Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer, which affects the protective lining of the cavities of lungs, heart, abdomen etc, called mesothelium. There is a common tendency to get confused between mesothelioma and lung cancer. But the former infects the lining whereas the latter affects the lung itself. Mesothelioma patients are those unfortunate people who have inhaled in asbestos particles for long durations of time.
There are three types of malignant mesothelioma. The most common type, the pleural mesothelioma, affects the pleura, or the outer covering of lungs and internal chest wall while the peritoneal and pericardial types affect the lining protecting the abdominal cavity and heart respectively. The caner is definitely a killer, but mortality rates of these three differ slightly, with the pericardial mesothelioma being touted as the most dangerous.
Asbestos particles, when inhaled, inhabit the mesothelium and in the course of a several years, retard the normal functioning of its cells. The infection usually assumes frightening proportions only after several decades. This long latency period is the reason why many of our newly diagnosed mesothelioma patients are workers who were exposed to asbestos fibers in the 1940s to 1970s.
Pleural effusion is the main initial symptom of the disease. This is the condition in which the patient experiences shortness of breath due to excessive build up of fluid in the cavities. Incessant dry cough along with shortness of breath is a definite symptom of malignant mesothelioma attack. Other symptoms include fever, fatigue, pain around chest, night sweats, swelling of the abdomen, weight loss etc. In the case of malignant mesothelioma, doctors sometimes misdiagnose the type of cancer resulting in wrong treatment.
Mesothelioma treatment is an individualized affair where doctors consider the type and stage of cancer and the overall physical health of the patient. The most common treatment presently is the combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation as in the case of most other cancers. This approach has its inherent risks due to the fact that most patients would be at the most advanced stage of malignant mesothelioma at the time of diagnosis. Many are administered only palliative treatment due to the hopelessness of the situation. But there is a ray of hope here as some promising modern therapies are undergoing clinical trials or at the research stage.
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