Mesothelioma-FAQ

Mesothelioma
is an uncommon cancer that affects primarily the mesothelium which is a protective sac covering most of the body's internal organs. Exposure to asbestos particles at the place of work has been strongly linked to the development of mesothelioma in most of the victims.

Some of the most frequently asked questions on mesothelioma are:

1- Is there any ongoing research to discover new treatments for mesothelioma?

Yes, there are new treatments that are being studied. The National Cancer Institute {NCI} is sponsoring clinical trials {research with people} which are designed to find new modes of treatment and also to discover better ways of using currently used treatments.

Most of these treatments are still undergoing clinical trials by doctors to find out whether the treatments are safe for patients and whether they are effective against the disease before they can be recommended for general use.

Mesothelioma victims can offer themselves for participation in these clinical trials as a treatment option. Information about clinical trials is available from the Cancer Information Service{CIS} at 1-800-4-Cancer.

2- How can Mesothelioma be treated?

The treatment of mesothelioma depends on, the location of the cancer,stage of the disease, and patients age and general health.

Treatment options include

a} Chemotherapy,
b} Radiotherapy,
c} Surgery.

These forms of treatment are sometimes combined.

- Chemotherapy: This involves the use of anticancer drugs to selectively destroy and kill the cancer cells in the body. Most of the anticancer drugs are administered intravenously. Ongoing research into possibility of direct administration of anticancer drugs into the chest or abdomen is currently being studied.

- Radiotherapy: This involves the use of high energy rays {radiation} to kill the cancer cells and debulk {shrink} tumors. The radiation is directed only at the affected area of the body to kill the cancer cells.

Radiation can be from an external machine placed outside the body {external radiation},or it could be form an internal source where the material releasing the radiation is placed inside the area of the body affected by cancer cells. It is placed with the use of thin plastic tubes.

- Surgery: This is a very common mode of treatment in treating mesothelioma. The surgeon may remove part of the lining of the chest and abdomen and some of the surrounding tissue. Sometimes an operation called pneumonectomy is done during which a whole lung is removed. Other forms of surgery involves the removal of part of the diaphragm, this is the muscular sheet separating the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity.

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Mesothelioma Stomach Symptoms

Stomach or abdominal symptoms are often experienced by patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. This type of mesothelioma is a cancer of the peritoneal cells that line the abdomen. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are insidious and often tend to be confused for symptoms of more common, and often more benign, abdominal conditions. Peritoneal mesothelioma therefore may go undiagnosed until it is fairly advanced and resistant to treatment.

Common abdominal symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. An abdominal lump or swelling may be present. Such a lump or swelling may obstruct the bowel, causing constipation. Fluid may collect in the abdominal cavity, causing distension and bloating. This collection of fluid in the abdominal cavity is called ascites, and is also seen in people with liver disease. The fluid is often drained to relieve symptoms of bloating and distension; excessive fluid collection may hamper normal breathing. The collection of fluid in the abdomen, and the pressure of a cancerous growth, may impede the return of blood flow from the legs, leading to swollen feet. Such swelling of the extremities is also seen in kidney disease and pregnancy.

Some recent studies have shown a transient reduction in tumor mass and fluid collection following the introduction of certain substances into the abdominal cavity; however, these effects have been shown on a small number of patients and are being researched further.

Abdominal pain in peritoneal mesothelioma may be caused by the pressure on organs and nerves exerted by a growing tumor, by distension of the bowel, or by infiltration of adjacent tissues and organs by cancerous cells. Narcotic pain-relieving drugs or radiotherapy may be used to relieve severe pain. Abdominal symptoms and the systemic effects of cancer can cause severe weight loss in people with peritoneal mesothelioma. Fever and fatigue are also common.

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Asbestos Mesothelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma is one of the most uncommon forms of cancer. It generally affects the lungs, heart or abdominal organs. The most common form of this disease is pleural mesothelioma. The pleuron is a slight membrane between the chest cavity and the lungs. The lubrication it gives does not allow the lungs to get grazed when they come in contact with the chest wall. Pleural mesothelioma is also known as ""lung"" cancer. Peritoneal mesothelioma is another form of mesothelioma. The membrane that envelops the abdomen’s organs is known as the peritoneum. While it is less common than pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma is more invasive and consequently more fatal for the patient.

Mesotheliomas are either easily curable or malignant. The most widespread form of mesothelioma is the “diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma”. This tumor is invasive and destructive. It characteristically spreads quickly to the lungs’ surface, heart or abdominal organs. Life expectancy for patients afflicted by this cancer usually ranges between four months to two years. Of course, that depends a lot on myriad factors, like the stage of the disease’s detection, the patient’s health etc. With appropriate care, some patients have survived for a number of years.

Early diagnosis and surgery may elongate life expectancy. Surgery may not be a feasible option, however, for older or weaker patients. Radiation treatment and chemotherapy can help in the overall program. Home care and pain management are other alternatives during the later stages of the malignancy.

Automobile mechanics, painters, plasterers, pipe fitters, plumbers, shipyard workers and welders, to name a few, are in regular contact with asbestos and thus in greater danger of getting the disease than individuals of other professions.

Generally, it is believed that sustained exposure to asbestos is more liable to give one mesothelioma. However, some individuals with short but severe exposures have developed this malignancy. Also, a person can get this disease indirectly. Women, while washing the clothes of men (son, husband) who work with asbestos, can develop the cancer.

