Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Pleural Mesothelioma - The Symptoms Concerning Pleural Mesothelioma

By Shan Durai

Mesothelioma of the pleura mesothelium is what is known as pleural mesothelioma. The pleura is a membrane that stretches along our lungs and the walls on the chest. It is the most common type of mesothelioma accounting for over 60% of all cases with peritoneal mesothelioma reporting in at 30%-35% and pericardial mesothelioma making up the rest.

When cancer affects the lung lining, it is called pleural mesothelioma. It is thought that asbestos exposure is the central cause of all varieties of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is particularly prevalent among smokers who are exposed to asbestos. Lumps around the chest area as well as chest pains could be symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Breathing may be impaired and even painful. Because the symptoms are so wide-ranging in nature, it is a hard cancer to detect. Only through X-rays, CT Scans and performing a biopsy can the doctor truly establish if the patient has a confirmed instance of pleural mesothelioma..

Treatments are more effective if the cancer is caught in the earlier stages. In an attempt to clear the affected region of tumors, the patient will usually undergo surgery. After surgery takes place, aggressive chemotherapy is used to get free of the remaining tumors. To relieve the cancer patient of symptoms stemming from mesothelioma, radiation is occasionally used.

In younger, more healthy patients, an aggressive mixture of all three procedures might be used. Probability of the cancer coming back from remission is unfortunately, exceedingly high. Despite the fact that pleural mesothelioma cannot be cured, a select few such as Dr.SugarBaker are constantly striving to improve on treatments as well as testing out new techniques that hopefully are effective.

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