Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Cancer

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a very dangerous type of cancer which develops in the pleura region. This pleura region is responsible for the movement of lungs during the breathing process, and are responsible for producing the pleural fluids which help the lungs to move more flexible.

What is the cause of malignant pleural mesothelioma? This is the most important question when we talk about mesothelioma, the top reason is Asbestos. This word refers to a kind of material that was used in the manufacturing field in the past, especially the construction companies used these materials for a long time in the past. Now, the manufacturing companies don't use these dangerous materials any more.

How does it develop? After inhalation of asbestos, asbestos can reach to lungs and settle on the pleura and make abnormal activities in the pleural cavity, through the incoming years, tumors begin to develop on the pleura.

The fluid effusion will be observed due to the excess of the normal fluids, this leads to a shortness of breath and makes some chest pain. The main problem for the doctors too is the delay of symptoms to appear - the symptoms may take from 30 to 50 years to appear. Another problem to diagnosing mesothelioma, when the symptoms appear, they are very similar to the symptoms of other common and less dangerous diseases.

The treatment options of pleural mesothelioma can be one of the following methods, or doctors may make a combination for all methods. The first option is the surgery, the second option is the chemotherapy and the third option is the radiation therapy.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

When people talk of pleural mesothelioma they are really talking about malignant pleural mesothelioma and this is because most of the cases are malignant. Malignancy describes the cells implying that they are cancerous. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a cancer caused by natural minerals known as asbestos. The specific cancer affects the mesothelium lining or cover which serves a protective role around the chest cavity and others. People who are at risk of suffering from the disease have had an exposure to asbestos at a particular time in their lives. The work situation that might have exposed somebody to asbestos include asbestos mining, construction industries, shipyards and other work situations. The asbestos is used to produce more that 3,000 products but, it has been banned in many states and restrictions put against its use.

It was so popular because of its incredible properties which make it an insulator. It is resistant to heat and fire and, fire resistant clothing would be produced from it. Its fibers when airborne can be inhaled and once they enter the human system, they are not expelled and when you stay for a long time with the fibers logged in your system, you are likely to develop malignant pleural mesothelioma. The disease has a very long latency period which could even take up to 30 years to show its manifestation. The disease comes with various symptoms which you can look out for if you suspect to have the illness. The signs include shortness of breath, chest pains, build up of fluid, swelling of the neck, lack of appetite and weight loss.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma has very severe symptoms and by the time you start experiencing the symptoms, the disease might have developed to a level that is alarming. You should therefore make a point of visiting a health professional to make sure the condition is caught early. Do not conclude that you have the disease when a proper malignant pleural mesothelioma diagnosis has not been done. There are so many other conditions that manifest themselves in this way one example being pneumonia. Go through the various vital tests so that you can know for sure the condition you have. Some of the tests that you will undergo to determine whether you have the illness are a biopsy, x rays and other scans.

When you find out that you have malignant pleural mesothelioma, you can look into the legal provision where you can get a compensation. There are many mesothelioma cases that continue to be compensated because the company they were working for did not take the time to inform them of the danger. There are also treatment options to help slow down the development of the disease. If the disease has not spread considerably, you might consider surgery. It is undertaken together with other treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to kill the cancer cells and, it can be effective. It comes with side effects which include weakness in a the patient. This is because the treatment kills even good cells of the body.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Survival Rate

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of malignant mesothelioma. Many factors may be involved in determining the survival rate for this aggressive cancer; some are better understood than others. Estimates of median survival time range from one to two years; survival depends on underlying factors such as the type and extent of spread of the mesothelioma. Only seven percent of people with this cancer survive to five years after diagnosis, but this outlook is gradually improving with some promising experimental treatments. Some people live well beyond five years from the time of diagnosis.

In general, younger age at diagnosis, absence of weight loss and limited loss of lung function are associated with chances for increased survival. Stage I mesotheliomas, which have not spread to the lymph nodes or adjacent tissues and organs, also carry the best prognosis. The type of cell the cancer is comprised of can also affect survival. The epithelioid cell type has the best prognosis, the mixed or biphasic cell type the next best prognosis, and the sarcomatoid cell type the worst prognosis. The majority of malignant pleural mesotheliomas are of the epithelioid cell type.

Because this cancer takes so long to manifest, people are usually diagnosed at an older age and with more advanced disease, potentially worsening the prognosis and the treatment options available. The more aggressive the treatment, the better the outcome may be, but in cases with cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, chemotherapy may be the only alternative. New drugs, such as the combination of Alimta with Platinol, have been shown to improve survival in malignant mesothelioma patients whose only option is chemotherapy. A number of experimental treatments, such as immunotherapy and biotherapy, are currently being evaluated in clinical trials.

