Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Mesothelioma - A Brief Look At Mesothelioma Cancer

By Shan Durai

Mesothelioma cancer is usually caused by inhaling asbestos fibers over a period of time. People that have jobs concerning plentiful amounts of asbestos are in danger of getting mesothelioma. The majority of mesothelioma patients got this cancer because they worked around asbestos for a period of time. Mesothelioma is also a exceedingly rare form of cancer with only about 4000 cases each year. There are 3 chief kinds of mesothelioma cancer that vary depending on the region of the body that has been affected. Pleural Mesothelioma, Pericardial Mesothelioma and Peritoneal mesothelioma are the three major kinds of this cancer.

It is called mesothelioma because of the region it affects, the mesothelium. The three main varieties of this cancer are all named after the three main cavities, Pericardium, Peritoneum and Pleura..

The symptoms of this cancer depend significantly on the region affected. These symptoms normally show up much later in the future following exposure to asbestos Peritoneal Mesothelioma - Weight loss, Abdominal Pain, Abdominal swelling, Nausea, lumps in the abdomen area, erratic bowel movements. Pleural mesothelioma symptoms consist of chest pains, lumps in the chest, and painful breathing instead. Finally, heart palpitations, fever, murmurs and difficulty breathing can point to symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma.

There is a probability that treatment may send this cancer into remission but that is exceptional. Otherwise, mesothelioma patients experience abysmal survival rates. Patients diagnosed with an advanced stage of mesothelioma are generally expected to have a life-expectancy of about a year at most. Those that have caught the cancer early have much improved survival rates, of up to 5 years.

There is still research being done in the field, albeit not a whole lot. The famous specialist, Dr.David Sugarbaker and othernotable doctors elsewhere represent the few doctors that are making inroads into unraveling the mysteries of this cancer. The main areas of research tend to target pleural mesothelioma and new, aggressive techniques have been found to prolong live expectancy by years.

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