Treatment of mesothelioma and health insurance

9th June: Do you know about various treatment options for mesothelioma, a lethal cancer that affects the membranes around the heart, lungs and abdominal cavity. And do you know about appropriate health insurance? Read this article to know more—

There are different treatment options available for mesothelioma depending upon the stage of the disease, age of the patient, the overall health of the patient, desires of the patient, where the cancer exactly is, how it appears under the microscope and how far it has spread.

Different Treatment Options for Mesothelioma-----
The treatment of mesothelioma is concerned with destroying of all malignant or cancerous cells while adequately preserving the healthy cells in the human body. At present, there are three main treatment options available for treatment of mesothelioma. These include –
• Surgery;
• Radiation;
• Chemotherapy.

• SURGERY---Surgery happens to be a common treatment option for mesothelioma patients. It can be used either for curing the disease or for improving the quality of life of the patient. Although, presently, surgery is usually less used as a treatment option since mesothelioma is not diagnosed in early stages, however, development of more advanced tests might help for timely and early diagnose of mesothelioma for using curative surgery as an option.

As of now, surgery is commonly used more as a palliative treatment option, i.e. preventing fluid within the lungs from returning.

• RADIATION--- In case, the patient is too weak to go for chemotherapy or surgery, then the most feasible treatment option for mesothelioma is radiation or radiotherapy. It is quite easy to tolerate than the treatment of chemotherapy and involves very few side effects. 

Radiotherapy might be used in combination with surgery to curb the symptoms. 

External beam radiation therapy involves radiation from a machine aimed towards the affected parts of the body and it is administered usually for 5-days in a week for a maximum of five weeks. This treatment option is meant to reduce bleeding, pain, breathing difficulties or swallowing difficulties. It might be used along with surgery. 

CHEMOTHERAPY---Just like radiotherapy, this treatment is not a cure for mesothelioma but provides a big relief from the symptoms of the disease. However, time is not far when patients will get to enjoy a prolonged life after chemotherapy. 

It is either injected or given in the form of a pill. The drugs are either given intraperitoneally (i.e. into abdominal cavity) or intrapleurally (into chest cavity). 

Doctors might prescribe other drugs to control the side effects of chemotherapy. 

How to get health insurance—Various health insurance plans----
1. SHIP- SHIP (the State Health Insurance Assistance Program) is a program providing assistance and counseling to patients to persons with Medicare. SHIPs offer assistance via phone, media activities, face-to-face interactions and public education programs.

2. Moreover, the HRSA(Health Resources and Services Administration) Bureau of Primary Health Care has health centers providing health care services to vulnerable including low-income people.

3. Medicare- It’s a health insurance program by the government which covers those aged 65 and above.

There are several other health insurance schemes which can prove to be of help for reimbursement of mesothelioma costs