Symptoms of Mesothelioma - Health - Cancer

Mesothelioma typically has a long latency period. In other words, many years may pass between asbestos exposure and the development of mesothelioma. In fact,mesothelioma patients typically do not manifest symptoms until several decades after the initial exposure to asbestos. Because mesothelioma symptoms mimic those of less serious diseases, many patients who develop asbestos cancer are unaware of their potentially life-threatening disease.

People with a history of asbestos exposure should schedule an appointment with their physicians to screen for asbestos-related cancers. Because mesothelioma does not present early symptoms, individuals who were in contact with asbestos should inform their doctor of their exposure. Patients who have a history of asbestos exposure but are not exhibiting symptoms should receive lung function tests and chest x-rays to screen for any signs of asbestos-related diseases.

Pleural mesothelioma, the most common form of the disease, develops in the lining of the lungs. Common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include the following: painful breathing; persistent dry or raspy cough; night sweats/fever; trouble swallowing; cough that produces blood; shortness of breath; unexplained weight loss; and chest or rib pain. Fatigue and lumps under the skin of the chest have also been reported in patients with pleural mesothelioma. Many pleural mesothelioma symptoms occur as a result of pleural thickening, which is caused by fluid buildup between membrane layers. Pleural thickening and fluid buildup can put pressure on the lungs, resulting in breathing difficulties.

The least common form of mesothelioma, pericardial mesothelioma develops in the sac surrounding the heart. Symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma include chest pain, heart palpitations, trouble breathing, fever and night sweats and fatigue. These symptoms are caused by the thickening of the pericardial membrane and fluid build up. Pericardial mesothelioma is a rare disease. Therefore, its list of symptoms is not as comprehensive as other forms of mesothelioma. Pericardial mesothelioma is often difficult to diagnose and typically carries a poor prognosis.

Making up 30% of all mesothelioma cases, peritoneal mesothelioma develops in the abdomen. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma can include lumps under the skin of the abdomen, swelling or pain in the abdomen, unexplained weight loss, nausea and vomiting and fatigue. Peritoneal mesothelioma can also cause a change in bowel habits, night sweats, fever and anemia. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma develop due to the thickening of the peritoneal membrane and fluid buildup between the membrane layers. This can put pressure on the abdomen and its organs, causing the patient to experience peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms.

Those experiencing symptoms of mesothelioma should see their doctors immediately. Although mesothelioma shares symptoms with a number of less serious illnesses, it's important to receive a firm diagnosis as soon as possible. Although the outlook for mesothelioma is poor, patients who receive early diagnoses typically have better prognoses.

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What is Symptoms of Mesothelioma - Health - Diseases and Conditions

What is Symptoms of Mesothelioma. About 15% of Mesothelioma cases are found in the early stages, before the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or elsewhere. The 5 year survival rate for people with Mesothelioma is 50% if there is no evidence of cancer in lymph nodes at the time of surgery. Unfortunately, in most cases, the spread of cancer has already occurred even if not detected by current medical tests.

When all Mesothelioma stages are considered together, the 5 year survival rate is only about 14%. Many early Mesothelioma are diagnosed incidentally - they are found as a result of tests that are done for an unrelated medical condition. Although Mesothelioma does not cause any symptoms until it has spread too far to be cured, symptoms do occur in some patients with early Mesothelioma .

Prompt attention to symptoms, leading to early diagnosis and treatment can result in a cure for some patients. For others, prompt attention to symptoms can improve the likelihood that treatment can extend their life and relieve many of their symptoms.

Common signs and symptoms of Mesothelioma include:A cough that does not go awayChest pain, often aggravated by deep breathingHoarsenessWeight loss and loss of appetiteBloody or rust-colored sputum (spit or phlegm)Shortness of breathFever without a known reasonRecurring infections such as bronchitis and pneumoniaNew onset of wheezingWhen Mesothelioma spreads to distant organs, it may cause:Bone painNeurologic changes (such as weakness or numbness of a limb, dizziness)Jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes)Masses near the surface of the body, due to cancer spreading to the skin or to lymph nodes (collection of immune system cells) in the neck or above the collarbone.A. Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms

Some of the symptoms of pleural mesothelioma (mesothelioma cancer of the lung lining) include:pain in the lower back or the side of the chestshortness of breatha persistent coughdifficulty swallowing foodfever and sweatingfatigueweight loss.These symptoms are also common to many minor ailments and, therefore, may not cause a doctor to suspect mesothelioma.

Pleural Effusion-fluid in the LungsOne of the most common and specific symptoms of pleural mesothelioma is the accumulation of fluid between the lungs and chest cavity. This generally causes shortness of breath, and requires a doctor to drain the fluid, called fine-needle aspiration, to make breathing easier and relieve chest pain. This symptom is more unique to mesothelioma, making it more likely that you may have the disease.

B. Peritoneal Mesothelioma Symptoms

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma (abdominal mesothelioma - mesothelioma of the lining of the stomach) include:

stomach painnausea and vomitingweight loss.

