Localized Malignant Mesothelioma

If the cancer is only in one place in the chest or abdomen, treatment will probably be surgery to remove part of the pleura and some of the tissue around it.

If the cancer is found in a larger part of the pleura, treatment may be one of the following:

• Surgery to remove the pleura and the tissue near it to relieve symptoms, with or without radiation therapy after surgery.
• Surgery to remove sections of the pleura, the lung, part of the diaphragm, and part of the lining around the heart.
• External beam radiation therapy to relieve symptoms.
• A clinical trial of surgery followed by chemotherapy given inside the chest.
• A clinical trial of surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy.