Benefits of Mesothelioma Palliative Care
Palliative treatment for mesothelioma involves specialized care focused on making a patient’s life better by managing symptoms, reducing pain, and addressing emotional, mental, and spiritual needs.
This type of care helps both patients and caregivers and is sometimes referred to as comfort care or supportive care. Mesothelioma palliative treatment can span various types of support, from physical to emotional or spiritual.
Palliative care can be beneficial at any point after a mesothelioma diagnosis, not just in the late stages — and research even suggests that early involvement of palliative care in mesothelioma treatment leads to longer survival times.
Mesothelioma palliative treatment can:
- Relieve pain and other symptoms. Medications and other methods of pain and symptom relief can help you feel more comfortable and better able to enjoy life.
- Improve your ability to undergo treatment. Many life-extending mesothelioma treatments come with severe side effects. Mesothelioma palliative care aims to address these so that you can continue with treatment as comfortably as possible.
- Help caregivers get support. Caregivers can benefit from mesothelioma palliative care through education, counseling, or logistical support. Respite care is also available to provide temporary relief.
- Address emotional and spiritual needs. Chaplains and therapists can help you navigate fears and worries and provide emotional support to help you cope with mesothelioma.
- Save you money on medical expenses. A study published in JCO Oncology Practice found that cancer patients who received specialty palliative care had reduced treatment costs.
A Tulane University study found that outpatient palliative care for advanced cancer patients not only improved quality of life but also led to longer survival. “The survival benefit was comparable to what is often observed in the context of a breakthrough drug trial,” said Michael Hoerger, Tulane assistant professor of psychology, psychiatry, and oncology.
How Is Palliative Care Different From Hospice or Supportive Care?
Both palliative care and hospice care focus on making the patient comfortable, but each therapy has different goals. Mesothelioma palliative treatment can be started at any point and is often given alongside life-extending treatments, while hospice care is started at the end of life.
Palliative care can begin at any stage after someone is diagnosed with mesothelioma. It’s typically used along with treatments such as chemotherapy or surgery to help manage pain, breathing problems, and other symptoms during treatment.
Hospice care for mesothelioma usually begins when treatment meant to control or cure the cancer is no longer the focus. At this stage, the goal is to keep the patient comfortable and provide support for both the patient and their family.
Who Provides Palliative Care for Mesothelioma Patients?
Mesothelioma palliative treatment providers span different roles, from medical to spiritual. The types of providers you may have supporting you will vary depending on your situation and needs.
A mesothelioma palliative care team may include:
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Nutritionists
- Social workers
- Spiritual advisors/chaplains
- Other health care specialists
Requesting mesothelioma palliative care soon after your diagnosis can help you get the right team in place more quickly.
Pleural Mesothelioma Palliative Care
Palliative care for malignant pleural mesothelioma focuses on improving the quality of life for people with cancer of the pleura (lung lining).
Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include chest pain, chronic cough, difficulty breathing, and pleural effusion (fluid buildup in the lining of the lung). To combat these, patients may receive palliative care via pain medication, procedures to drain fluids, and other methods to relieve fever and coughing.
Specific pleural mesothelioma palliative care options include:
- Partial pleurectomy: Removal of part of the pleura (lung lining) so fluid can’t fill it. Pleural effusion is a common cause of discomfort in pleural mesothelioma patients.
- PleurX catheter: A catheter can be inserted into the pleural space to manage recurrent pleural effusions. Patients can then have the fluid drained at home instead of going to the hospital.
- Talc pleurodesis: The space between the two layers of the pleura is sealed with medical-grade talc so that it can no longer fill with excess fluid.
- Thoracentesis: Doctors insert a needle through the chest wall to drain pleural effusions so patients can breathe more easily.
- Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS): This procedure allows doctors to drain fluid or perform a partial pleurectomy to relieve symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.
All of these options are very helpful, particularly for pleural effusions, which are present in roughly 70% of pleural mesothelioma cases and are often the first symptom patients experience.
Learn how other patients managed their mesothelioma side effects and improved their quality of life in our Free Survivors Guide.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Palliative Care
Palliative care for peritoneal mesothelioma focuses on managing symptoms in patients with cancer of the peritoneum (abdominal lining).
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are often related to gastrointestinal issues, like bloating, constipation or diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Patients may also experience belly pain and abdominal fluid buildup (ascites). Peritoneal mesothelioma palliative care aims to minimize these symptoms.
Peritoneal mesothelioma palliative care options include:
- Debulking surgery: Aims to remove as much of the tumor as possible to relieve internal pressure and other symptoms of a large tumor.
- Diet and nutrition therapy: Working with a registered dietitian can help your body naturally cope with bloating, loss of appetite, and constipation.
- Paracentesis: Drains fluid in the lining of the abdominal cavity that surrounds nearby internal organs to reduce peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms.
Peritoneal mesothelioma patients may also receive medications to help manage pain, address nausea, and improve bowel movements.
“When it comes to mesothelioma treatment, you want to put quality of life on equal footing with extension of life.”
Types of Mesothelioma Palliative Treatment
There are several kinds of palliative care for patients with mesothelioma, from surgery to meditation. Learn about some of the most common palliative mesothelioma treatments below.
Palliative Care for Managing Pain
Pain management is one of the most common reasons to seek mesothelioma palliative care. Mesothelioma tumors can press on nerves, bones, organs, or major blood vessels, leading to discomfort or severe pain.
Depending on the type of pain you or your loved one is experiencing, there are multiple options to help you manage it.
Common methods for mesothelioma pain management include:
- Nerve blocks: Injections of a local anesthetic or other drug into or near a nerve to block pain from being felt in the body.
- Over-the-counter medications: For milder pain, acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be recommended.
- Palliative chemotherapy for mesothelioma: May be administered after surgery and delivered throughout the body. Chemotherapy can help ease pain by shrinking tumors.
- Palliative radiotherapy for mesothelioma: Palliative radiation therapy may shrink the size of tumors to alleviate pain caused by them.
- Physical therapy: Certain physical exercises can help improve mobility and strength and help combat pain.
- Prescription medications: Moderate to severe pain may be managed by prescription drugs, such as opioids, including codeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, morphine, oxycodone, or tramadol.
A mesothelioma specialist can help you choose the safest and most effective options to manage pain.
Other Palliative Medications
In addition to pain management, medications may be used to help with other uncomfortable mesothelioma symptoms.
Palliative medications may be used to address:
- Anxiety
- Appetite loss
- Constipation
- Depression
- Nausea
- Trouble breathing
- Vomiting
Some medications may cause side effects, so your doctor may adjust your mesothelioma palliative care plan to find the combination that works best for you.
“Palliative care is your best friend through this process. You may experience unwanted long-term side effects from treatment, but you can enhance your quality of life by taking charge of it. Your mental and emotional health matters.”
Diet and Nutrition
Another way to support your body during mesothelioma treatment is through dietary changes, also called medical nutrition therapy (MNT). A licensed dietitian can develop a plan that fits your goals and lifestyle.
Some considerations for diet and nutrition include:
- Controlling your nausea by changing how much and how often you eat
- Ensuring you’re eating enough protein to support cell growth and repair
- Increasing your caloric intake to avoid weight loss
- Stimulating your appetite by eating spicy foods or sucking on hard candies
Get more guidance on nutrition to combat mesothelioma side effects in our Free Nutrition Guide. This downloadable guide offers targeted tips and advice to help you feel your best.
Alternative Palliative Treatments for Mesothelioma
While alternative mesothelioma treatment shouldn’t replace professional medical care, certain lifestyle habits and therapies can help to naturally relieve discomfort and improve quality of life.
Alternative mesothelioma treatment options include:
- Acupuncture
- Cupping
- Gentle movement
- Hypnosis
- Massage
- Meditation
- Reiki (energy healing)
- Yoga
Combined with healthy lifestyle choices, these options may help reduce stress for some patients and improve overall well-being.
