Mesothelioma Treatment

Posts Tagged ‘symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma’

As Asbestos Causes Cancer

The exact method by which asbestos causes cancer in mesothelial cells is currently unknown. However, there are four different theories:

1. Asbestos causes irritation of mesothelial cells, causing cell damage and eventually causing cancer
2. Asbestos fibers enter the mesothelial cells and damage molecules that are crucial for normal cell division
3. Asbestos fibers promote the formation of free radicals, which damage DNA and cause mesothelial cells turn into cancer cells
4. Asbestos fibers cause mesothelial cells produce molecules called oncoproteins that make cancer cells become

As with other malignant cancers, the key element is that the cells begin to divide continuously. Eventually these cells form tumors that inhibit the normal functioning of other cells and organs.

Symptoms

The first symptoms of malignant mesothelioma are not specific and can often resemble viral infections – this means that early diagnosis of this type of cancer is difficult. Symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain or a persistent cough are common. Night sweating, fever and weight loss are less common symptoms in people with pleural mesothelioma. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include pain or swelling in the abdominal area, nausea, weight loss, bowel obstructions, and anemia.

Diagnosis

Malignant mesothelioma diagnosis quickly and accurately is very important for two reasons. First, the correct diagnosis is essential to treat patients as soon as possible. The second reason is that some patients might want to try and obtain financial compensation from the company that was responsible for his exposure to asbestos.

The diagnosis is based on the patient’s symptoms, along with a physical examination. This I can include chest x-rays and other procedures designed to discover what kind of cancer is and what stage you are. The diagnosis is confirmed by biopsy or blood tests that determine whether cancer cells are present or not in the body.

Forecast

In general, the prognosis (life expectancy) for people with malignant mesothelioma is very poor. The first symptoms of the disease are so general that this type of cancer is very difficult to diagnose in the early stages, and when confirming an accurate diagnosis, about 50% of patients will die within a year.

Treatment

The most common treatments for malignant mesothelioma are surgery and chemotherapy, usually used in conjunction with each other. Surgical procedures typically involve the extraction of malignant cells to improve the quality of life for patients and continuing with chemotherapy to remove residual cancer cells.

Other forms of treatment are largely experimental. These types of treatment include immunotherapy and gene therapy. Immunotherapy involves manipulating the body’s own immune system in an effort to induce it to kill cancer cells. Gene therapy involves using a virus that has been genetically modified to infect cancer cells and make them produce molecules that are only capable of killing malignant mesothelioma cells.

Mesothelioma cancer is a rare form of the disease in which cancer cells develop in the pleura, peritoneum, or pericardium – the lining of the chest, abdomen and the area around the heart. This form of cancer is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos.

Peritoneal mesothelioma

Cancer is one-fifth to one third of cases are diagnosed. The symptoms of this type of mesothelioma include weight loss, swelling and pain in the abdomen due to fluid accumulation. Victims of other types of mesothelioma can develop pain in the chest wall, the fluid around the lungs, anemia, shortness of breath, or symptoms of anemia, cough, or the tendency to wheeze and cough up blood. In severe cases, can form tumors in the lungs or abdominal cavity, causing the collapse of the lungs.

While only a short period of exposure to asbestos, as little as one or two months, is required for this type of cancer that occurs, you can take a long time before symptoms appear. People who were exposed in the decade of 1940 are only now being diagnosed as mesothelioma cancer has a long latency period. If you are diagnosed with mesothelioma, the prognosis may vary according to how early it was detected. Research in alternative medicine and conventional therapies for the treatment of this disease continues. Conventional drugs used to fight cancer mesothelioma include Alimta and other chemotherapy drugs, surgery to remove tumors, and radiotherapy.

In addition to these treatments, a series of alternative medicine therapies may be able to reduce the symptoms of mesothelioma. Is called complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, this group of doctors and health care options and practices are not considered part of general medical practice. However, that does not mean they are ineffective. Some health professionals practice both CAM and conventional medicine, and combine the two with good results. This is known as integrative medicine.