Like pleural mesothelioma, these symptoms are also common to many minor ailments and, therefore, may not cause a doctor to suspect mesothelioma.

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Mesothelioma Patient is Cancer-Free More Than a Decade After Diagnosis - Health - Cancer

A British man has survived for more than 12 years after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer that is typically fatal within a year. Researchers say this rare case of spontaneous regression could be evidence of the immune system's role in fighting cancer, and that focusing on immune-based therapies might offer new options for treating mesothelioma.

According to a report in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, the patient first arrived at London's Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital in 1994 complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath. He had a history of occupational exposure to asbestos--one of the most significant risk factors for mesothelioma. Biopsies indicated that the patient did have mesothelioma, but he opted not to be treated.

Five years later the patient returned to the hospital with a mass in his chest wall. A biopsy confirmed the mesothelioma diagnosis. Doctors performed surgery to remove the cancer. Surgery is usually not successful at removing all traces of mesothelioma, because the tumor forms a sheet shape, rather than a lump like other cancers, says study author John Pilling, FRCS, Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at Guy's Hospital in London. However, in this case, a biopsy performed during one of the surgeries to remove the tumor showed no traces of cancer remaining.

Doctors followed-up for seven years, and 12 years after the patient's symptoms first appeared, imaging studies showed that he was still cancer-free. He received no further treatment for his mesothelioma after his initial surgery.

It is exceptionally rare for mesothelioma to regress as it did in this patient; however, it has happened before. In 2007, for example, Australian researchers reported on the case of a 61-year-old woman who remained cancer-free two years after her diagnosis.

Researchers have been trying to determine what factors might contribute to prolonged survival in these isolated cases. One possibility is that the immune system could be stimulated to fight off the cancer. "We know that the immune system (natural killer cells) regularly kills off small cancers in all of us, so [it may be] the same way for slightly bigger tumors," according to Dr. Pilling. As possible evidence of this effect, researchers have seen how immune system cells called lymphocytes are able to infiltrate one form of mesothelioma, which has a slightly better survival rate.

Dr. Pilling says he and his colleagues have not followed-up with the mesothelioma patient since this report was published in 2007. However, he says this patient's case has given them additional insight into the importance of the immune system in fighting cancer. "Current chemotherapy has a deleterious effect on the immune system," he says. "Maybe a vaccine or immune modulation is the way ahead."

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Mesothelioma New Treatments and Therapies for Cancer Patients Future Cancer Care Choices for Mesothelioma Patients - Health - Skin Care

Mesothelioma and asbestosis treatment has been undergoing renewed interest with projections of an increasing number of patients diagnosed with these asbestos created diseases. Medical researchers are looking beyond traditional treatment to gene therapy, phototherapy and immunotherapy.

Mesothelioma prognosis looks dark under the probes of statistics. Under the microscope of clinical trials, however, the prognosis for a longer and more enjoyable life while living with Mesothelioma looks significantly brighter. Medical research on asbestos causing diseases and scientific evaluations of combination drugs and therapies continue to bring hope and promise to the cancer patients that wonder what their future holds. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy now have to make room in the science lab for therapies developed from gene research, principals of the immune system, and the lights from the lasers of phototherapy. Even the mice had to move over in March of 2008 for the mesothelioma mice that are being praised by scientists as a key to finding a cure for mesothelioma.

Medical research on tumor filled mice can produce significantly faster results than clinical trials with participating human patients and studies on mice are often a first step to developing a clinical trial. Finding isolated genes in mice that are unique to the disease enables cancer researchers to test gene therapies that could potentially eliminate the need for drugs by replacing bad genes with good genes, or simply by eliminating the trouble-causing gene. A cancerous cell is basically a body part with the wrong ingredients. An incorrect gene is a wrong ingredient that causes many cancerous cells. Putting in the right ingredients, the correct genes, can potentially create the right body part (a good cell).

Good genes are not the only way to fight cancer cells though and gene therapy is extremely new. A healthy body naturally fights sickness with low levels of BMR biological response modifiers. Immunotherapy multiplies the BMR level to raise the fighting abilities in the body. The goal is to raise the level high enough to knock out the cancer cells. Unfortunately, immunotherapy often comes with side effects that come with sickness, such as flu-like symptoms - but the side-effects are based on dosage amount and of course the unique composition of the patient, and they do go away when treatment is stopped. Side effects are also reported with phototherapy, primarily sun and skin sensitivities, however new, experimental photodynamic therapies used in combination with surgery surfaced three mesothelioma patients who had no recurrent tumors almost a year later.

Anti-angiogenic therapy is a new biological cancer therapy that focuses on the blood vessels. The cancer cells from asbestos diseases need blood to grow. Research has shown that patients with mesothelioma have higher levels of a natural bodily chemical VEGF a chemical that controls blood vessels. Anti-angiogenic therapy focuses on blocking the VEGF that supports the blood vessels that encourage the cancers growth. Bevacizumab is a cancer drug used for this purpose, and clinical studies combining Bevacizumab, Gemcitabine and Cisplatin are currently being evaluated.

