Thoracic (chest) surgery has been one of the chief medical tools in the fight against mesothelioma, lung cancer, and many other types of cancer. With surgery, your doctor removes some portion of tissue from your body to attempt to rid the body of cancerous cells.
The most common type of surgery for mesothelioma is thoracotomy. This is a procedure in which your doctor cuts between your ribs and spreads apart to see into your chest cavity. He or she may also remove a small piece of rib to aid in performing the surgery. You may have pain in your chest area for several weeks to months after surgery.
Pneumothorax is the name doctors use when air or gas enters the lungs or the pleural space. This collection of air makes the pressure in the pleura greater than that in the lungs which causes partial or full collapse of a lung. Spontaneous pneumothorax can result from advancing mesothelioma. This condition collapses the lung completely, presses on the heart, and forces it to move out of position in the chest.
In the case of mesothelioma, if you have a pleural effusion (fluid in the lungs)—which also causes chest pain—your doctor might recommend what is known as pleurodesis before any of the types of lung cancer surgery. In this procedure the doctor introduces a powdery substance like talc into your lungs. This inflames the lining surfaces and makes them stick together, which results in closing the spaces inside the lining. Thus, there is no room for the large amounts of liquid the disease produces.
Types of lung cancer surgery
Pleurodesis can relieve chest or abdominal pain. But treatment often requires moving to the next step. Your doctor may recommend one of several types of lung cancer surgery (thoracotomy) to remove all or a portion of lung tissue.
Decortication
Mesothelioma always involves the linings or coverings of organs (the lungs with pleural mesothelioma and the abdomen with peritoneal mesothelioma). So one of the most frequent surgeries doctors recommend is decortication, which means removing all or portions of those linings.
Wedge resection (segmentectomy)
If your lung function would be too reduced by removing more of the lung, your doctor may recommend a wedge resection (segmentectomy). With this type of lung cancer surgery, the doctor removes all tissue thought to contain the cancerous tumor plus some of the normal tissue surrounding the cancer. Unfortunately, there is a higher risk of recurrence with this method.
Lobectomy
Because your lungs have more than one lobe, it is possible to remove an entire lobe that contains cancer, and you will still be able to live normally. There are three lobes in your right lung and the two in the left lung.
Pneumonectomy
In some cases your doctor may recommend removing the entire lung when the cancer is significant. This does significant affect your ability to breathe, so your doctor will only recommend this when it seems absolutely necessary.
Both lobectomies and wedge resections can sometimes be done with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Your doctor makes small cuts between your ribs and uses a long, thin tube (videoscope) with a camera attached to guide small surgical instruments into your chest.
Diagnostic thoracic surgery
Diagnostic thoracic surgery operations might include thoracoscopy. A specialist surgeon performs this operation under a general anesthetic. A thorascope (a telescope like instrument with a video camera attached) is inserted through the chest wall to take pictures and a biopsy of suspected tissue.
A laparoscopy uses a tube with a camera and a light to help your doctor diagnose peritoneal mesothelioma. The doctor takes samples (biopsies) of abdominal tissue that looks like it might be cancerous.
Your legal rights
The Hendler Law Firm has offices in New York, NY and Austin, TX. If you have mesothelioma and are undergoing surgery to treat it, chances are you suffered from asbestos exposure at some time in your life. Be sure to find out what your legal rights are regarding compensation for wrongful conduct on the part of a coporation. Call us at 800.443.6353 or email us at help@hendlerlaw.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We are here to help.