Mediastinum Cancer Treatment

Mediastinum cancer can take many forms. They include tumors on the thymus, lymphomas and neurogenic tumors. Because of the variety of different cancers that can develop in the mediastinum region of the body, different treatment options exist.

The Facts

• In the human body, the mediastinum is classified as area in the center of the chest between the lungs. It contains the esophagus, trachea, thymus, heart and lymph nodes. When mediastinum cancer occurs, doctors classify it according to its location in three parts of that area: the anterior, middle or posterior. When mediastinum cancer occurs in children, it is usually found in the posterior. For adults, the tumors usually develop in the anterior. Mediastinum cancer treatment options depend on the type of cancer and its location.

Surgery -- Invasive

• When thymic cancers are involved, mediastinum cancer treatment often involves surgery to remove the tumor. If the tumor is large, then doctors rely on invasive forms of surgery. In a sternotomy, the surgeon divides the patient's breastbone to reach the tumor. In a thoractomy, the ribs are divided. Because these procedures are so invasive, they require increased recovery time for the patient. After surgery, radiation or chemotherapy maybe be prescribed to be sure the cancer is completely eradicated.

Surgery -- Noninvasive

• Less invasive surgical treatment options for mediastinum cancer have been developed. In a hemisternotomy, a surgeon can reach thymic cancers by dividing the upper part of the breastbone. In a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, a surgeon uses a camera inserted into a small incision to look inside the mediastinum, locates the tumors and then removes the cancerous tissue -- all without separating the ribs. These less invasive surgeries offer advantages of shorter recovery periods and in some cases the option of being performed under local anesthesia.

Radiation

• Radiation therapy is another possible mediastinum cancer treatment. Radiation is directed at the cancer cells, killing them. Depending on the type of cancer and where it is located, a doctor might choose to administer the therapy from a source outside the body. He can also introduce radiation into the cancer with a needle or a catheter. Radiation therapy can be combined with surgery or chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy

• In treating mediastinum cancer, chemotherapy can be used on its own or in combination with radiation therapy and surgery. Lymphomas are often treated first with chemotherapy and then with radiation. Chemotherapy drugs are administered intravenously for patients with mediastinum cancer. The drugs either kill cancerous cells or considerably slow their growth.