These alternative mesothelioma treatments aren’t right for everyone. In some cases, they could even negatively affect your standard treatments. For this reason, you should always talk to your doctor before starting any alternative forms of mesothelioma palliative care.
When to Get Mesothelioma Palliative Care
Many people associate palliative care with end-of-life care, but it’s not the same as hospice.
While palliative care can bring comfort to advanced-stage patients who may not qualify for life-extending treatments, it can be started at any time to help you feel better.
You may consider mesothelioma palliative care if:
- A family member who has been providing care can no longer do so.
- Side effects are impacting your ability to continue treatments.
- Treatments are causing severe side effects that impact your daily life.
- Your symptoms are becoming harder to manage.
- You’ve had multiple hospital or ER visits in a short time.
“When patients come in for their evaluation, all the relevant members of the team will see them — and that often does include palliative care. Palliative care is integrative. We’re looking at nutrition, physical therapy, and risk management. Those are really important things to get going right away, no matter what your therapy is.”
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) explains: “Patients and caregivers should be able to request malignant mesothelioma palliative care at any stage, with any prognosis, based on their needs.”
Get Help Finding Mesothelioma Palliative Care
Choosing to pursue mesothelioma palliative care doesn’t mean you’re not fighting the disease — in fact, it can be a powerful tool to help you continue life-extending treatments.
And whether you’ve stopped mesothelioma treatments or are in the middle of them, you deserve to be as comfortable as possible.
Mesothelioma Hope can help you:
- Find the best treatments for your situation
- Improve your quality of life through palliative care
- Connect with experienced doctors in your area
- Access support groups and other resources
Get help developing a mesothelioma palliative care plan by calling us at (866) 608-8933 or using our Free Doctor Match service today.
Mesothelioma Palliative Treatment FAQs
What is palliative care for mesothelioma patients?
Mesothelioma palliative treatment is any therapy that aims to improve a patient’s quality of life. It can be used to manage pain and other symptoms, making the patient’s life more comfortable and ensuring they’re better able to withstand treatment.
Palliative care for mesothelioma may include:
- Pain management
- Over-the-counter or prescription medications
- Fluid removal
- Mental, emotional, and spiritual support
Major mesothelioma treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy can also help relieve symptoms and improve survival by shrinking or destroying tumors.
What is the life expectancy of a mesothelioma patient in palliative care?
Palliative care is mainly used to manage pain and alleviate symptoms from mesothelioma and its treatments. Because patients can start palliative treatments at any point after a diagnosis, there aren’t specific statistics on life expectancy and palliative care.
However, some studies have found that early palliative care may have a positive impact on prognosis and life expectancy. It’s important to work with your mesothelioma specialist to determine the best treatment options for your diagnosis.
Get help finding a mesothelioma palliative care provider near you by calling us at (866) 608-8933 now.
Can you have palliative care at home?
Yes, some palliative care treatments for mesothelioma can be administered at home. These may include medications, fluid drains via a catheter, or other therapies.
In other cases, you may need to visit an outpatient clinic or undergo a minor procedure such as a thoracentesis at a hospital. Your cancer treatment team can help you plan the logistics of mesothelioma palliative care.
At what stage of mesothelioma is palliative care needed?
There’s no set timeline for pursuing mesothelioma palliative care. Because its goal is to alleviate discomfort and improve quality of life, many doctors recommend starting palliative care early on in the treatment process.
Mesothelioma treatment guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) state that patients and caregivers can request palliative care at any cancer stage and with any prognosis.
What is palliative care vs hospice care for mesothelioma?
Although palliative care and hospice care share some similarities, they aren’t the same.
- Hospice care is traditionally recommended for mesothelioma patients with terminal illnesses who are expected to live 6 months or less.
- Palliative care is available to anyone with a serious illness, regardless of life expectancy.
Another key difference is that hospice care for mesothelioma focuses solely on symptom relief, primarily pain management.
In contrast, mesothelioma palliative care allows patients to continue active treatment, such as chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery, alongside symptom management.
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