Tumors and cancers often need more than one type of treatment and the expertise of more than one physician. That’s why it’s so important to have a multidisciplinary care team that thoracic surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, cancer-focused pathologists and more.
Treatment for mediastinal tumors may include one or more of the following approaches:
- Surgery to remove the tumor and any other affected tissues such as lymph nodes.
- Chemotherapy which uses anti-cancer drugs that circulate in your blood stream to attack cancer cells.
- Radiation which uses focused high energy waves to kill cancer cells.
Tumor type will determine treatment approach
Treatment for a mediastinal tumor depends on the where the tumor originated, the type and size of the tumor, and whether and how the cancer has metastasized, or spread.
- Thymic cancers are generally treated with surgery to remove the tumor followed by radiation or chemotherapy, depending on the tumor stage and outcome of the surgery.
- Lymphomas are usually treated with chemotherapy and possibly radiation.
- Neurogenic tumors are treated most effectively with surgery.
- Germ cell tumors are usually treated with chemotherapy, and surgery may be needed after chemotherapy.
- Clinical trials of emerging treatments are also a viable option for more than 50% of patients diagnosed with mediastinal cancer.