Mesothelioma Cancer
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer affecting the mesothelium – the cellular membrane of the lungs, abdomen and heart. Localized mesothelioma is found on and around the cellular membrane while advanced malignant mesothelioma can spread throughout the body and onto other organs and tissues.
There are different forms of malignant mesothelium cancer depending on its location:peritoneal mesothelioma, pleural mesothelioma, pericardial mesothelioma andtesticular mesothelioma. There are also various mesothelioma treatment options and kinds of mesothelioma treatments.
The cause of mesothelioma is asbestos poisoning or long term exposure, most often in construction and manufacturing industries. Smoking has not been proven to be the cause of mesothelioma but it increases the risk of developing malignant mesothelioma. Asbestosis is another illness caused by asbestos.
Mesothelioma diagnosis is difficult as its symptoms correspond to various other nonlethal illnesses and conditions. Mesothelioma symptoms include difficulties in breathing and swallowing, coughing, pain, swelling of the neck and face, disturbed bowel movements. Life expectancy for malignant mesothelioma patients is usually less than one year after diagnosis, but that can change with respect to the stage of cancer development and time of diagnosis. Mesothelioma diagnosis occurs only after the patient started suffering from the symptoms and then various tests are utilized to eliminate the possibilities of other conditions. A complete physical examination is the starting point, followed by X-ray, CT or MRI imaging, and finally a biopsy is performed and the tissue samples are sent to the pathologist for analysis. In the case that more tissue samples are needed, exploratory surgery is performed.
Once a diagnosis has been made, the patient has several mesothelioma treatment options available and together with the doctor can choose between surgical mesothelioma treatment, where the infected tissue is removed along with a part of the surrounding tissue; the radiation therapy mesothelioma treatment, uses internal or external radiation to kill the cancer cells and control their further growth; the chemotherapy mesothelioma treatment, involves the use of drugs which control specific cellular processes and are used to inhibit growth and division of cells, however this method also destroys normal cells and therefore patients experience discomfort. All of these mesothelioma treatment options can be used alone or together depending on the stage of development and the condition of the patient.New mesothelioma treatment options such as immuno therapy, gene therapy and photodynamic therapy are being developed and also used.
As mesothelioma is hard to diagnose and discover, numerous clinical trials are being conducted every year to find new and better mesothelioma treatment options before recommending them for general use.
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