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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Pleura Mesothelioma

By Ems Aleks

A person working with asbestos is the highest risk. It's been said that about 75% of all cases have histories exposure to asbestos at work. There are about 2,000 to 3,000 mesothelioma cases reported each year and most of them are work-related cases.

Asbestos minerals are said to be strongly present on industrial materials and products such as flooring products, roof shingles, insulations, textiles, cement and brake linings. Some of these materials are also used in industries such as construction, automotive, shipyard and manufacturing. A worker can get it just by inhaling and swallowing the substance. Moreover, there are theories that members of the family of these workers are prone to second hand exposure just by doing the worker's laundry. In lieu to this, workers may file a lawsuit because of job-related diseases and you can find mesothelioma lawyers within your community or on various websites at the internet.

Moreover, mesothelioma lawyers will assist you of your legal rights as well as your options. They will be able to determine if you have a case and the steps that you have to take should you seek to take this to court. However, you should take into consideration the number of cases that mesothelioma lawyers had handled.

Symptoms

Pleura Mesothelioma is a form of cancer which is very aggressive and is very hard to diagnose. Generally, mesothelioma symptoms are hardly detectable at an early stage because it has a latency period and may occur even after around 20 to 40 years after the exposure to asbestos. These are some of the most common symptoms:

•    Chest pain under the ribcage
•    Persistent coughing
•    Loss of weight
•    Fatigue
•    Shortness of breath
•    Lumps around the chest
•    Difficulty in swallowing
•    Difficult and painful breathing
•    Coughing up blood

These are all mesothelioma symptoms but, it should be noted that it may or may not occur to one person all at one time. It is pertinent to inform your physician of your exposure to asbestos so they can note it down and check if you will require test for diseases related to asbestos exposure.

Diagnosis

Since mesothelioma symptoms seem to be the same as with other diseases, diagnosis is also somewhat difficult. The physician will want to rule out each of those other diseases before suspecting Pleura Mesothelioma. Once suspected, x-ray and CT scan will be performed. Once any of these tests showed signs of exposure to asbestos, then, a biopsy will be performed to confirm the result.

Aside from confirming the result, the biopsy can also help determine the type of mesothelioma in the body. To determine the growth and stage, further tests can be done like MRI and PET scan (Positron Emission Topography).

Treatment

The treatment options depend relatively on the patient's state of health and the cancer stage. The tumor or parts of the tumor could be surgically removed upon detection during early stages. Fluids from the lungs can also be removed through surgery.

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Mesothelioma Stages and Mesothelioma Staging Systems

By Avi Solutions

Mesothelioma stages are categorized in the medical community for evaluative benefit for the physician, the medical institution, participation in clinical trials, and advancements in mesothelioma treatment options.  Staging systems are used to define mesothelioma stages; however, mesothelioma stages are far more descriptive for pleural mesothelioma than for peritoneal mesothelioma or pericardial mesothelioma.  Mesothelioma staging systems have changed over time. As medical knowledge increases, mesothelioma staging systems advance. 

By sectioning a progressive disease into stages, doctors can evaluate mesothelioma treatment options that have been proven successful.  By defining mesothelioma stages in a universal staging system, international mesothelioma life expectancy statistics can be gathered. When a staging system gains international acceptance, it contributes greatly to the advancement of mesothelioma treatment options.  Grouping similar variables for evaluation is beneficial to developing mesothelioma treatment options for different mesothelioma stages.

In 1976 the Butchart staging system identified four mesothelioma stages for diffuse pleural malignant mesothelioma by location.  At stage one, the tumor is in one side of the pleural lining.   At stage two, the tumor is malignant and has entered both lungs, and has the potential to spread.  In stage three of Butchart’s mesothelioma stages, the tumor has entered the peritoneum (abdomen region), and at stage four, the cancer has spread through the blood stream.

It was simple, thus gained acceptance. However, it fails to address crucial issues.  Medical experts suggest it fails to make survival correlations with mesothelioma stages.  The Butchart mesothelioma staging system in its originality is obsolete for mesothelioma life expectancy statistics, however other mesothelioma stages have been developed from it, and many cancer institutions modify it for their evaluative purposes.

In the 1980s Chahinian added detailed tumor stages, lymph node stages and metastases stages to the pleural mesothelioma staging system. This staging system is referred to as TNM and is used within elaborative staging systems.  In 1990 the UICC (Union Internationale Contre le Cancer) expounded on Chahinian’s mesothelioma stages.  The Butchart, Chahinian and UICC mesothelioma staging systems were based on specific institution experience. 

