Mesothelioma Treatment

Where a person has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the next step is to discuss treatment options with your doctor about mesothelioma. Recent research has produced a significant breakthrough in terms of treatment protocols for patients with mesothelioma and other options are available to manage the disease and to support improvements in quality of life. Newly diagnosed patients, there are still many questions about treatment options that will be most effective for them, including those for the treatment of new therapies, such as Alimta and cisplatin chemotherapy and other drugs. In addition to these new drugs used to treat cancer, asbestos, mesothelioma, patients have a number of "traditional" treatment options to consider, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery.
Clinical trials and experimental treatments are still other options that some patients with mesothelioma in May eligible to participate in. Our site has a section for treatment of mesothelioma cancer, which includes important information for patients and families. We have resources in the early mesothelioma doctors like Dr. Sugarbaker, and a detailed list of questions that May would like to discuss with your doctor during the preparation of treatment plan. We always have new information on mesothelioma and processing resources, including: Clinical trials of conventional treatments, and other experimental therapies. Check often for the latest advances in treatment of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma - Occupational

Exposure to asbestos fibers has been known as health risk of the early 1900s. Several epidemiological studies involving exposure to asbestos with the development of lesions such as asbestos bodies in sputum, pleural plaques, diffuse thickening of the pleura, asbestosis, lung cancer and throat, gastrointestinal tumors, and diffuse mesothelioma of pleura and peritoneum .
In the documented presence of asbestos fibers in water and food concerns in relation to promoting the impact of possible long-term and still unknown exposure of the population of these fibers. Although many authorities consider brief or transient exposure to asbestos fibers as a dreamer and probably a risk factor, some epidemiologists claim that there is no risk threshold. Cases of mesothelioma have been found only in people whose exposure was breathing the air through ventilation systems. Other cases are very minimal (3 months or less) direct exposure.Commercial asbestos mining Wittenoom, Western Australia, occurred between 1945 and 1966. A group study of miners employed at the mine by announcing that the deaths occurred within the first 10 years after crocidolite exposure, 85 deaths related to mesothelioma had occurred by 1985. By 1994, reported 539 deaths due to mesothelioma were reported in Western Australia

Mesothelioma - Exposure

Mesothelioma-Exposure Asbestos in ancient times was known, but it was not mined and widely used commercially until the end 1800s. Its use greatly increased during World War II. Since early 1940's, millions of American workers have been exposed to asbestos dust. Initially, the risks associated with exposure to asbestos are not publicly known. However, increased risk of developing mesothelioma was later found among shipyard workers, people who work in asbestos mines and mills, producers of asbestos products, workers in the heating and construction industries, retailers and others. Today, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets limits for acceptable levels of asbestos in the workplace, and created guidelines for the design and management respirators, protective clothing, exposure monitoring, hygiene facilities and practices, warning signs, labeling, recordkeeping, and medical research. In contrast, the British Government Health and Safety Executive (HSE) states that any official threshold for mesothelioma to be at a very low level and it was agreed that greater and if there is no such threshold exists, it can not currently be quantified. For practical purposes, therefore, HSE does not assume that any such threshold exists. People who work with asbestos wear personal protective equipment to lower the risk of exposure. Recent data show that mineral called erionite has been known to cause genetically pre-dispositioned individuals to have malignant mesothelioma rates much higher than those not pre-dispositioned genetically. A study in Cappadocia, Turkey showed that the 3 places in Turkey have death rates of 51% attributed to erionite related mesothelioma

Mesothelioma - Risk factors

Mesothelioma Risk factors,Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma.A history of asbestos exposure exists in almost all cases. However, Mesothelioma is reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos. In rare cases, Mesothelioma is also associated with irradiation, intrapleural thorium dioxide (Thorotrast), inhalation, and other fibrous silicates, such as erionite.

Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong, flexible fibers that can be divided into blue and thin fabrics. Asbestos was widely used in many industrial products including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, coatings, textiles and insulation. If small asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, in May, inhalation, ingestion and can cause serious health problems. Besides Mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis (a noncancerous, chronic lung diseases) and other cancers, such as the larynx and kidney.

The combination of smoking and significantly increase the exposure to asbestos of persons risk for developing cancer in the Airways (lung cancer, lung cancer). The Kent brand of cigarettes used asbestos in the filters for the first year of production in 1950, and some cases have caused Mesothelioma. Smoking modern cigarettes does not appear to increase the risk of Mesothelioma.

