About Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a recently discovered, deadly cancer which is noticeably increasing in prominence throughout the world, due to the unique way it appears after being undetected for many years. Prolonged asbestos exposure is believed to be the most common cause of this cancer. Scientific studies have shown that if a person exposed to asbestos without sufficient protection does so for an abnormally long period of time, asbestos dust can have an adverse affect on the cells which make up the mesothelium – the outer lining that protects such vital organs as the heart, lungs, etc. The mesothelial cells become aggravated and react abnormally due to the continuous exposure to harmful asbestos.

Mesothelioma is a very hard cancer for doctors to treat, as it can lie dormant for many years, and cannot be detected or diagnosed easily in its early stages, unlike other forms of cancer. Because it can take 10, 20, or 30 years for mesothelioma to fully develop inside the body, many men who were exposed to asbestos up to forty years ago are just learning that they have mesothelioma – and have had it for a long time. As a result, there are many class action lawsuits filed against the companies who exposed these workers to such adverse conditions without adequate protection; however, this will not do much to help their plight, as there is no true effective treatment of the disease – only the symptoms.

The lungs are the most popular victim of mesothelioma, and they are severely inflicted once mesothelioma finally sets in. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common diagnosis. It affects the lining of the lungs and manifests its symptoms through chronic coughing, breathing and swallowing difficulties, low lung capacity and random infections or fever.

The next common diagnosis of mesothelioma is peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the abdominal area. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma consist of vomiting, upset stomach, rapid loss of weight, fever, irritable bowel syndrome, and loss of appetite. It can also be associated with various levels of stomach pains.

Pericardial mesothelioma is rarely diagnosed, and one of the more uncommon types of mesothelioma. Attacking the heart and the heart lining, symptoms generally include heart palpitations, difficulties in breathing and persistent coughing.

Because the symptoms of all these forms of mesothelioma are similar to the symptoms of other cancers and diseases, this only adds to the difficulty in offering a definite diagnosis of this horrible cancer.

There are several treatments being offered at the present time, but many are experimental and cannot claim to be successful. If a diagnosis of mesothelioma can be made in its early stages – which is extremely difficult – then a patient can generally be expected to survive. Below are some of the most commonly attempted treatments used for mesothelioma:

• surgery
• radiation therapy
• palliative therapy
• chemotherapy

Research into newer treatments for mesothelioma is constantly being explored, and is currently being studied all throughout the USA by doctors and pharmaceutical companies alike. Hopefully by putting their heads together, a solution to this horrible condition can be found.

An In Depth Look At Treatment Options

Treatment for mesothelioma depends on the type of mesothelioma involved, what stage of mesothelioma the patient is in, as well as the age of the patient – some treatments may prove too rigorous for elderly patients.

An oncologist will recommend the line of treatment necessary for each particular patient. Mesothelioma is extremely hard to treat, and oftentimes a prognosis is never positive, as it is oftentimes found too late.

In it's early stages, surgery for mesothelioma may be possible and required in order to remove all affected tissues. Some popular types of surgeries include thoracoscopy, VATS( video assisted thoracic surgery), mediastinoscopy and/or laproscopy. Often, doctors recommend palliative procedures, such as chest fluid draining and pleurodesis, thoracoscopy and pleurodesis, pleuroperitonial shunt, or pleurectomy, which unfortunately treat only the symptoms of mesothelioma, and never the disease itself.

Like many other forms of cancer, radiation is prescribed for mesothelioma patients and is generally given alongside a surgical procedure, mainly palliative types of surgery. Because normal radiation technology typically causes irreparable damage to the healthy areas of the infected lining, researchers are looking into utilizing ultra-violet(UV) light therapy as an alternative.

About 12-20% of all mesothelioma patients find some level of success and respond to chemotherapy drugs in some form or another, but not in any way to claim a cure. Whereas in most cancers, chemotherapy drugs tend to kill cancer cells and inhibit their reproduction, the same does not necessarily hold true with mesothelioma. Chemotherapy cannot be seen as a cure, but rather an attempt stop the affected cells from spreading the disease further. Chemotherapy will also shrink the tumor prior to surgery, destroy any remnants of a tumor in the body after surgery; and alleviate the pain and other forms of discomfort caused by the palliative chemotherapy.

• Biological therapy using interleukin 2.
• Immunotherapy – this therapy is used to enhance and stimulate immune system in the hopes of preventing the spread of mesothelioma
• Gene therapy, replacement gene therapy and knockout gene therapy – experimental therapies that attempt to manipulate the genetic code, returning to a pre-cancer state .
• Administration of lovastatin, a cholesterol lowering drug.
• Photodynamic treatment – a form of laser therapy that specialize in removing cancer tissue
• Fluid draining from the chest or abdominal area which is then followed by application of medicines to the drained area in order to prevent fluid build-up
• Combination therapy – a hybrid therapy which includes surgery and either radiation treatment or chemotherapy.

It must be remembered that the actual cancer itself is untreatable – only the symptoms can be alleviated. It is possible to sign up for clinical trials to experiment with new treatments that are in progress in conjunction with the many labs and mesothelioma centers throughout the country. As with anything such as this, it is best to consult with your doctor before joining any of these programs, as he/she would know your situation better than any other.

---