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Mesothelioma Is A Type Of Cancer
Mesothelioma AdviceMesothelioma Advice - Questions And Answers What is mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is cancer of the mesothelium. Like most ..... Mesothelioma is a type of cancer affecting the cells of
mesothelial lining in the chest and abdomen. Mesothelioma is
rare, though it appears to be on the rise. Approximately 2,000
to 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in
the United States alone. Symptoms for both types of
mesothelioma are not specific only to this disease, and often
go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for a significant amount of
time. Difficulty breathing, abdominal and chest pain, and fever
can all be attributed to other causes, so this cancer has time
to advance fairly fair before diagnosis usually occurs. Due to
the difficulty in diagnosis of mesothelioma, survival time
after diagnosis is estimated at about a year.
There are two main types of mesothelioma. The first type,
pleural mesothelioma, spreads within the chest cavity, and
sometimes involves the lungs. This type or cancer can
metastasize into any of the body's organs, including the brain.
Metastasis occurs more often than previously thought, and
signals the disease's progression. Symptoms of pleural
mesothelioma include persistent pain in the chest and severe
difficulty breathing caused by pleural effusion, or an
accumulation of fluid in the pleural lining Cough, weight loss,
and fever are also common symptoms. Survival time for this type
of mesothelioma is better than that of peritoneal mesothelioma.
The median survival time is 17 months, with ten percent of
patients living for three years after diagnosis.
The second type of mesothelioma is peritoneal mesothelioma.
This cancer invades the abdominal cavity, the liver, spleen,
and sometimes the bowel. Predominant symptoms of peritoneal
mesothelioma include persistent pain the region as well as a
swollen abdomen, both due to the accumulation of fluid in the
abdomen and affected organs. Other symptoms include nausea,
vomiting, and swelling of feet, fever, and difficulty moving
the bowels. The prognosis for peritoneal mesothelioma is worse
than that of pleural mesothelioma, with a median survival time
of only ten months past diagnosis.
Mesothelioma takes two rarer forms. Benign mesothelioma is a
cancer of the mesothelioma of the peritoneum. The peritoneum is
the lining of the major organs in the chest and abdomen. It is
difficult to diagnose, and appears more frequently in young
women. Mesothelioma of the pericardium is a very rare cardiac
cancer. Mesothelioma can also occur in the ovaries and scrotum.
The prognosis for these unusual kinds of mesothelioma, with the
exception of benign mesothelioma, is very poor.
The progression of mesothelioma is broken down to four stages.
These stages provide a baseline to predict how far along the
cancer has spread. Staging is based on x-rays, CT scans, and
MRI imaging. Treatment decisions and prognosis depend upon the
stage of the mesothelioma, as well as the kind if mesothelioma.
In the first stage, mesothelioma is present in the pleura, lung,
pericardium, or diaphragm, and is localized to one side of the
body. Mesothelioma invades the chest wall or the esophagus
during the second stage. The second stage may also see cancer
in the heart, both sides of the pleura, or the lymph nodes in
the chest. The third stage involves penetration through the
diaphragm and into the peritoneum, and sees cancer spread to
more distant lymph nodes. The fourth and final stage occurs
when tests provide evidence of metastases in distant organs.
Within the fourth stage, the mesothelioma spreads through the
bloodstream to these new sights.
Mesothelioma is most often caused by exposure to Asbestos.
Asbestos was frequently used for insulation in homes or
businesses. Schools, factories, and military buildings have
also been found to contain asbestos. Radiation from thorium
dioxide may also cause mesothelioma. This material was once
used for x-rays, though was not widely used for long. Zeolite,
a silicate material related to asbestos, may also cause
mesothelioma. Cases of Zeolite-induced mesothelioma centralize
in the Anatoli region of Turkey.
About The Author: Alan Jason Smith is the owner of
http://www.abemesothelioma.com which is a great place to find
mesothelioma links, resources and articles. For more
information go to: http://www.abemesothelioma.com
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