Pleural Mesothelioma Cancer Involves The Lining Of The Lung

What is Pleural Mesothelioma?
Pleural Mesothelioma or malignant pleural mesothelioma is cancer in the layer of the lungs that can spread to the lungs. The spread of the tumor over the pleura results in pleural thickening. This hinders the reflexivity of the pleura and encases the lungs in an increasing restrictive belt. With the lungs thus restricted, they get constricted in no time and a person is always out of breath.

Pleural mesothelioma can be:
* Diffuse and malignant (carcinogenic)
* Localized and benign (non-cancerous)

Benign pleural mesothelioma can be removed surgically, but the malignant tumors are the real terror heads.

Most common among other mesothelioma cases, Pleural Mesothelioma is caused due to exposure to blue asbestos for a longer period of time, say 20 years, in which time the disease incubates only to show its fearful countenance via certain symptoms.

The symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma
The symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma include difficulty in breathing, difficulty in sleeping, pain in the chest and abdominal regions, blood vomits, weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite, lower back pains, persistent coughing, hoarseness of voice, sensory loss and difficulty in swallowing.

Diagnosis of Pleural Mesothelioma
The first step is to go through a chest X-ray or a CT scan (computed chest tomograph), which will reveal a pleural thickening and an effusion. This is followed by a bronchoscopy. However, it should always be left to a medical practitioner for a better understanding of the respective cases. Another method is a biopsy, which can be a needle biopsy, an open biopsy, or a thoracoscopy, where a mini camera is inserted inside the body and with that a tissue sample is attained for further diagnosis.

Treatment of Pleural Mesothelioma
Treatment is directly proportional to the time of the revelation of the disease, i.e., at an early stage the tumor can be removed through surgery.

A pioneering mesothelioma treatment option is immunotherapy, e.g., intrapleural inoculation of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is a useful mesothelioma treatment in which an effort is made to intensify the immune response.

Radiation treatment and chemotherapy is probably then the answer to the malignant pleural mesothelioma, but this can aid the pain management only; there's no escaping death with Pleural Mesothelioma.

Side effects of Treatment
The side effects and penalty of mesothelioma lung cancer treatment are more than its treatment, which is damaged healthy tissues, a state of absolute fatigue ness; excessive radiation causes the skin to become red, dry and itchy.

Other side effects of radiotherapy are nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, urinary discomfort and a sudden reduction in the number of white blood corpuscles.

The average life span of a person with Pleural Mesothelioma is up to 6 months to a year and the maximum can reach up to 5 years - the magnesium-silicate mineral fibers take its toll that's more than painful.

Other factors that may accelerate the possibility of pleural mesothelioma are chronic lung infections, tuberculous pleuritis, radiation (Thorotrast), exposure to the simian virus 40 (SV40) or mineral fibers (Zeolite) and tobacco smoking to a certain extent.

Pleural Mesothelioma does not give a person the avenue for fair play. Though the existence depends much on the various stages of the disease, it is an ultimate killing menace that sucks out the life of the common man.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment Options

Its said that each year over 2000 to 3000 of malignant pleural Mesothelioma cases are reported and this number is double what was there in the previous years. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is caused due to prolonged exposure to Asbestos. Asbestos was discovered to be a health hazard back in the 1960' and is said to be the main cause of plural mesothelioma. This is a rare type of cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs the (plural membrane) or mesothelium for the scientifically inclined.

Pleural mesothelioma can be cured but it all depends on the stage of the cancer, age and overall health. When the disease is detected in the early stages it can be contained through surgery. But over the past rarely have there been any mesothelioma survival cases. The disease is said to lower the prognosis of the patient to the point that being able to live for even a year is conisdered a a miracle.

Its such a dangerous disease and hardly do many people get the chance to detect it early and control it in time. the symptoms are very similar to many other lung related diseases. There are various treatment options for mesothelioma and that includes. Surgery: surgery is a a very effective option because the doctors can remove the parts which are infected but when it comes to malignant cancers surgery is hardly a treatment but more of a control

Chemotherapy: chemo is the most common this is where the doctors get to treat the disease chemically through the use of medicine to counteract the tumor or the cancer. Radiotherapy is also a viable and a widely used treatment option, using ultraviolet rays to burn off the cancerous cells can be applied in this situation. Malignant mesothelioma is said to take 30 to 40 years to develop full and that's why its important that if you have even worked in close contact with Asbestos its important that you keep you health in check, watch out for the symptoms, visit the website to check out the symptoms exhibited by people who have contracted the disease.

Get to know the symptoms that malignant pleural mesotheliom patients exhibit and also get to know what other types of cancers can be caused due to the exposure to Asbestos.

Malignant Epithelial Mesothelioma-A simple overview

Based on cellular histology, mesothelioma cells can be divided into four different types:

a-Epitheliod
b-Biphasic
c-Desmoplastic{this is thought to be a variant of sarcomatoid}
d-Sarcomatoid Out of these four, the commonest is the epithelial mesothelioma.