Mesothelioma and asbestosis treatments are available that go beyond simple radiation and chemotherapy. New drug combinations and cancer therapies are available to cancer patients through clinical trials. Clinical trials are also available to patients suffering from asbestosis and other diseases. For now, these new therapies are experimental - but because of these experiments, new traditional treatments for cancer can be seen over the horizon.

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Chemotherapy Effectiveness Studied for Mesothelioma Patients - Health

Although mesothelioma cancer has no current cure, many medical professional believe that chemotherapy can be a successful treatment of symptom control of the condition, however, this continues to be debated, according to a study from The Lancet, a British Journal.

Researchers studied 409 patients all of which were suffering from malignant pleural mesothelioma in different parts of the world. The patients were randomly assigned an active symptom control treatment or a treatment that included an active control treatment with one of two chemotherapy medications. According to the study, "the active symptom control treatments included steroids, bronchodilators, analgesic medications and palliative radiotherapy."

Following the study, the patients with both treatment options were compared and, according to researchers, "the addition of chemotherapy to active symptom control presented no significant benefit or advances in survival rates or quality of life" among mesothelioma victims.

Diagnosing and Understanding Chemotherapy, Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a disease in which malignant cancer cells develop in a thin layer of tissue that lines the chest cavity covering the lungs, which is also known as the pleura, or the peritoneum, which is the tissue lining the abdomen and most of the organs, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

The American Cancer Society (ACS) describes chemotherapy as a treatment for cancer; it is often given to a patient when cancerous cells spread rapidly to healthy cells.

Doctors must adequately evaluate a patients age, health and stage of cancer prior to administering chemotherapy. For mesothelioma patients, chemotherapy is not a curative method of treatment, but is actually administered to mesothelioma patients for several reasons including the following:

* stop growth and spreading of a cancer, to control the cancer

* minimize or shrink tumors - this method is also known as neoadjuvant chemotherapy

* palliative chemotherapy in which pain and other symptoms are meant to be reduced

* the destruction of microscopic disease that remains after a surgical procedure, also known as adjuvant chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is administered either as a catheter placed into a large vein in the body or a catheter attached as a port that is placed into the chest area under the skin for a period of time.

Living With Mesothelioma

Unfortunately, victims of mesothelioma continue to receive setbacks for their life-threatening condition, as there are currently no successful treatments for the deadly cancer.

However, an individual has the opportunity to participate in an array of clinical trial treatment groups as well as the opportunity to develop a mesothelioma lawsuit to derive monetary compensation as a means of repayment for the condition, which is often associated with extremely expensive medical bills.

Speaking with a qualified medical attorney who can offer a free legal consultation as to the creation of mesothelioma litigation can offer a mesothelioma victim peace of mind and insight into overcoming the financial burden of their condition.

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mesothelioma patient - Health - Cancer

A mesothelioma patient is any patient who is suffering from the rare form of cancer known as mesothelioma. This disease is usually caused by either direct or indirect exposure to asbestos and is sometimes known as asbestos disease or asbestos poisoning.

Smoking is not a direct cause of mesothelioma but a combination of smoking and asbestos exposure can increase the likelihood of mesothelioma in the lung area.

Symptoms of mesothelioma can include breathing difficulties and coughing, chest pain and other symptoms such as fever, weight loss and pain in abdomen, neck or head. The symptoms might occur several decades after the exposure to asbestos, and the amount of exposure is not clearly correlated with the likelihood of getting the disease.

Diagnosis of Mesothelioma is difficult because all the symptoms can be caused by other less serious diseases and can be supported by chest X-ray and/or CT scan or MRI and biopsy.

Patients don't usually recover from the disease. Median survival times are usually about nine months from presentation with the five-year survival rate being around ten percent, although occasionally people do survive for more than twenty years after contracting it.

Most patients die within one and a half years of finding out that they have this disease not because the disease is so rapidly progressing but because diagnosis of this particular disease is often only definite during the late stages of the disease.

There are many forms of support for patients, including large amounts of relevant information on the internet, and discussion groups etc. as well as specialist medical centers and other forms of support.

Treatment can be expensive, sometimes totaling close to a million dollars, which is one reason most patients take legal action against the employer who exposed them to asbestos. Treatment can include combinations radiation and chemo treatment and surgery but radiation therapy alone has proved ineffective.

Legal actions concerning mesothelioma began around 1930 then increased in 1960 when firm data on the link between asbestos and mesothelioma was proven. More than 500,000 asbestos claims have been filed so far. The amounts received from mesothelioma claims can be considerable and there are specialist asbestos lawyers and attorneys working to help each mesothelioma patient claim as much as possible.

For additional relevant information see our Blog Post Mesothelioma Treatment Options.

For more relevant information see our Blog Mesothelioma Reports

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Mesothelioma Patients Need Fast Help Resources - Health - Mental Health

Growing number of mesothelioma help groups suggest the gravity of the cancer. No doubt it is a good move to create awareness among masses about growing incidence of mesothelioma and its terrible consequences. One must comprehend the facts that mesothelioma is the cancer that requires urgent attention by hundreds of employers those do not care about the safety of their employees while they work in asbestos related industries.

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