Mesothelioma - What is Mesothelioma?
Many conditions cause symptoms like shortness of breath or chest pain. Due to this, the first step to diagnose mesothelioma is to exclude other diseases.
The doctors conduct this by taking samples of fluid from the lungs or stomach. They can also conduct tests such as a CT, MRI or a PET scan.
Causes
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is found in the tissues that line the chest (pleural mesothelioma), abdomen or heart (peritoneal mesothelioma). Exposure to asbestos, a material that was widely used in construction, shipbuilding and other industries, is the most common cause of mesothelioma. Exposure to mesothelioma-causing asbestos usually occurs through the inhalation of tiny fibres that can cause irritation and damage to the tissue and lead to the formation of abnormal tumors. Mesothelioma is usually diagnosed 20 to 50 years after asbestos exposure.
Asbestos is a class of minerals made up of long, thin fibres that can separate into smaller pieces. These can easily travel into the lung, where they could be breathed in and lodged within the pleura, which are linings that surround the lungs. These can irritate lung tissue over time and lead to abnormal tumors to develop. Mesothelioma can also be caused through exposure to asbestos that is secondhand like when employees bring fibres home on their clothes or equipment or from contaminated materials like asbestos-containing materials.
People who have mesothelioma often suffer from shortness of breathing, coughing and fatigue. Other symptoms include weight gain, chest pain swelling, difficulty swallowing and a painful rash that is similar to hives. Mesothelioma is extremely rare with between 2,500 and 3,000 cases being diagnosed each year in the United States.
The most prevalent mesothelioma form begins in the pleura, which is a protective layer that covers the lungs and chest wall. Other types of mesothelioma can form in the peritoneum, which lines the stomach and intestines or in the membrane around the testicles (testicular mesothelioma).
A specialist doctor in mesothelioma may recommend tests to look for signs of the disease, such as x-rays, CT scans or MRI. A mesothelioma expert, specialist in thoracic surgery, or a medical oncologist may perform surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. Palliative treatments are sometimes offered to relieve discomfort and other symptoms. GPs are also able to aid in diagnosing mesothelioma through examining symptoms and giving guidance on how to treat them. If necessary, they can refer you to an expert. They may refer you to an expert in respiratory medicine to examine your symptoms and examine the way you breathe.
Symptoms
Mesothelioma symptoms vary depending on the type of mesothelioma that you have. This is because mesothelioma varieties are categorized by where the cancer originates in the body and the way it spreads.
Mesotheliomas can develop in the lining of the lung (pleura) or the lining of the heart (pericardium) or the abdominal lining (peritoneum). Mesothelioma symptoms include chest pain, difficulty breathing fluid accumulation and loss of weight.
Asbestos fibers can cause irritation of the pleura (lung lining) and abnormal cells to grow. In time the cells can expand in uncontrollable ways and eventually become tumors. Mesothelioma can also affect different parts of the body with similar linings, such as the abdominal cavity and reproductive organs.
Symptoms can take for a long time to manifest and can result in a delayed diagnosis. Most patients are diagnosed with mesothelioma if it has advanced and is life-threatening. This is partly due to the fact that mesothelioma sufferers have a latency time of 20 to 40 years between exposure and when the cancer starts to manifest.
There are three options for treatment for mesothelioma: surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The doctor will suggest the treatment that is best for your situation. The type of treatment you receive is contingent on the extent to which your cancer has progressed.
Surgery: Doctors will remove any cancerous tissue during the surgical procedure. They can also perform the combination of procedures to treat mesothelioma. The type of surgery used will depend on where the mesothelioma's site is located and how far it has spread.
Radiation: Doctors will utilize high-energy X rays or other forms of radiation to kill mesothelioma cells or stop them from forming. This kind of treatment can be administered externally or internal.
Chemotherapy: Doctors will offer chemotherapy pills or liquids to reduce and kill cancerous cells or to stop them from spreading. Chemotherapy can be used alone or with other treatments such as radiation and surgery.