It occurs in 50-70% of all cases. There are numerous subtypes of epithelial mesothelioma, including:

• Tubulopapillary
• Glandular
• Histiocytoid
• Adenoid cystic
• Microcystic
• Macrocystic
• Signet Ring
• Single File
• Diffuse - NOS
• Glomeruloid
• Small Cell
• Poorly Differentiated (large cell) or Pleomorphic
• Deciduoid
• Mucin Positive
• Gaucher Cell-Like
• In Situ
• Well-Differentiated Papillary Epithelial mesotheliomas are commonly referred to as epithelioid mesothelioma.

An epithelioid cell is a mesenchymal cell whose morphology resembles that of epithelial cells. Epithelioid mesothelioma cells are given this name because they have the appearance of epithelial cells when viewed under a microscope (the suffix "-oid" indicates resemblance or similarity). These are cells that line structures and cavities located throughout the body. Mesothelial cells are themselves a type of epithelial cell and it is these cells that become cancerous when malignant mesothelioma develops within the pleura, peritoneum, or pericardium. Epithelial mesothelioma cells tend to have a well-defined, uniform shape when viewed under a microscope. An important point to note is that malignant epithelioid mesothelioma cells very closely resemble cells of another type of cancer known as adenocarcinoma, which can develop in the lungs or in other vital organs. This type of cancer also originates in epithelial tissue. When adenocarcinoma develops in the lungs, it can often spread to the mesothelial lining of the lungs (the pleural membrane). For these reasons, those diagnosed with adenocarcinoma that have been exposed to asbestos in the past should seek a second expert opinion to ascertain accurate diagnosis. Prognosis and Treatment Generally, the different types of mesothelioma are treated the same way, the type of treatment is based on the location and stage of the cancer rather than the types of cells involved. However, the different types of cancer cells respond to treatments differently. In general, patients with malignant epithelioid mesothelioma have a better prognosis than patients with either sarcomatoid or biphasic types, thus treatment may not be as aggressive as in the others.

Pleural Mesotheloma- Facts you should know

Mesothelioma is the commonest primary tumor of the pleura.There are two main types;

1]the localized mesothelioma{bening and malignant types} 2]the diffuse malignant mesothelioma

Causes

There is a strong correlation between asbestos exposure and the development of mesothelioma,although a history of exposure is not always obtainable in patients who have mesothelioma.There are 2 types of asbestos fibres based on crystalline structure;a-serpentine{chrysolite}and b-amphibole.

Included within the amphibole are amosite,tremolte,crocidolite and anthophyllite.The most harmful is the crocidolite or better known as blue asbestos.

Localised Bening Mesothelioma

These characteristically arise from the inner layer of the pleura

Symptoms and signs;

-chest pain -shortness of breath -most of the times there are no symptoms{asymptomatic},these tumors are usually discovered on routine chest x-ray -hypoglycaemia {low blood sugar}is sometimes associated Treatment

Surgery is the main stay of treatment,the tumor is removed by the surgeon and reccurence is rare and when it happens transition to malignant form of tumor should be suspected.

Localised Malignant Mesothelioma

Symptoms and Signs;

-chest pain -cough -fever -shortness of breath

Treatment

Surgery is also the treatment of choice,although prognosis is very poor

Diffuse Malignant Mesothelioma

This type of mesothelioma can arise form any part of the pleura and often extend into the peritoneum as well as into the ribs and chest wall{peritoneal mesothelioma and pericardial mesothelioma}.It also spreads commonly to the liver, brain and adrenal glands.Histologically malignant mesothelioma have both fibrous{sarcomatous mesothelioma}and epithelial{papillary}components.

Investigations

-CT scan of the chest is extremely useful in diagnosing the extent of the tumor. -Needle biopsy{the surgeon inserts a special needle into the pleura to take samples of the tumor which is taken to the laboratory to see under the microscope}of the pleura is a must. -Pleural fluid is aspirated and taken to the lab for microsopic examination.

Staging of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

-Stage 1:Involvement of ipsilateral pleura and lungs{affecting just one lung either left or right lung} -Stage 2-Invlovement of chest wall,mediastinum{structure at the middle of the heart},pericardium or contralateral{opposite side}pleura -Stage 3-Distant blood spread into other organs eg brain,adrenals

Treatment Treatment is discouragingly ineffective and survival rarely longer than 2 years with an average of 10-14 months.In selected cases with stage 1 a radical sugery-pleuropneumonectomy{removal of lung and pleura} may be effective,but long term survival is rare.Primary radiation therapy may be used also. Combination chemotherapy using either single agent or combination protocols have also been used but the outcome remains dismal.