Pleural Mesothelioma

Pleural mesothelioma is the cancer of the heart lining or chest lining. The pleura is the membrane that surrounds the abdomen cavity around the lungs.
Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma range from shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing, and pleural effusion. Pleural effusion is the accumulation of fluid between the chest linings. The syptoms can become quite serous over time as the pleural effusion will exert great force on surrounding organs and lead to great pain.
Pleural mesothelioma is the most commong form of mesothelioma accounting for over 80% of all cases. Every year there are a few thousand cases newly diagnosed in the United States. The survival rate is extremely low and the survival time is often less than 1 year from time of diagnosis. If this disease is diagnosed early, it is possible to treat it with radiation or chemotherapy. Surgery is not very commonly used to treat this disease. Most patients are diagnosed too late. But some fortunate patients accidentally discover this disease when having an x-ray or cat scans for another reason. The actual diagnosis of this disease will require a biopsy.
This disease is caused by direct or indirect exposure to asbestos approximately 20 to 40 years in the past. Pleural mesothelioma is different from lung cancer in that is does not directly target the lungs but rather the linings near the lung.

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Mesothelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma is a cancer that attacks the mesothelium. The mesothelium is the thin membrane that covers our internal organs and forms a protective barrieraround them. To allow the internal organs to move around easily (when our lungs inhale and exhale) a fluid is secreted by the mesothelium. Since the mesothelium covers different organs it has different names. Pleura mesothelioma is cancer of the membrane covering the lungs. Peritoneal mesothelioma is cancer of the membrane that covers the abdomen or stomach.
Mesothelioma cancer is when the mesothelium lining becomes abnormal and grows uncontrollably causing pain. This can be benign or malignant. Malignant mesothelioma cancer will damage the tissue of the organ it resides on and possibly invade other organs. Most cases of mesothelioma are either pleural or peritoneal. the Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura or peritoneum.
Althought mesothelioma is a very serious disease it is very rare. The majority of cases are male and there are around 2,000 new cases every year. A major factor in the risk level of a person contracting mesothelioma is their exposure to asbestos. Most patients were exposed to asbestos in the manufacturing or building industry where asbestos was used widely for years.
Mesothelioma cancer was not widely recognized until 1960 when a South African experiment proved a high association with asbestos and mesothelioma. The Unisted States Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of asbestos in 1986.

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Malignant Mesothelioma

Malignant Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is not always malignant. It is possible for it to be benign which is much less dangerous. Benign mesothelioma affects males much more than females and can grow to such a large size that it will compress the lungs. Malignant mesothelioma is an uncontrolled growth of a tumor that invades nearby tissue and spreads throughout the body destroying the body as it moves along.
In order for doctors to diagnosis a person with benign or malignant mesothelioma they will look for early symptoms like lower back pain or chest pain and shortness of breath. Because these are very general symptoms, it is rare to receive an early diagnosis. More commonly a doctor will need to do a full medical history and look for exposure to asbestos. They will also need the sue of a CT scan or CAT scan and even an MRI scan. Then to make a positive confirmation they will need to biopsy the tissue by inserting a needle into the suspected area and removing some fluid for testing.
Once a positive diagnosis is made the doctor will treat the malignant mesothelioma is by either operating on the patient to remove the cancer, radiation therapy which uses x-rays to kill the malignant area or chemotherapy. Click here for more information about mesothelioma treatment.
There are also several clinical trials dealing with malignant mesothelioma. The University of Chicago Cancer Research Center is currently recruiting patients with localized malignant mesothelioma, advanced malignant mesothelioma, recurrent malignant mesothelioma, and others to test a possible new Phase II chemotherapy treatment.

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Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Peritoneal Mesothelioma is the cancer of the abdominal lining or stomach lining. The peritoneal is the membrane that surrounds the abdomen.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma range from stomach pains, loss of appetite, nasuea, and abdominal swelling. Fluid commonly accumulates in the abdominal caivty causing the swelling and pain. The syptoms can become quite serous over time as the swelling will exert great force on surrounding organs and lead to great pain.

Approximately 10-20% of mesothelioma cases are classified as peritoneal mesothelioma. The survival rate is extremely low and the survival time is often less than 1 year from time of diagnosis. If this disease is diagnosed early, it is possible to treat it with radiation or chemotherapy. Using these treatments to stop peritoneal mesothelioma from spreading, it is possible to survive this disease for a long time after.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is not very common and thus has not been fully studied. There are many clinical trials and research studies being conducted to learn more about this deadly disease.

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mesothelioma information

Mesothelioma Information

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that attacks the inner lininng of internal organs called the mesothelium. In 1960, a connection was shown between occupational exposure to asbestos and mesothelioma. Click here for more information about asbestos

The symptoms of this cancer are normally very general ranging from coughing, shortness of breath and lower back and chest pains. Only a doctor performing medical tests like a biopsy can make an accurate diagnosis. Visit here to learn more about how doctors handle this cancer.

There is currently no cure for mesothelioma, but thre are several different treatments ranging from surgery to radiation to chemotherapy. Recently a new medication called Altima received FDA approval in the United States. Click here for specific treatments.

Since mesothelioma is caused by preventable occupational exposure to asbestos, some patients file lawsuite to help with medical expenses and to ensure that others will not have to be exposed to asbestos as they were exposed to it. Most of these lawsuits have been brought up agianst the building and manufacturing industries

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