Some studies show that the monkey virus 40 (SV40) May act as a cofactor in the development of Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma - Incidence

Although the incidence rate has increased over the past 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. The incidence rate of one per 1,000,000. Found the highest rate in the United Kingdom, Australia and Belgium: 30 1000000 a year.By comparison, populations with high incidence of smoking are lung cancer in May 1000 of more than 1,000,000. Incidence of malignant mesothelioma varies around 7 to 40 of 1000000 in the Western industrialized countries, depending on the size of the asbestos exposure of several decades.It is that the frequency can reach 15 1000000 the United States for 2004. The incidence should continue to grow in other parts of the world. Mesothelioma occurs more often in women than men and increased risk with age, but this disease can appear in either men and women of all ages. Approximately one fifth to one third of all mesotheliomas are peritoneal. Between 1940 and 1979, approximately 27.5 million people occupationally exposed to asbestos in States.Between 1973 and 1984, three times more in the diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma in Caucasian males. From 1980 until the end of 1990-year of mesothelioma mortality in the United States has increased from 2000 to 3000, with four times more men than women. This award May not be accurate, because many cases of mesothelioma are misdiagnosed as adenocarcinoma of the lung, which is difficult to differentiate from mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma - Staging

Mesothelioma is described as localized if the cancer is found only on the membrane surface where it originated. It is classified as early (stage I and II), if localized to one body area, usually the lining of the lungs and kidneys. Class creation (Stage III and IV), if it has spread beyond the original membrane surface to other parts of the body.

Mesothelioma Screening

Mesothelioma Screening,Is not universally agreed protocol for checking the people who have been exposed to asbestos. Screening tests can diagnose mesothelioma conventional methods prior to increase survival prospects for patients. Serum osteopontin level might be useful in screening asbestos-exposed people for mesothelioma. Level of soluble mesothelin-related protein is elevated in the serum about 75% of patients in the diagnosis and suggest that it may be useful for testing screening.Doctors start Mesomark analysis to measure the levels of soluble mesothelin-related protein (SMRPs) released disease mesothelioma cells

Mesothelioma diagnosis

Mesothelioma diagnosis is often difficult because symptoms are similar to many other conditions. Beginning with the diagnosis of the patient medical history. A history of exposure to asbestos may increase clinical suspicion for mesothelioma. Physical examination performed, followed by chest X-ray examinations and lung function often. May X-Ray revealed pleural thickening commonly seen after asbestos exposure and increases suspicion of mesothelioma. A CT (or CAT) scan or MRI is usually done. If there is a large amount of fluid, abnormal cells can be detected by liquid cytology if it is aspirated with a syringe. For pleural fluid this is done by pleural tap or end of the chest, in ascites with paracentesis or ascitic East and in pericardial fluid by pericardiocentesis. Despite the absence of malignant cells on cytology does not completely exclude mesothelioma, it will be more, especially if an alternative diagnosis can be made (eg tuberculosis, heart).
If cytology is positive or plate is considered suspect, A biopsy is needed to confirm the diagnosis of mesothelioma. Doctor remove the network as an example of the microscopic pathology. A biopsy can be done in different ways, depending on where the abnormal area is located. If the cancer in the chest, the doctor may perform thoracoscopy. Under this procedure, doctors make a small cut through the chest wall and put small, lighted tube called a thoracoscope to the chest between two ribs. Thoracoscopy allows the doctor to see the chest and the example network.
If the stomach cancer, doctors may perform laparoscopy. To get the network to review, the doctor makes a small incision in the stomach and enter a special instrument into the abdominal cavity. If this procedure does not produce enough network diagnostic surgery may be needed more widely.

Mesothelioma Signs and symptoms

Mesothelioma signs and symtoms usually lasts long enough to eventually be able detected.symptoms who does not feel natural in quickly, but slowly can be detected even can take a year.Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath, cough, pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck and face.
These symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions.
Mesothelioma, which affects the pleura can cause these signs and symptoms:
chest wall pain, pleural effusion, or fluid around the lung, shortness of breath, fatigue and anemia, wheezing, hoarseness, or cough, blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemoptysis)
In severe cases, the person may have many tumor masses. In person may develop Pnevmotoraks or collapse of the lung. The disease may metastasize, or spread to other parts of the body.
Tumors affecting the abdominal cavity often do not cause symptoms until they are at a later stage. Symptoms include:
abdominal pain, ascites, or abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity, a mass in the abdomen, problems with bowel function
weight loss
In severe cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms may be present:
blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs, jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin, low blood sugar, pleural effusion
pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs, severe ascites
A mesothelioma does not usually spread to the bone, brain or adrenal glands. Pleural tumors usually results only from one side of the lungs.

Mesothelioma Information - What is Mesothelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective layer that covers most of the organs. Most often the pleura (outside the internal layer of the chest wall and lungs) in May, but also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), heart, pericardium (a street around the heart) or tunica vaginalis.
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibers in other ways. Washing clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can also put people at risk of developing lung cancer mesothelioma.Unlike, no association between mesothelioma and smoking, and smoking increases the risk of various cancers caused of asbestos. through a compensation fund or asbestos case is an important issue in mesothelioma.
With symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural fluid (fluid between the lung and chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. The diagnosis can be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan and confirmed by biopsy (eg, network) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (Placing the tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to biopsy. This allows the introduction of substances such as talc to clear the pleural space (called pleurodesis), which prevents the accumulation of more liquid and pressing of the lungs. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery, disease, which sometimes leads to poor prognosis. Study of screening tests for early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing. guard against cancer, always with the body to maintain health and avoid what is associated with the cause of mesothelioma cancer.