MESOTHELIOMA

DISEASED PART OF LUNGS IN PLEURAL  MESOTHELIOMA

Mesothelioma is the cancer of the mesothelium. Mesothelioma causes the mesothelium to become abnormal and divide without control or order. It can even invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. The cancer cells can also metastasize (spread) from their original site to other parts of the body. Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura (lungs) or peritoneum (abdomen). It is a very rare form of cancer but reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20 years. Men are more susceptible to Mesothelioma than women and risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women at any age.

Types

Pleural Mesothelioma : Occuring in pleura, the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma : occuring in peritoneum, the tissue that covers most of the organs in the abdominal cavity.

Pericardial Mesothelioma : Occuring in Pericardium, the membrane which covers and protects the heart.
Mesothelioma of Tunica Vaginalis Testis, the membrane which covers and protects the male internal reproductive organs.
Mesothelioma of Tunica Serosa Uteri, which covers the internal reproductive organs in women.

Causes of Mesothelioma

Major risk factor for Mesothelioma is working with asbestos. About 70 to 80% of the cases has a history of asbestos exposure at work but mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos.

Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma. However, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's risk of developing cancer of the air passageways in the lungs.

Diagnosing of Mesothelioma

Diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions. Diagnosis begins with a review of the patient's medical history, including any history of asbestos exposure. A complete physical examination may be performed, including x-rays of the chest or abdomen and lung function tests. A CT (or CAT) scan or an MRI may also be useful. A CT scan is a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body created by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. In an MRI, a powerful magnet linked to a computer is used to make detailed pictures of areas inside the body. These pictures are viewed on a monitor and can also be printed.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a mysterious disease. Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos, which continues to be the only known cause of this disease. This cancer has a very long latency period which makes this disease highly dangerous. It cannot be diagnosed until the person reaches the final stages of the disease. This cancer begins to develop only in the later stages when it becomes very hard to cure the patient.

A mesothelioma patient is always in danger of being wrongly diagnosed. The major problem while diagnosing this cancer is that many of its symptoms are similar to that of other diseases like pneumonia, heart diseases, flu, bronchitis, among many others. This makes the detection very difficult for doctors.

Treatment of Mesothelioma

After the diagnosis of mesothelioma, a person can go for various treatments, all depending upon the location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient's age and general health age and health condition of the patient. These treatments are surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Sometimes, these treatments are combined keeping in mind the cancer's stage and affect.

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Useful Links
Detailed Description of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma on Wikipedia
National Cancer Institute on Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma Info