Mesothelioma: Facts, Symptoms and Treatment

What is Mesothelioma? What are the symptoms and how do you cure it? Here are some facts and useful information about Mesothelioma as gathered from various sources in the internet. I hope that this will help you become more enlightened about this illness, specially if you are a Mesothelioma patient.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart).

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking. Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma.

The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. The diagnosis can be made with chest X-rays and a CT scan, and confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space (called pleurodesis), which prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesotheliomais ongoing.

Treatment for mesothelioma depends on the location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient's age and general health. Standard treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, or a combination of these treatments. At Mayo Clinic experimental treatments are also available for patients who meet the requirements.
Surgery

Surgery is used to remove the cancer. Depending on how far the cancer has spread, the surgery may involve the removal of part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some surrounding tissue. For cancer of the pleura (pleural mesothelioma), a lung may be removed, and in some cases the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing (diaphragm), is also removed.
Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, uses high-dose X-rays or other high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells. Radiation therapy affects cancer cells only in the treated area. The radiation may come from a machine or from radioactive materials placed directly in the area of the cancer (brachytherapy).
Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to fight the cancer. Most drugs used to treat mesothelioma are intravenous (given by injection into a vein). Some doctors are also employing intracavitary chemotherapy — putting chemotherapy directly into the chest or abdomen.
Thoracentesis

Thoracentesis is a supportive treatment used to relieve symptoms and control pain. It involves placing a needle or a thin tube to drain fluid that has built up in the chest. The procedure for removing excess fluid in the abdomen is called paracentesis.

Source: Wikipedia and Mayo Clinic