Pleurectomy (Decortication)
The
cancer known as
mesothelioma initially attacks the pleural linings of the lungs. While there is no cure for this condition, if mesothelioma is caught in the very early stages, it may be successfully treated with a
surgical procedure called
pleurectomy (ploo-REK-toh-mee), or "decortication."
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Like most Western medical terms, the word "pleurectomy" ultimately derives from Greek. In this case, it is two words: pleuron, meaning "rib," and ektome, meaning "to cut out." The procedure literally calls for surgical removal of the outer, or pleural lining of the lung.
A pleurectomy is a major surgical procedure, performed in a hospital operating room under general anesthesia (meaning the patient is unconscious throughout). During the procedure itself, the surgeon makes his/her incision above the affected area. Once it is localized, that portion of the pleural lining is removed, along with some of the lung tissue underneath if the oncologist who performed the initial diagnosis feels it is necessary.
Following the surgery, an oncologist may order chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments in order to insure that all of the disease has been removed.
Full recovery may take up to a month. In most industrialized countries, a patient may spend up to seven days in the hospital following surgery; in the United States, private, for-profit insurance corporations generally require patients to leave the hospital as soon as possible or be prepared to cover the expense themselves out-of-pocket (which can run between two and three thousand dollars per day or more).
The oncologist and surgeon may recommend very light physical activity as well as deep breathing exercises in order to prevent infection from setting in. It is also necessary to keep the dressing clean and dry.
If all goes well and the cancer does not recur or metastasize (spread), most patients are able to go back to their normal routines after four to six weeks. This depends largely on the individual; the medical team will provide a regimen for recovery specific to the patient's condition.