Peritoneal Mesothelioma Treatment – Clinical Trials
- January 13th, 2010
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Asbestos is a natural mineral that was once used in the construction and home improvement industries. It was put on ceilings when it was mixed with aertex, it was used to make surfaces semi flame resistant and it was also mixed with cement as it is very strong. At one point asbestos was seen as a revolution for these industries as it was just so versatile – it was also deadly. No one realised at the time that every time they were exposed to asbestos that they were taking their life in their hands and putting themselves in grave danger. Asbestos is now banned but its legacy lives on in the thousands of people who are feeling the after effects of being exposed to it over the years.
Exposure to asbestos is directly related to certain types of cancer, including peritoneal mesothelioma which is cancer of the membranes in the abdominal cavity. Peritoneal mesothelioma is the second rarest form of mesothelioma and each year it is responsible for around 20% of the cases of diagnosed mesothelioma. As exposure to asbestos is the only known cause of peritoneal mesothelioma there are two main ways that doctors believe that it can actually reach the abdominal wall. One way is through the digestion of asbestos fibres which is actually easy than most might think. Once in the digestive system the asbestos fibres get stuck in the peritoneum and over time this can result in peritoneal mesothelioma. The second way that asbestos gets to the abdomen is through the lymph nodes and lungs when asbestos is inhaled. In some cases pleural mesothelioma will result in peritoneal mesothelioma ad the asbestos moves through the lungs and into the abdominal cavity if left untreated and undiagnosed for some months.
Suspicion of peritoneal mesothelioma is usually made when a patient exhibits signs such as pain in the abdomen, chest or stomach and many suspect hernias are actually created by a tumour caused by peritoneal mesothelioma. Often a misdiagnosis that does not include peritoneal mesothelioma can be made and this can have severe repercussions on the life expectancy of a patient. It is usual for someone who is thought to have peritoneal mesothelioma to have to undergo many tests to get a correct diagnosis and these tests are imaging scans and tissue biopsies.
Patients who are found to have peritoneal mesothelioma do not have a good prognosis. However if a diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma is made early enough they could have surgery to remove the disease and some cases it can extend a patient’s life span for a few more years. If surgery is not an option then chemotherapy or radiotherapy can help although there is no guarantee that this will make much of a difference. It is essential that a person with peritoneal mesothelioma gets the right kind of treatment for any pain that they experience so that they are as comfortable as they can be. Peritoneal mesothelioma, like the other forms of mesothelioma is highly unpleasant and hard to live with.
Watch the video related to Peritoneal Mesothelioma
www.curemeso.org View this mesothelioma resource as presented at the International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma 2008, hosted by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. Presentation by Dr. James F. Pingpank, Head of the Surgical Metabolism Section of the Surgery Branch of the NCI, in Bethesda Maryland. For more symposium videos and personalized information about mesothelioma, please visit www.curemeso.org.
Help answer the question about Peritoneal Mesothelioma
What is malignant peritoneal mesothelioma?About Author
Looking for information about Mesothelioma? Our website provides many useful information including
mesothelioma symptoms, mesothelioma treatments and mesothelioma stages. The site also provided details information about different type of mesothelioma: Malignant Mesothelioma, Pleural Mesothelioma, Pericardial mesothelioma and Peritoneal mesothelioma
Peritoneal Mesotheliomas are not plaques as they are in the lungs, but are tumour like nodules within the peritoneal space (a part of the stomach) They can vary in size, and also in colour such as – white, red, yellow-tan, pink, or grey.
Kind regards,
Ann.
More info on my mesothelioma website . .
Mesothelioma is always malignant it is cancer of the mesothelium. In this case it started in the mesothelium of the abdomen. Mesothelioma is mesothelioma whether it starts in the pleura of the lungs, the abdomen, testis, etc. it is all the same.
Peritoneal mesothelioma is a relatively uncommon form of mesothelioma cancer that accounts for less than a quarter of all mesothelioma cases. It is called Peritoneal because it appears as a tumor in the pertioneum membrane of the abdomen. Exposure to asbestos is the only known cause of this disease and usually symptoms do not occur until 20 to 40 years afterward. Unfortunately, due to a lack of effective treatments, malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is often fatal and patients who are afflicted by it will live on average less than a year from the time of their diagnosis.
When peritoneal mesothelioma does becomes active victims will typically experience abdominal pains, a loss of appetite, nausea, and swelling of the abdomen. Obstruction of the bowels or hindered breathing due to tumor growth are also possible symptoms.
Generally peritoneal mesothelioma is first detected by X-rays or CT scans conducted after a patient has complained of abdominal symptoms. After an abnormality is detected doctors will perform an analysis of the peritoneum. This procedure is known as peritoneoscopy. If an abnormality is verified, the doctor will perform a 'biopsy' or in laymen terms obtain a tissue sample for examination by a pathologist. The pathologist will than look at the tissue under a telescope and determine if mesothelioma is present.
Once mesothelioma is diagnosed, there are two general types of treatments; systemic and localized. Localized treatments are an attempt to eliminate the cancer by either surgery or radiotherapy and treat only the immediate area of the cancer. Systemic treatments, on the other hand, are designed to combat the cancer through out the whole body, and may be used either in earlier stages or late stages of the disease.
I found this site, hope it helps
http://www.mesotheliomainternational.org