Tag Archives: mesothelioma

How To Diagnose Mesothelioma

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Posted by just better on December 16, 2008 – 12:42 pm
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Mesothelioma diagnosis is very important as far as an early treatment is considered. It helps with better pain management. Mesothelioma diagnosis is confusing as the symptoms mimic many lung infections

Don’t sit there and keep guessing. Consult your physician.

Get Mesothelioma tests done.

An early initiation of treatment will help reduce the cancer pain considerably.

Valuable Imaging techniques used in Mesothelioma tests are X Ray, CT (Computerized tomography), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and PET (Positive Electron Tomography)

Invasive procedures for Tissue and fluid samples are also done. Usually invasive procedures which invade the body are required to make a final confirmed Mesothelioma Diagnosis (Thoracoscopy, Peritoneoscopy and Biopsy)

Recently the first ever Blood test for Mesothelioma have been devised as reported by Pacific North-West Research Institute. This is based on the fact that Mesothelioma cells release tumor markers called SMR (Soluble mesothelin-related) proteins.

Two important questions you should answer before you go ahead with the Mesothelioma diagnosis are:

Have you been exposed to asbestos? (Although not all the Mesothelioma cases are direct results of asbestos exposure there is a strong association between the two.)

Do you experience Mesothelioma symptoms?

Tips

If you suspect that you have been exposed to asbestos then get Mesothelioma tests done at the earliest.

Warnings

Mis-Diagnosis and late diagnosis is a grave error in Mesothelioma as the treatment becomes difficult with late diagnosis.

Dr. Mateen M.D. shares his expert opinions and Information on the Deadly Cancer Mesothelioma on his site Mesothelioma Cancer Guide. Also visit our Lawyers section and Mesothelioma FAQs.

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Mesothelioma Diagnosis Treatment &amp Support Groups

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Posted by just better on December 15, 2008 – 12:43 pm
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Mesothelioma is an incurable and deadly form of cancer that has takes over 10,000 lives in the United States each year. Medical science has developed technology that prolongs the lives of those affected by this condition, but tragically a cure is still unavailable. Mesothelioma, like other forms of cancer, is our own body attacking us. Unhealthy cells mutate and continue to grow until they have destroyed all of the bodys healthy cells.

Any system or organ in the body can be attacked by cancer, and it usually isnt identified until its too late. Another lethal aspect of cancer is that cancerous cells tend to spread to healthy surrounding tissues, and travel through the lymphatic systems. This deadly combination of factors has made cancers like mesothelioma the single greatest threat to health around the world.

Mesothelioma is a particularly dangerous form of cancer because it takes decades between the exposures of asbestos before any cancerous symptoms are seen. Whats even more complicating is that once symptoms begin, therapeutic treatments are usually no longer effective as post-diagnosis survival rates usually range from four months to a year.

The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral used for centuries in insulation, clothing, and for fire-resistant materials. These small fibers are easily inhaled by anyone working with, or using these products. It wasnt until the 20th century that X-Rays and magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) revealed the damage caused by these microscopic fibers. Even during the beginning of the 21st century, medical science is still only starting to provide adequate treatment for mesothelioma.

Responsibility for this exposure is mostly due to the large amount of asbestos related materials, which is partly due to the negligence of the employers failing to not properly warn their employees and consumer market about the dangers of their products. For many years the asbestos industry concealed the potential dangers of their products fearing lawsuits and diminished demand would ruin their businesses. In time, this deception and negligence virtually destroyed their industry and nearly bankrupted several insurance companies responsible for protecting asbestos companies against potential lawsuits.

To learn more about mesothelioma treatment, mesothelioma medical help or finding mesothelioma support groups, please visit our website at http://www.emesotreatments.com This article may be freely reprinted as long as this resource box is included and all links stay intact as hyperlinks.

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Mesothelioma Surgery

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Posted by just better on December 14, 2008 – 12:43 pm
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Mesothelioma is a rare, deadly form of cancer which can occur in a number of types. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos, a group of natural fibres which are extremely dangerous if inhaled as fibres. When fibres are inhaled they become lodged in the alveoli of the lungs and over a period of time these fibres make tissue and cells abnormal and cause mesothelioma cancer. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma cancer, accounting for approximately 75% of all mesothelioma cases.