In 1999 the Bingham Hospital introduced a pleural mesothelioma surgical staging system in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.   The IMIG (International Mesothelioma Interest Group) in a 1995 Journal of Chest from the American College of Chest Physicians proposed international acceptance for a detailed universal staging system. This staging system demands precise tumor location, and is based on TNM and the International Lung Cancer Staging System.

Medical institutions will use the mesothelioma stages and staging system practical for their internal evaluative purposes.  But the mesothelioma patient should be aware when discussing mesothelioma life expectancy and prognosis that mesothelioma staging systems differ, and staging systems still undergo scrutiny.  No staging system includes all variables for treatment and prognosis. Factors such as tumor subtypes can make a significant difference in prognosis. 

In its basic form, mesothelioma has two stages – localized and advanced.  In most staging systems, localized mesothelioma is considered stage one. Stages two through four are advanced mesothelioma stages.  Mesothelioma stages are generally defined by location, the severity of the tumor, or surgical needs.  The stages of mesothelioma are dependent on the staging system used.

Mesothelioma stages are important considerations in treatment and prognosis. An accepted universal mesothelioma staging system can expedite medical research to find effective mesothelioma treatment options.   Advances in clinical research will continue to contribute to the development of defining mesothelioma stages until precise correlations can be made.  Until then, staging systems are a universal answer to evaluating mesothelioma treatment.  
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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

3 Mesothelioma Treatments Explained

By Thomas Parker

Mesothelioma is one of the most uncommon types of cancer and is almost always caused by past exposure to asbestos. It is believed to affect around 2000 people in the UK each year. There are two different forms of mesothelioma; pleural mesothelioma (which makes the lining of the lungs become thicker) and peritoneal mesothelioma (which makes the lining of the abdomen become thicker). Being diagnosed with this type of cancer is not a pleasant experience. However, there are treatment options available. In this article I will be explaining three of the top mesothelioma treatments.
1) SURGERY:- If you have pleural mesothelioma and it is in the early stages, surgery may be a viable treatment option. However, it cannot usually be used to treat peritoneal mesothelioma. When surgery is possible it will usually involve a pleurectomy (removing part or all of the pleura and the surrounding lung tissue) but sometimes an extra-pleural pneumonectomy (removing the pleura, the diaphragm, the tumour and the whole lung) is required for more advanced cancers.

2) CHEMOTHERAPY:- This mesothelioma treatment involves using anti-cancer medications to slow the growth of the tumour. It can also help reduce any undesirable symptoms. Unfortunately, in most cases chemotherapy alone is not enough to cure mesothelioma and instead helps provide sufferers with a better quality of life. However, it can be effective after surgery for killing off any remaining cancer cells and reducing the risk of recurrence.

Chemotherapy treatment does come with some undesirable side effects. The main side effect is that the drugs used often kill some non-cancerous cells too which makes you more susceptible to infections and can make you tire more easily. There are other associated side effects which include hair loss, nausea and diarrhoea. However, these depend upon the type of chemotherapy drug being used.

3) RADIOTHERAPY:- This involves using high energy radiation beams to destroy the cancerous cells. Radiotherapy is often used to relieve any undesirable symptoms but can sometimes prove an effective treatment for mesothelioma. It can also be used to shrink the tumour before surgery and to reduce the risk of the cancer returning after surgery.

Radiotherapy treatment also has comes with some unwanted side effects. These include nausea, vomiting and tiredness. However, these side effects and their severity varies depending upon the strength of the radiation used and the length of the radiotherapy treatment.

Mesothelioma is very rare but like any other cancer it can prove fatal if ignored. No one wants to be diagnosed with a condition like this but it can be treated. This article has discussed three of the options that are available but to get the full picture you need to go see your doctor. They are the professionals and they will be able to choose the best type of treatment for you and your circumstances.

Whilst every intention has been made to make this article accurate and informative, it is intended for general information only. Mesothelioma is a very serious, life threatening condition and you should discuss any concerns, treatments or lifestyle changes fully with your doctor.

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Friday, August 13, 2010

What is Mesothelioma & Mesothelioma Treatments Option - An IMPORTANT Basic Fact

By M Amyz

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.

Hope this article can help you to know the real fact of asbestos related cancer. Someone who have a history of prolong asbestos exposure and have the symptoms should seek medical attention. Prevention is better than cure. This type of cancer's treatments are very difficult in the latter stage.Try to be alert on the sign and symptoms of mesothelomia in the early stage. It can result in better treatmens or a better prognosis.

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