In the case of mesothelioma, these methods have not been effective in curing the disease. The average survival time is between 6-12 months. So, most of the treatment for mesothelioma patients is focused on making them as comfortable as possible. Pain is a common complaint of patients with mesothelioma and this can be alleviated using medications. Drugs similar to morphine can help control the pain and make the patient more comfortable.
Radiation can sometimes provide short-term relief of pain.
If severe enough, hospitalization may be necessary to give the drugs needed to provide adequate pain control. Morphine and similar drugs can relieve shortness of breath as well, but sometimes the doctor uses a needle to remove fluid from the pleural space. This can relieve some pressure on the lungs and decrease the shortness of breath. The doctor may inject a drug into that same space to keep the fluid from accumulating again. Later in the disease, the mesothelioma can move into the lung, which also causes dyspnea.