Mesothelioma
Mesotheliomatreatment.net has
been created to provide answers and support for people diagnosed with
mesothelioma, as well as their families and loved ones.
Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive cancer that is caused by
exposure to asbestos.
While there is currently no cure for
mesothelioma, over the past two decades, physicians,
scientists and researchers have begun to discover new
treatments for this disease that has long been considered a
mystery.
With innovative machinery, and researchers on a quest for
discovery, diagnosis can hopefully be made in its earlier stages,
leading to a betterprognosis.
Every year, there are as many as 3,000 people diagnosed with
mesothelioma. Moreover, men are four times more likely than
women to be diagnosed with mesothelioma, and with the
exception ofbenign
mesothelioma all
forms of the disease are terminal. However, with new,
extensive forms of treatment, vast resources, and general
information now available to the public, patients coping
with the disease are more confident and optimistic than
ever.
Causes of Mesothelioma
This terminal cancer is often caused by
exposure to asbestos which can be inhaled or otherwise
ingested. The fibers then become lodged in the lungs,
leading to inflammation and possible infection. Asbestos is
a naturally occurring but dangerous fiber that was often
used by a large number of industries throughout the
twentieth century.
While the dangers of asbestos were well known among
manufacturers and companies, it was not public knowledge for
the average blue collar worker. These men and women worked
day in and out in hazardous
conditions and
were not even aware of the nearly invisible carcinogen
surrounding them. Furthermore, the fibers easily stuck to
clothing and hair leading workers to bring the dangerous
mineral into their homes subsequently becoming a possible
threat to their families.
The dangers of asbestos became better known in the
seventies, leading to a decline in its use. Unfortunately,
it is still found in many buildings, especially those built
before the 1980s.
Types of Mesothelioma
Understanding the types
of mesothelioma can
get very confusing. With types, there may be subtypes and
additionally, subtypes of the subtypes. Mainly, there are
five different types of mesothelioma. One of them isbenign (non-cancerous),
but the following four are terminal diseases.
Pleural Mesothelioma: This
is the most common form of the disease, affecting 75% of the
people who are diagnosed with the
disease. It forms in the pleura, the lining
of the lungs, which protects the organ.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma:
20% of people diagnosed with mesothelioma suffer from this
variant. Rather than in the lungs, this forms in the lining
of the abdomen. This lining is known as the peritoneal
membrane.
Pericardial Mesothelioma:
Affecting about five percent of people, this cancer develops
inside the lining of the heart, which is known as the
pericardium.
Testicular Mesothelioma:
This type of mesothelioma is located in the tunica
vaginalis, the membrane surrounding the testicles. This is
an extremely rare form of the disease accounting for only
0.7% of all cases between 1973 and 1999.
Additionally, types of mesothelioma can be broken down into histological
types as
well as if the cancer is recurrent, resectable,
or unresectable.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma
Due to its long latency
period, mesothelioma may not show any signs of
occurrence until two to five decades after a patient’s
initial exposure to asbestos. The symptoms
of mesothelioma are
often easy to confuse with symptoms of similar, but less
life threatening diseases.
Some of the most common symptoms are related to breathing.
These include chest pain, a chronic cough, shortness of
breath and difficulty breathing. For some patients, lumps
may also develop under the skin and chest. Patients may also
feel abdominal pain and nausea; they may lose weight, and
may have bowel issues, feel heart palpitations, and suffer
from night sweats.
Mesothelioma Treatment
Once a patient is diagnosed with mesothelioma,
an oncologist can
go ahead and plan an appropriate path of treatment for the
individual. Since every person and their cancer is unique, a
tailored form of treatment is necessary to ensure the best
prognosis.
There are a number of different types of
treatment available for this disease. Among the curative
options that are available are surgery,chemotherapy,
and radiation therapy. Many
patients who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma are given
a combination of the three, in what is called a multimodal
approach. By combining more than one of these
rigorous treatments, it is possible to approach a solution
to the cancer from various angles. This innovative approach
has been shown to improve the life expectancy of the patient
In addition to these options, there are also some more experimentalprocedures.
Among these options are photodynamic
therapy, gene
therapy, immunotherapy, hormonal
therapy, anti-angiogenesis
therapyand ozone
therapy. Unfortunately, these options are still
in the experimental phase, with little knowledge as to their
effectiveness. For this reason they are typically only
available to patients as part of a clinical
trial.
Some of the more recent clinical trials conducted on gene
therapy, photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy have shown
results that are positive enough to suggest that further research is
promising. Patients who agree to take part in a clinical
trial are not only exposing themselves to treatments that
may be beneficial; they are also providing researchers with
the information that they need to develop new treatments and
possibly cures for people who are suffering from
mesothelioma in the present and future.
Furthermore, many patients seek complimentary
methods of
treatment. These are not necessarily used in place of more
conventional options such as chemotherapy and surgery, but
rather as a compliment to the treatments. While they have
not been proven to cure the mesothelioma, many people note
feelings of reduced stress or pain after a complimentary
procedure such as yoga or acupuncture.
Veterans and Mesothelioma
One industry that largely used asbestos in
their sector was the United States Armed Forces. The
military used asbestos in the production of many types of
ships, buildings, and vehicles, resulting in hundreds of
thousands of soldiers and workers being exposed to this
toxic fiber. Asbestos reached its climax during World War II
and today, as a result, many U.S. veterans are
suffering from mesothelioma.
Studies show that more than thirty percent of people who
suffer from mesothelioma are veterans. Since the disease
carries with it such a great latency
period of
up to 5 decades, those who served in the Armed Forces half a
century ago may just now be experiencing symptoms indicative
of the disease.
