Surgery

Potentially Curative Surgery

Facts about Surgery
Primary Goal: 

• Complete removal of the tumor
• More effective when used with other therapies
• Surgical biopsy is the most reliable way to diagnose mesothelioma

Potentially curative surgery is a major operation - and, as the name suggests, possibly life-changing. But not everybody who has mesothelioma qualifies for such surgery. Patients who want to consider this surgery generally must have good health on their side. Doctors want to be sure that this kind of patient can withstand the rigors of a difficult surgery and arduous rehabilitation.

Typical procedures include pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) and extrapleural pneumonectomy. Developed by Dr. Robert Cameron, P/D has shown to prolong survival in some patients while providing additional complications in others. Dr. Cameron began developing this procedure in 1994 and has performed it on more patients than any other surgeon.

Both P/D and extrapleural pneumonectomy are recommended for patients with an early stage of pleural mesothelioma. When performed on patients with a Stage 3 or 4 diagnosis, survival rates are not as high.

Diagnostic Surgery

Doctors use diagnostic surgery to confirm the presence and whereabouts of cancer. This is typically accomplished with biopsies, removing suspected bad tissue from inside the body to determine that they are, in fact, cancerous. Some of the more common biopsies include fine needle aspiration, incisional/core biopsy and excisional biopsy.

Fine needle aspiration biopsies use a hollow needle to gather sample cells for testing. Results from this biopsy are available within a few minutes. Incisional/core biopsies only remove a small section of suspicious tissue for further evaluation. An excisional biopsy involves the removal of an entire tumor or organ for diagnosis.

Typical biopsies for patients with lung conditions include thoracentesis and thoracoscopy, which can be used to diagnose patients who are suspected to have pleural mesothelioma or another lung condition. 

Lung Cancer Types

Lung Cancer Types

Lung cancer cases typically fall into one of two categories: small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer forms in lung tissues, while small cell lung cancer typically grows in the breathing tubes. Both small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer can be caused by asbestos exposure.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Making up approximately 80 to 85 percent of cases, non-small cell can be further broken down into three major subtypes: adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma. NSCLC can also refer to carcinoid tumors and salivary gland carcinoma, but these illnesses are rare.

Small Cell Lung Cancer

Responsible for 15 percent of lung cancer cases, small cell is the more aggressive type that spreads quicker and responds less to treatment. This type is further diagnosed as limited (when the cancer is still inside the lungs) or extensive (when the cancer has spread outside the lungs).

While treatments for small cell lung cancer tend to be more aggressive in response to its quicker growth rate, the various types of lung cancer are often treated with the same methods, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery. To learn more about these treatment options, fill out this form to have an informational packet about sent to you overnight. In addition to treatment options, the packet also discusses doctors familiar with treating lung diseases.

All types of lung cancer can be caused by asbestos, smoking and other carcinogens, but no type is exclusively linked to asbestos exposure. Additionally, asbestos causes less lung cancer cases overall, but the proportion of small cell and non-small cell cases are very similar.

One study revealed that the risk for all types of lung cancer was significantly increased in men who had developed asbestosis, another lung disease caused exclusively by prolonged exposure to asbestos. Although the risk for adenocarcinoma and small cell carcinoma were slightly higher than the risk for squamous cell carcinoma in this study, the risk of developing all types of lung cancer was elevated in the asbestos-exposed patients.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Approximately 80 percent of lung cancer cases are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The three types of non-small cell lung cancer typically grow more slowly than small cell lung cancer, with symptoms developing gradually over time. Of the three, large cell carcinomas have been found to grow more quickly than the other types, but symptoms still arise gradually.

Non-small cell lung cancer patients may experience chest pain, shortness of breath and a cough that progressively intensifies as the disease develops. NSCLC may also be accompanied by syndromes that are also considered to be symptoms of the disease, such as hypercalcemia and Ectopic Cushing Syndrome.

The Three Types of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer 

Adenocarcinoma

the most common of all types of lung cancer (including cases from asbestos and all other causes). This subtype of non-small cell lung cancer is often found in the outer section of the lung. Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, a form of adenocarcinoma, can originate in the alveoli, or the air flaps, making it harder to detect on imaging scans. Adenocarcinoma is particularly responsive to anti-epidermal growth factor drugs.

Squamous

another subtype of non-small cell lung cancer and is the second-most common form. Squamous cell carcinomas tend to appear in the center of the lung in or near the air tubes, known as bronchi. The cancerous cells are thin and flat. These tumors produce high levels of a hormone-related protein that leads to hypercalcemia.

Large Cell

is responsible for a low percentage of lung cancers. Less than 15 percent of lung cancer cases are diagnosed as large cell, and the tumors can be easily confused with a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma or a squamous cell carcinoma. The cells that make up these tissue masses are large and abnormally shaped.