed. To reach the parietal pleura the chest is opened with an incision and sometimes even the sixth rib is removed to reach the pleural cavity. After that the decortication of the lungs is performed followed by removal of the pleural cavity. It is possible that the diaphragm and pericardium is removed during the surgery, so the surgeon needs to build the equivalent structure using fibre mesh to perform the functions of the original structure. The adjacent lymph nodes are also removed for the analysis after the operation.
There are many adverse effects and complications after the Pleurectomy Decortication surgery like:
* The patient can have enormous bleeding
* Obstructions in breathing
* Damage to the lungs
* Air leak out of lungs called Bronchopleural fistula.
* Pneumonia
* Reappearance of the tumor
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