Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

The National Cancer Institute states that: “Malignant
mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, is a disease in which
cancer (malignant) cells are found in the sac lining the
chest (the pleura), the lining of the abdominal cavity (the
peritoneum) or the lining around the heart (the
pericardium)”
Sadly, mesothelioma is an environmentally cause diseased
That is most cases have occurred in people who have been
exposed to asbestos one their jobs They have breathed the
asbestos fibers into their lungs Other cases of mesothelioma
have occurred in people exposed to asbestos in a household
environment
Exposure to asbestos can be deadly, as we have discovered As
little as one or two months of exposure can result in
mesothelioma 30 or 40 years later The National Cancer
Institute has noted that “People exposed in the 1940s, 50s,
60s, and 70s are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma
because of the long latency period of asbestos disease”
There are common early symptoms of mesothelioma, but usually
they are too general for a common person to make a proper
evaluation Sometimes a person thinks they have pneumonia
Other symptoms may include shortness of breath, chest pain,
and/or persistent cough However, and this is important, some
patients show no symptoms at all It is always good to have
regular medical check-ups including a chest x-ray
However, diagnosis of mesothelioma requires taking a sample
of fluid or tissue for expert examination to determine if the
cancer is present diagnosis is very important, as the
treatment is dependent upon an accurate diagnosis Talk to
your doctor or contact a cancer health care clinic for a list
of expert pathologists to make the diagnosis Like most
cancers, the prognosis for this disease often depends on how
early it is diagnosed and how aggressively it is treated
People diagnosed with this disease are often told the
expected survival rate is only eight to twelve months
However, specialists in treating malignant mesothelioma at
the leading cancer centers often have better statistics On
expert in this particular cancer is Dr David Sugarbaker at
Brigham and Women’s Center in Boston His patients have
achieved a five-year survival rate in almost 40% for selected
patients Nevertheless, here again, time is of the essence
for even a partially successful treatment
There are three traditional kinds of treatment for patients
with malignant mesothelioma: surgery for taking out the
cancer, chemotherapy in using drugs to kill the cancer, and
radiation therapy using high-dose x-rays to kill cancer
cells
There are many fine websites to help you and your family
through the stages of dealing with the disease of
mesothelioma
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