The next most common form, peritoneal mesothelioma, accounts for 20% of all mesothelioma cases and pericardial mesothelioma accounts for the remaining 5%. Pleural mesothelioma affects the lining of the lungs, peritoneal mesothelioma attacks the peritoneum, which is the lining of the abdomen and pericardial mesothelioma affects the tissue surrounding the heart. All three of these types of cancer occur in extremely important areas of the human body and this is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to treat. Treatment methods such as radiation therapy can only be conducted with strict radiation dosage restrictions due to the possibility of damaging a vital organ such as the lungs or the heart.

Aggressive mesothelioma surgery is undertaken only by the strongest of mesothelioma patients because weaker patients are at risk of death within the first month after the operation. An experienced doctor will evaluate a patient before deciding that surgery is the best treatment method. He will take into account age, medical record, disabilities, allergies, sex, even weight. The operation will then take place. Mesothelioma surgery consists of cutting open a patient and removing the majority of cancerous cells from either the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart in an attempt to gain long term control over the cancer. Due to the proximity of the cancer to major organs of the body, the operation can only be performed by extremely skilled surgeons. There is a chance that a patient will die during the operation.

A second type of mesothelioma surgery is called palliative procedures. This is a far less dangerous and aggressive form of surgery which does not attempt to gain long term control over the cancer. Palliative procedures are designed to lessen the symptoms for a patient when it is almost certain that the patient will die inevitably from the cancer.

Mesothelioma surgery can also be coupled with radiation therapy and chemotherapy in what is known as dual therapy. Patients would undergo surgery to get rid of the majority of the cancerous mesothelioma cells and then chemotherapy and radiation therapy would be used to kill off any remaining cells. This combination of treatments has proved to be effective and has one of the highest success rates for treatments of mesothelioma cancer.

For more information on pericardial mesothelioma such as the risks, causes, symptoms and treatments go to:

http://www.pericardialmesothelioma.co.uk
http://www.pericardial-mesothelioma.co.uk
http://www.asbestos-resource.co.uk

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All Pericardial Mesothelioma Information FAQ

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Posted by just better on December 13, 2008 – 12:43 pm
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What is pericardial mesothelioma?

Pericardial mesothelioma is a serious heart condition which consists of cancerous cells building up on the lining of the heart. Similarly to pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, this is a terminal illness due to the importance of the area on which it grows.

What causes pericardial mesothelioma and who are most at risk?

The primary cause of pericardial mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos dust and fibres. Therefore those at risk are those who are most likely to have inhaled these deadly fibres such as construction workers and asbestos manufacturers. Those in contact with these people also have a chance of getting pericardial mesothelioma because these people may have asbestos fibres stuck to their clothes or hair.

What are the symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma?

The symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma change from patient to patient. Usual symptoms include persistent coughing, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain and palpitations. Other symptoms patients may experience are nausea, weight loss, vomiting and loss of appetite.

What are the treatments available for pericardial mesothelioma?

There are various different treatments for pericardial mesothelioma although none of these have a high success rate. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, dual therapy and surgery are the treatment methods available. Chemotherapy includes using drugs to kill off cancerous cells and radiation therapy uses doses of radiation to kill cancer cells although this is difficult in the case of pericardial mesothelioma due to the surrounding vital organs such as the heart and lungs. Dual therapy is a treatment combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy. Surgery comes in two forms; aggressive surgery and palliative procedures. Aggressive surgery is a very difficult procedure and consists of removing large chunks of cancerous cells in an attempt to gain long term control over the cancer. Palliative procedures just attempts to lessen the symptoms for the patient.

How much exposure to asbestos is needed for there to be a possibility of getting pericardial mesothelioma?

This depends on how strong and resistant the person is to disease and on the concentration of asbestos in the environment around him. It is possible to get pericardial mesothelioma from as little as a couple of months of exposure to asbestos although on average it would take a couple of years for enough asbestos fibres to build up to cause cancer.

What is the prognosis for pericardial mesothelioma?

This is highly dependent on how early and how aggressively the cancer is treated. If pericardial mesothelioma is treated when it has fully developed and matured then the chances of a patients survival is very small. The prognosis could be only a couple of months.

Is there any promising research into cures for pericardial mesothelioma?

Research into cures of pericardial mesothelioma and all other forms of mesothelioma is being done in numerous research labs all over the USA. Many pharmaceutical companies are also working hard to research new drugs for chemotherapy. So far, research has been mostly unsuccessful.

For more information on pericardial mesothelioma such as the risks, causes, symptoms and treatments go to:

http://www.pericardialmesothelioma.co.uk

http://www.pericardial-mesothelioma.co.uk

http://www.asbestos-resource.co.uk

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