Abdominal radiation therapy may cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. If you are having any of these side effects of radiation therapy, talk with your doctor since there are ways to help control these symptoms. Click here to browse through related medical literature, articles and abstracts. Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is the use of drugs for treating cancer. The drugs can be swallowed in pill form or they can be injected by a needle into a vein or muscle.
Chemotherapy is systemic therapy.
Several anticancer drugs have been used to treat mesothelioma. Other drugs that may be given alone include cisplatin and methotrexate. These anticancer drugs are often given in combination to try to increase their effectiveness. Other drugs such as paclitaxel and irinotecan are currently being studied to determine their effectiveness in treating mesothelioma. Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells but also damage some normal cells.