Treatment for mesothelioma
A team of doctors and other professionals discuss the best treatment and care for you. They are called a multidisciplinary team (MDT).
The treatment you have depends on:
where your cancer is
how far it has grown or spread (the stage)
the type of cancer
your general health and level of fitness
your personal wishes
Your doctor will discuss your treatment, its benefits and the possible side effects with you.
Unfortunately mesothelioma can be difficult to treat. It is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. So, nearly all treatments aim to control the mesothelioma for as long as possible. And keep symptoms under control.
For early stage mesothelioma, you might have surgery if you are well enough. You might also have chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or a combination of both.
For more advanced mesothelioma, you might have immunotherapy or chemotherapy. This is to shrink it and reduce symptoms. Treatment can help some people live weeks or months longer. Radiotherapy might also shrink the cancer and control symptoms.
Immunotherapy uses our immune system to fight cancer. It works by helping the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells. It is a treatment for some people with pleural mesothelioma.
You might have immunotherapy drugs if you can’t have surgery. Immunotherapy helps to control the cancer.
You have it as your first treatment, before other treatment such as chemotherapy. You have to be fit and well enough to have immunotherapy.
Read about immunotherapy for mesothelioma
Chemotherapy uses anti cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells. The chemotherapy drugs circulate throughout the body in your bloodstream.
You might have chemotherapy:
for early stage pleural mesothelioma, alongside surgery and radiotherapy
to shrink or control advanced pleural mesothelioma
Common chemotherapy drugs for mesothelioma are pemetrexed and cisplatin.
Read about chemotherapy for pleural mesothelioma
Radiotherapy uses high energy rays to destroy cancer cells.
You might have radiotherapy:
after surgery for early stage mesothelioma (adjuvant radiotherapy)
to control mesothelioma symptoms and slow down the growth of your cancer.
Read about radiotherapy for mesothelioma
Surgery isn't a common treatment for mesothelioma. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to remove all the cancer and get rid of the mesothelioma for good. To have surgery you have to be fairly fit and well so that you can recover without too many problems.
You might have an operation to control and relieve symptoms. The surgery might also help you live longer.
Your surgeon might remove:
part of the pleura (partial pleurectomy)
the whole of the pleura (pleurectomy)
as much cancer as possible to relieve symptoms (debulking surgery)
Read about surgery for pleural mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is often diagnosed when it is quite advanced. Some people might be too ill to cope with some treatments. For example, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery. But you can still have treatment to relieve symptoms such as pain or breathing problems.
This is called palliative care. It is managed by a team of doctors and nurses who are experts in controlling symptoms of advanced cancer. The team might also include a physiotherapist and dietician.
Find out more about palliative treatment
Your doctor might ask if you’d like to take part in a clinical trial. Doctors and researchers do trials to make existing treatments better and develop new treatments.
Research and clinical trials for mesothelioma
Your doctor might offer you a choice of treatments. Discuss each treatment with them and ask how they can control any side effects. This helps you make the right decision for you. You also need to think about the other factors involved in each treatment, such as:
whether you need extra appointments
if you need more tests
the distance you need to travel to and from hospital
You might have to make further choices as your situation changes. It helps to find out as much as possible each time. You can stop a treatment whenever you want to if you find it too much to cope with.
Last reviewed: 23 May 2023
Next review due: 23 May 2026
You are often diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma when it is quite advanced. Unfortunately it can be difficult to treat. Treatment options include chemotherapy and a few people might have surgery.
The treatment you have depends on the stage and type of your mesothelioma. Some people with early stage mesothelioma have surgery. Other treatments include immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The staging system most commonly used in the UK for pleural mesothelioma is called the International Mesothelioma Interest Group (IMIG) system.
Survival depends on many factors including the stage and type of your mesothelioma. The statistics for mesothelioma survival can only be used as a general guide.
Researchers around the world are looking into the diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. You can read about the research and how to find a clinical trial.
Mesothelioma is a cancer that most commonly starts in the sheets of skin-like tissue that cover each lung (the pleura). More rarely it starts in the sheet of tissue in the abdomen that covers the digestive system organs (the peritoneum).
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