It is important to consult a specialist immediately if you suspect that you or someone near your heart has mesothelioma. Bring our free Symptoms Checklist with you to your appointment. discuss your symptoms with your physician.
Diagnosis
In the past, doctors used various tests to determine mesothelioma. These tests include a lab test, a physical examination and imaging scans. They will also look over the patient's medical history and work history to determine evidence of asbestos exposure.
The first step to diagnose mesothelioma is having a doctor's physical exam. This includes looking for lumps, and asking about the patient's symptoms. The doctor will also consider the type of mesothelioma such as epithelial or sarcomatoid. These types are based on cells that are found in each kind of cancer.
Mesothelioma is difficult to detect. It is most often found in the Pleura, a thin layer of tissue that line the lungs and chest cavity. It can also affect peritoneum - a thin layer that lines the stomach, intestines, and lungs. Coughing, breathlessness, and abdominal pain are all possible signs. In some instances mesothelioma, it can spread to other organs including the heart.
A biopsy is the best method to confirm mesothelioma. A doctor will remove a small amount of mesothelioma and sends it to a laboratory for analysis. The lab looks for mesothelioma cancer cells as well as other kinds of cancer.
If the biopsy is positive for mesothelioma doctors will test to determine the type of cancer cells. This will allow them to choose the most effective treatment.
Other tests could include an X-ray or CT scan to look for asbestos in the lung liner, calcium deposits or indications of mesothelioma such as an effusion in the pleural cavity. They can also conduct blood tests to check for abnormalities, such as anemia or low levels of certain anti-bodies that indicate mesothelioma.
Other imaging tests include MRI and PET scans, which employ magnets and radio waves to create precise images. They can help doctors detect mesothelioma that has spread to the lungs and also in other places like the diaphragm muscle (a dome-shaped muscle tissue that separates the chest from the abdomen). They can also tell how far the cancer has spread. They can also check for mesothelioma in the lymph nodes. This can be done by inserting a scope in the trachea or windpipe. This procedure, referred to as mediastinoscopy, is performed under the influence of sedation.
Treatment
Mesothelioma is hard to treat since the cancer often develops late and spreads when it is discovered. Treatment is aimed at reducing symptoms and improving quality of life. A mesothelioma specialist will help people find an effective treatment plan for them.
A mesothelioma physician will have a team of specialists working together to provide care. The team might include a general practitioner (general practitioner) who oversees the health of the person in general as well as a respiratory physician who examines symptoms and treats lung diseases as well as an interventional radiologist who uses imaging scans to guide needles and other instruments to drain tissues or draining fluids for diagnosis and a thoracic surgeon who performs surgeries and other procedures to treat lung disorders and chest, a medical oncologist who prescribes chemotherapy drugs, and a radiation oncologist who offers radiotherapy treatments.
If mesothelioma is detected additional tests can be carried out to determine if the cancer has spread to other areas of the body. This could include the use of a CT or MRI scan FDG-positron emission imaging (used to detect the movement of mesothelioma cell lines) and the biopsy of an area of tissue removed during surgery.
A patient suffering from malignant pleural msothelioma will likely undergo a surgical procedure to relieve breathlessness due to fluid buildup. This may be a procedure referred to as VATS (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery), in which some of the lining of the lung and chest wall are removed to lessen the fluid build-up. In some instances what causes pleural mesothelioma the fluid can be removed at home regularly by using a tube put into the chest.
Benign mesothelioma doesn't usually require surgery. Doctors can use painkillers and other treatments to manage symptoms.
Clinical trials are conducted to test mesothelioma, a rare cancer and is being investigated. It is important for people suffering from mesothelioma to participate in these trials if possible, because they could lead to better treatments. However, the decision to participate in a trial is not taken lightly as the risks associated with treatment are usually extremely grave. It is crucial that people who suffer from mesothelioma, as well as their families, discuss their options with an expert.