Mesothelioma

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Mesothelioma
Synonyms	Malignant mesothelioma
CT scan showing a left sided mesothelioma with an enlarged mediastinal lymph node
Specialty	Oncology
Symptoms	Shortness of breath, swollen abdomen, chest wall pain, cough, feeling tired, weight loss[1]
Complications	Fluid around the lung[1]
Usual onset	Gradual onset[2]
Causes	~ 40 years after exposure to asbestos[3]
Risk factors	Genetics, infection with simian virus 40[3]
Diagnostic method	Medical imaging, examining fluid produced by the cancer, tissue biopsy[2]
Prevention	Decreased asbestos exposure[4]
Treatment	Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, pleurodesis[5]
Prognosis	Five year survival ~8% (US)[6]
Frequency	60,800 (affected during 2015)[7]
Deaths	32,400 (2015)[8]
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Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium).^[9] The most common area affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall.^[1][3] Less commonly the lining of the abdomen and rarely the sac surrounding the heart,^[10] or the sac surrounding the testis may be affected.^[1][11] Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma may include shortness of breath due to fluid around the lung, a swollen abdomen, chest wall pain, cough, feeling tired, and weight loss.^[1] These symptoms typically come on slowly.^[2]
Greater than 80% of mesothelioma cases are caused by exposure to asbestos. The greater the exposure the greater the risk.^[3] As of 2013 about 125 million people have been exposed to asbestos at work.^[12] High rates of disease occur in people who mine asbestos, produce products from asbestos, work with asbestos products, live with asbestos workers, or work in buildings containing asbestos. Asbestos exposure and the onset of cancer are generally separated by about 40 years.^[3] Washing the clothing of someone who worked with asbestos also increases the risk.^[12] Other risk factors include genetics and infection with the simian virus 40.^[3] The diagnosis may be suspected based on chest X-ray and CT scan findings, and is confirmed by either examining fluid produced by the cancer or by a tissue biopsy of the cancer.^[2]
Prevention centers around reducing exposure to asbestos.^[4] Treatment often includes surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. A procedure known as pleurodesis, which involves using substances such as talc to scar together the pleura, may be used to prevent more fluid from building up around the lungs.^[5] Chemotherapy often includes the medications cisplatin and pemetrexed.^[2] The percentage of people that survive five years following diagnosis is on average 8% in the United States.^[6]
In 2015 about 60,800 people had mesothelioma and 32,000 died from the disease.^[7][8] Rates of mesothelioma vary in different areas of the world. Rates are higher in Australia, the United Kingdom, and lower in Japan.^[3] It occurs in about 3,000 people per year in the United States.^[13] It occurs more often in males than females. Rates of disease have increased since the 1950s. Diagnosis typically occurs after the age of 65 and most deaths occur around 70 years old. The disease was rare before the commercial use of asbestos.<sup>[3]


Source Wikipedia  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesothelioma</sup>

Mesothelioma Treatments Option

Mesothelioma treatments remain disappointing.

 Mesothelioma treatments have a better prognosis in early stage and in mesothelioma treatments, to find a cure is very difficult. This is the fact of mesothelioma treatments.


Mesothelioma, also known as malignant mesothelioma, is a rare form of cancer that occur in the protective lining that covers many of the body's internal organs also known as mesothelium. Mesothelium is the lining of the chest, lungs, abdomen and also the heart. Mesothelioma is usually caused by exposure to the hazardous agent called asbestos. Mesothelioma is a rare disease but the symptoms strike more than 200 people each year in the United States. The symptoms of mesothelioma basically take times to appear and sometimes up to 30 years, between exposure to asbestos and the start of the disease.

Mesothelioma occurs in one per 1,000,000 of the population. The incidence rate is higher in male gender then in female. The incidence rate also increase by age. However the disease can occur in either man or women at any age. Mesothelioma is found to be in highest incidence rate in Britain, Australia and Belgium. However mesothelioma still a very rare disease.
There are three main types of this diasease. The highest one is pleural mesothelioma. It is called as pleural because the mesothelioma mainly affected the lining of the lungs. The incidence appeared for up to 75% for pleural mesothelioma. The other 20% of the case are peritoneal or pericardial. Peritoneal meosthelioma affects the abdomen whereas pericardial mesothelioma when it affects the heart.

The symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are related to the respiratory system which includes shortness of breath, fever, coughing up blood and breathing difficulties. The sufferers also have acute chest pain. Pleural mesothelioma is related to the inhalation of asbestos fibers. Asbestos fibers reach the lungs through the nose or mouth and they build up in the lungs. Then, they travel through the tissues. Since they are light and invisible, they become easily airborne and inhalable. When the asbestos fibers build up in the mesothelium lining, the mesothelium cells start showing abnormal behavior, thereby leading to mesothelioma. In this disease, tumors are formed in lungs and mesothelium and this may also spread to other parts of the body too.

Pericardial mesothelioma is a rare form of mesothelioma and the main site of attack is the linings of the heart. The main symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma are chest pain, breathing difficulties, fever, palpitations, tiredness and cough. Like all other types of mesothelioma, there is no cure for this type also. The only thing that doctors can do is to reduce the pain and discomfort of the symptoms and help the patients have a comfortable and peaceful death. This is called palliative care.
There are many mesothelioma treatments and mesothelioma treatments option available. mesothelioma treatments include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The mesothelioma treatments depends on the patient's age, general health and stage of the cancer. There has been much mesothelioma research have been done to find the new treatment methods.
Mesothelioma is a bad dream to the sufferer. Not only does it take years for the symptoms to appear, but there are limited mesothelioma treatments and drugs that will prolong the lives and improved the quality of life in mesothelioma patient. Hope that this article can bring information about mesothelioma and mesothelioma treatments.