About Mesothelioma
Learn about the disease, illness and/or condition Mesothelioma including: symptoms, causes, treatments, contraindications and conditions at ClusterMed.info.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma |
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Mesothelioma InformationMesothelioma facts
How is mesothelioma diagnosed?Mesothelioma is diagnosed by pathological examination from a biopsy. Tissue is removed, placed under the microscope, and a pathologist makes a definitive diagnosis and issues a pathology report. This is the end of a process that usually begins with symptoms that send most people to the doctor: a fluid buildup around the lungs (pleural effusions), shortness of breath, pain in the chest, or pain or swelling in the abdomen. The doctor may order an X-ray or CT scan of the chest or abdomen. If further examination is warranted, the following tests may be done:
How long does it take after asbestos exposure for mesothelioma to show up?People exposed in the 1940s, '50s, '60s, and '70s are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma because of the long latency period of asbestos disease. How much asbestos exposure does it take to get mesothelioma?An exposure of as little as one or two months can result in mesothelioma 30 or 40 years later and in some cases, as much as 70 years later. Is there any promising research or are there promising drugs for mesothelioma?New approaches being studied New approaches to treat malignant mesothelioma are currently being tested. They often combine traditional treatments or include something entirely new. They include:
What are the symptoms of mesothelioma?Most people present with complaints of shortness of breath. They also can have complaints of chest pain and cough. Patients may also be asymptomatic, with the disease discovered by physical exam or an abnormal chest X-ray. As the disease progresses, shortness of breath increases, and weight loss, decreased appetite, and night sweats can develop. Local invasion by the tumor can result in changing of voice, loss of function of the diaphragm, and symptoms specific to the area and involvement of adjacent structures. What causes mesothelioma?Most people with malignant mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they breathed asbestos. Usually, this involves men over 40 years of age. Others have been exposed to asbestos in a household environment, often without knowing it. The number of new cases of mesothelioma has been relatively stable since 1983, the same time that the restrictions on asbestos were instituted by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In Europe, the number of new cases of mesothelioma continues to rise. What is mesothelioma?Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer (malignancy) that most frequently arises from the cells lining the sacs of the chest (the pleura) or the abdomen (the peritoneum). Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form, often presenting with symptoms in the chest area. Peritoneal mesothelioma is much less common. This can affect the organs in the abdomen, and its symptoms are related to this area of the body, that is, abdominal swelling, nausea, vomiting, and bowel obstruction. The rarest form of mesothelioma is pericardial mesothelioma, which involves the sac surrounding the heart. There are two major cell types of mesothelioma, epithelial and sarcomatoid. Sometimes both of these cell types can be present. The sarcomatoid type is rarer and occurs in only about 15% of cases; it portends a poorer prognosis. In very rare cases, mesothelioma can originate from benign, non-malignant cells. This so-called benign mesothelioma can be cured surgically. What is the prognosis for mesothelioma?Like most cancers, the prognosis for this disease often depends on how early it is diagnosed and how aggressively it is treated. Unfortunately, mesothelioma is often found at a stage in which a cure is unobtainable. Many will succumb to the disease within one year of diagnosis. Mesothelioma treatment options (traditional and new treatments being studied) Treatment options are determined by the stage of mesothelioma (the extent to which the tumor has spread in the body). There are three staging systems currently in use, and each one measures somewhat different variables. The oldest staging system and the one most often used is the Butchart system, which is based mainly on the extent of primary tumor mass and divides mesotheliomas into four stages. Butchart system extent of primary tumor mass
What is the treatment for mesothelioma?There are three traditional kinds of treatment for patients with malignant mesothelioma. Often two or more of these are combined in the course of treatment:
What other kinds of information is available for people with mesothelioma?There are numerous cancer web sites, some specific to mesothelioma. Because they are often difficult to locate, we have listed some relevant medical web sites that have information about mesothelioma. American Institute for Cancer Research (http://www.aicr.org) American Thoracic Society (http://www.thoracic.org/) Canadian Cancer Society (http://www.bc.cancer.ca) Mesothelioma Web (http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org) |
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