Sometimes, these treatments are combined. Surgery is a common treatment for mesothelioma. The doctor may remove part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some of the tissue around it. Sometimes part of the diaphragm , the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing, is also removed. Radiation therapy , also called radiotherapy, involves the use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors .
Radiation therapy affects the cancer cells only in the treated area.
Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body. To relieve symptoms and control pain, the doctor may use a needle or a thin tube to drain fluid that has built up in the chest or abdomen. The procedure for removing fluid from the chest is called thoracentesis . Removal of fluid from the abdomen is called paracentesis . Drugs may be given through a tube in the chest to prevent more fluid from accumulating.