For nearly every person with mesothelioma, the disease will come back even if it has initially responded well to treatment. This is known as disease progression or recurrence. How long this takes is different for each person.
When mesothelioma comes back, you and your doctor will need to consider what treatment to have and how to control symptoms. Treatment options will depend on the symptoms you are experiencing.
Palliative care can help reduce symptoms either alone or in combination with any of the following:
- radiation therapy to reduce the size of the regrowth and pain
- further chemotherapy or immunotherapy
- further surgery
- participating in a clinical trial that is testing new drugs.
Palliative treatment for mesothelioma can be offered alone or in combination with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
For more on this, go here and see Palliative care and Living with advanced cancer. You can also listen to our podcast series on Advanced cancer.
At some point, you may decide to stop treatment and focus on managing symptoms and maximising quality of life.
See Facing end of life for information about the physical, emotional, spiritual and practical aspects of living with end-stage cancer.
The role of hope
A diagnosis of advanced cancer does not mean giving up hope. People with mesothelioma often have many good months or years ahead of them and can continue to enjoy various aspects of life, including spending time with their families and other people who are important to them.
As the disease progresses, the things that are hoped for tend to change. For example, a person may feel it is more important to focus on living comfortably for as long as possible or being able to celebrate a particular event. You can have these hopes while still acknowledging the reality of the situation.
I think more than anything else, I have learnt how important it is to have hope. Without hope there really is nothing.
— Serafina
Listen to our podcast on Cancer Affects the Carer too
A/Prof Brian McCaughan, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW; Theodora Ahilas, Principal Lawyer, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, NSW; Prof David Ball, Director, Lung Service, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Shirley Bare, Consumer; Cassandra Dickens, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Cancer Care Coordinator – Thoracic Malignancies, Sunshine Coast University Hospital, QLD; Penny Jacomos, Social Worker, Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia, SA; A/Prof Thomas John, Medical Oncologist, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Austin Health, and Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, VIC; Victoria Keena, Executive Officer, Asbestos Diseases Research Institute, NSW; Penny Lefeuvre, Consumer; Jocelyn McLean, Mesothelioma Support Coordinator, Asbestos Diseases Research Institute, NSW; Prof David Morris, Peritonectomy Surgeon, St George Hospital and University of New South Wales, NSW; Caitriona Nienaber, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council Western Australia; Prof Anna Nowak, Medical Oncologist, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, and Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, The University of Western Australia, WA; Prof Jennifer Philip, Palliative Care Specialist, St Vincent’s Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Royal Melbourne Hospital, VIC; Nicole Taylor, Acting Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma Cancer Specialist Nurse, The Canberra Hospital, ACT. We also thank the health professionals, consumers and editorial teams who have worked on previous editions of this title. Previous editions of this title and related resources were funded in part by the Heads of Asbestos Coordination Authorities and a donation from Lyall Watts.
View the Cancer Council NSW editorial policy.
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