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Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer, continues to remain a challenge for the medical fraternity. This form of cancer is primarily caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma can be either malignant or non-malignant in nature. Perhaps the most important concern in mesothelioma is the inability to diagnose it at an early stage, as most people exposed to asbestos usually remain unaware of it. Since almost all cases of mesothelioma can be attributed to exposure to asbestos, it is also known as ‘asbestos cancer.’

Mesothelioma results when the mesothelium cells become abnormal and divide uncontrollably. If not detected at an early stage, the cancer may spread to other body parts. Malignant mesothelioma continues to remain the most critical of all, and curing the disease at this final stage is extremely challenging. Physicians use several techniques to determine mesothelioma, particularly advanced imaging techniques. To determine the stage of mesothelioma doctors use several tested techniques such as the Butchart system, the TNM system, or the latest Brigham System. A definitive diagnosis, however, is still being practiced through techniques of fluid diagnosis and tissue biopsy.

General physicians are not able to treat the disease because of their lack of any special training for the disease. At best, the general physician can suspect mesothelioma and refer the patient to a special group of doctors who are specifically trained in several areas of mesothelioma. Once in the care of the specialist, the patient is taken care of by the pulmonologist, the thoracic surgeon, the medical oncologist, the radiation oncologist, and pathologists and the respiratory therapist, in sync with the agreed line of treatment.

The arduous process of mesothelioma diagnosis is a difficult experience for patients and their near and dear ones. The long-drawn tests, endless consultations and frequent visits to hospitals add to the woes of the sufferer. There are several missions and charitable organizations that understand the plight of the mesothelioma patients and their family members, and offer their services in the form of psychological counseling and other services that seek to mitigate the pains to a large extent.

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Treating Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a cancer specifically caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Although breathing in fibrous asbestos can also cause lung cancer, mesothelioma is different from lung cancer in that it affects the lining of the lungs rather than the lung as a whole. Mesothelioma is a disease that causes about 2,000-3,000 new cases of cancer each year. This article will provide a brief overview of mesothelioma before discussing some treatment options.

Asbestos itself is not cancerous. People suffer from lung damage and cancer from asbestos when the material breaks apart, sending microscopic fibrous particles in the air. Therefore, it is possible to live in home structured with asbestos without ever breathing in the toxic substance. It is more commonly seen in people who worked directly with asbestos, such as mining and construction, because those two activities promoted the breakage and spread of asbestos fibers into the air.

As people unknowingly breath in the asbestos fibers, the pieces lodge themselves in the lungs-sometimes being completely stuck in the lungs and irretrievable. Because of this, the five year survival rate of this terrible disease hovers at about 10%.

There are two types of mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma begins in the outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity; it is the more common type of mesothelioma at about 70% of mesothelioma sufferers having the pleural version. The less common type of lung lining cancer is peritoneal mesothelioma, which begins in the lining of the abdomen.

There are a variety of treatment options available for mesothelioma based on the stage it is when detected, the age of the patient, the location of the disease, how far it is spread, etc. The three most prolific types of treatment include regular cancer treatment: surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. It is typical to combine at least two of these methods in battling mesothelioma.

As doctors understand this type of cancer more and more, several new types of treatment have been developed. This includes anti-angiogenesis drugs. Unlike chemotherapy, anti-angiogenesis drugs specifically target the cancerous tumors, rather than killing both cancerous and noncancerous cells. Another option is immunotherapy, which enhances the body's own immune system to better fight the disease.

Photodynamic therapy and gene therapy are two other ways being utilized to treat mesothelioma. There are also a number of unconventional and alternative medicines that can be effective in curing mesothelioma. However, as mentioned before, treatment for this cancer has not proven to be hugely successful, mostly because it is difficult to detect the cancer until it is too late.

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Mesothelioma Terminology

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is often associated with exposure to asbestos fibers in the air. The mere name Mesothelioma should be an indication that there are many phrases in this area that go beyond basic English. In this article, we will shed some light on these terms.

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare, but vicious form of cancer. It is found in the lining that runs through the chest and abdomen area of the body. This lining creates a lubricated surface between organs such as the heart and lungs. Mesothelioma is a cancerous growth within the lining.

Biomarker

Blood tests are often used as a diagnostic tool when evaluating whether a patient has cancer. If certain substances appear, called biomarkers, then the presence of cancer can be inferred. Any doctor giving you a blood test looking for biomarkers of Mesothelioma should be severely questioned. Unlike other cancers, Mesothelioma has no biomarkers.

Thoracoscopy

This term is a mouthful, but refers to a very important diagnostic test when Mesothelioma is being considered. The test involves the insertion of a thin lighted tube, the Thoracoscopy, into the chest area. The physician can then move the tube around to look at the condition of the organs and the lining in the chest and abdomen area. This is often how tumors and abnormal growths are identified.

Latency

Mesothelioma is often caused by exposure to asbestos. The problem with the cancer is it has a long latency period. Latency simply refers to the time it takes from the asbestos exposure to the development of cancer. With Mesothelioma, the latency period can be 40 years or more.

Extrapleural Pneumonectomy

This phrase refers to a very aggressive surgical procedure undertaken when patients are well along with Mesothelioma. The surgery involves the removal of cancerous areas including, but not limited to, an entire lung, the membrane covering the heart, parts of the diaphragm and even part of the lining of the chest.

Obviously, the above represents a small sampling of the terminology you will run into in the field of Mesothelioma. Should you or someone close to you be diagnosed with this cancer, take the time to learn the terminology in the field. It will make your treatment decisions clearer.

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