Malignant Mesothelioma Symptoms and Treatments

This post is about a disease called Mesothelioma. Are you familiar with it? If not, don't worry because I have here some information about a malignant Mesothelioma.

First of all, what is Mesothelioma? A popular encyclopedia explains that Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart, the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.

Also, most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways.

Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these 6 signs and symptoms:
1. Chest wall pain
2. Pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
3. Shortness of breath
4. Fatigue or anemia
5. Wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
6. Blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemoptysis)

Here are some Mesothelioma treatments that are commonly done:
1. Surgery
2. Radiation - For patients with localized disease, and who can tolerate a radical surgery, radiation is often given post-operatively as a consolidative treatment.
3. Chemotherapy - This is the only treatment for mesothelioma that has been proven to improve survival in randomised and controlled trials.
4. Immunotherapy - Treatment regimens involving immunotherapy have yielded variable results.
5. Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy - This procedure was developed by Paul Sugarbaker at the Washington Cancer Institute.

Actually, there are a lot of information about it on the Internet. Mesothelioma Prognosis, Death, Survival Rates and Life Expectancy are some of the topics that are mostly discussed. If you want more information, you can check the Mesothelioma Information website.

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