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What to Know About Supportive Treatments for Malignant Mesothelioma

You might have supportive treatments for malignant mesothelioma. These treatments don’t cure the mesothelioma, but they can help treat your symptoms.

For shortness of breath, your doctor may give you oxygen therapy. If the shortness of breath is from fluid in your chest or your abdomen, your doctor may suggest ways to drain the fluid to keep it from coming back.

If you have pain, your doctor may prescribe pain medication. Many medications are available to ease cancer pain. To control pain, you may need more than one type of treatment plan. Many hospitals have pain clinics or teams that specialize in treating pain. You may be sent to see one of these professionals. Your doctor may also recommend radiation therapy.

If you have lost your appetite, your doctor may recommend pills. These may help you get your appetite back.

If you have an infection, your doctor will probably give you antibiotics. These drugs fight infection. Infection is often due to a weakened immune system. You must be careful to stay away from people with colds and sicknesses.

If your blood tests show that you have low red-blood-cell counts (anemia), your doctor may suggest red-blood-cell transfusions. Or you may get medication to boost your red-blood-cell count, called Procrit (epoetin alfa) or Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa).