Learning About Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma - Health - Cancer

The prognosis in malignant Pleural Mesothelioma is tough to evaluate consistently as there is quite a bit of variation in the time before diagnosis and the rate of malignant Pleural Mesothelioma progression. A number of surgical routines may be implemented in selected patients, offering long-term survival without a cure. In most Pleural Mesothelioma patients, significant factors for prognosis are age, stage, histology and performance status.

For individuals treated with aggressive surgical routines, factors linked with improved long-term survival are negative surgical margins, negative lymph nodes and epithelial histology. A record of asbestos exposure is reported in about 75% of all Mesothelioma cases.

Cellular Classification

Histologically, Mesothelioma tumors are comprised of epithelial and fibrous elements. According to a recent study, the epithelial form causes plenty of confusion with metastatic carcinomas. A needle biopsy of the pleura is not going to be effective in diagnosis. It is tough distinguishing between Mesothelioma and carcinoma on small tissue specimens. However, a thoracoscopy can be quite useful in getting the correct tissue specimens for diagnostic purposes. Gross tumor examination at the time of surgery can also be useful and the use of electron microscopy is recommended.

Stage Information

Individuals with stage I of the disease have a much better prognosis in comparison to those with stages II or III. Because malignant Pleural Mesothelioma is quite rare, there is not much information available on survival. The staging system is set on the basis of thoracic surgery and the TNM staging system.

It is advisable that you go for a standard treatment rather than aggressive ones. There are a number of side effects associated with aggressive treatment routine. An extra-pleural pneumonectomy in some of the patients may prove effective in the long run. According to recent research, decortication and pleurectomy can give you relief from symptomatic effusions and pain occurring because of tumor burden. The use of radiation therapy and chemotherapy after surgery also gives temporary relief.

Recurrent malignant Mesothelioma treatment normally uses routines and agents that are not used initially. There is no standard treatment available at present that can control the symptoms of malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

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Pleural Mesothelioma - Health - Cancer

Pleural mesothelioma is a type of asbestosis that presents in the cells that makes up the lining of your lungs. This lining is called the pleura. In the United States this disease is caused only by exposure to asbestos. If you worked with asbestos, or asbestos products such as chysotile, crocidolit, or amosite you are at risk of developing pleural mesothelioma. If you now have been diagnosed with the disease, you were probably exposed to asbestos about twenty years prior to diagnosis.

Fortunately, some people are diagnosed early with pleural mesothelioma before having any symptoms because tumors were visible on a routine chest X-ray. There is a cancerous and a non-cancerous form of pleural mesothelioma. Of course, the best kind to have, if you have to have it is the non-cancerous kind. This is called benign mesothelioma and it is not usually life-threatening and is not usually caused by exposure to asbestos. This form of mesothelioma can be removed surgically. However, the cancerous kind is called malignant mesothelioma, which involves the entire pleural lining, and it is found in approximately 2.000 people in the United States each year.

The signs and symptoms of this disorder do not show up for years after exposure, but when they do, your symptoms might be complaints of lower back pain, shortness of breath, weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, a persistent cough, chest pain, and difficulty in swallowing. You could have one, or any of these symptoms or even all of them.

If your doctor suspects mesothelioma he/she will set about to confirm the diagnosis. Chest X-rays may have already been done, so there may also be a CT scan done just to verify the X-ray. Then the doctor will do a brochoscopy, which is the insertion of a tube that is equipped with a camera and surgical equipment. The doctor can then visualize the tumors from the inside of the lungs and snip off pieces of the tumors and lesions so they may be studied by the pathologist.

If you have a history of working with asbestos and asbestos products and you come to your doctor with symptoms, your doctor can suspect you have mesothelioma during the routine examination-It is common to have pleural effusion, which is a build up of fluid within the lungs. The lungs become edematous (swell) and this movement of fluid can be heard by the doctor who is listening to you breathe under the stethoscope. Some patients can have such serious effusion that they can be heard without a stethoscope and they almost sound like they are bubbling on the inside-however a final diagnosis cannot be made until a biopsy is obtained. The pathologist has to prepare the samples with a special stain to be visualized under a microscope. The pathologist will be able to tell which kind of mesothelioma it is (cancerous or not) and he will be able to stage it if it is cancerous.

When symptoms develop much of the pleura may be involved with tumors. As the tumors grow they crowd against the lung tissue. The tumors cause thickening of the pleura so there is little elasticity in the pleural cavity. The lungs become pressured and they cannot expand. The person with this disease becomes very short of breath. The tumors can also grow outward and invade the chest wall and ribs. This is a very painful disease at this point. The patient's lung function drops drastically over time and the patient slowly suffocates.

Not much is known about how the asbestos changes the cells in the pleural cavity. It isn't known if just one fiber of asbestos causes a tumor or if long time exposure to asbestos causes the cells to change into tumors. There are now laws in place to protect people who have contact with asbestos. Asbestos is a mineral that is part of our environment. People who tear down old houses may come into contact with asbestos fibers because asbestos was once used in roofing and flooring materials. If you have a job that puts you in contact with asbestos it is imperative that you wear protective clothing and a mask.

Asbestos fibers are shaped similarly to a fish hook. The fibers are barbed and once the fibers pierce a part of your anatomy the fiber is there and will not come out. Mesothelioma can present in most any part of your body. Wherever asbestos causes irritation can be an area that the disease presents. If you swallow asbestos it can get into your stomach, you breathe it and it gets into your lungs. If you are not wearing protective clothing, asbestos can get into your skin folds. Males can get asbestos in their testicles. It is important to heed safety regulations when working with asbestos.

The non-malignant type of mesothelioma of the pleural tissue can be removed with surgery, but the malignant type may be treated with chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. There is no cure for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Some people have a 5 or a 10 year survival rate, but sadly, some die after a few months of diagnosis. The average survival time for a person after diagnosis with no surgical intervention is one year. Some patients benefit from a surgical procedure called debulking, which is a removal much of the bulkiness of the tumors. This makes more room within the pleural cavity, which in turn gives the lungs more space, and it relieves a great deal of pain the patient may have been experiencing due to the pressure exerted onto the lungs and the rib cage.

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Cause of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma - Health

Pleural Mesothelioma is rare. That is what the people in charge would have you think. If Pleural Mesothelioma is so rare, how do you think, more than 2000 to 3000 new patients are diagnosed every year?

The fact is Pleural Mesothelioma used to be a rare form of cancer which made a symptomatic appearance 30-50 years after exposure to Asbestos. You see the only way to contract Pleural Mesothelioma is by being exposed to Asbestos. Before 1980 there were no laws protecting the workers from Asbestos exposure in the workplace, however, once it was seen that people working in an environment of Asbestos exposure were being diagnosed with Pleural Mesothelioma 30-50 years after their exposure, laws began to change.

Just imagine you work for 30 years in an industry and when you near retirement age you or your loved one contracts Pleural Mesothelioma.

What is Pleural MesotheliomaPleural Mesothelioma cancer is a malignant form of cancer found in the sac lining of the abdominal cavity or around the lining of the heart. It's a fast and deadly cancer as once the symptoms develop it divides at a swift rate and complications are created within a year. The survival rate is nil and the life expectancy once the pleural Mesothelioma cancer develops is hardly two to three years, if you are lucky.

Asbestos Exposure and Pleural Mesothelioma80% of all Mesothelioma cases are for workers in the asbestos industry. The disease is more common in men between the ages 50 and 70 and is contracted through the occupational hazard.

Most laws emerged but as yet, fail to give complete protection to the workers in the Asbestos industry. People working in shipyards, mines, insulation factories etc are still as viable to get pleural Mesothelioma as they were decades ago. Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma causes death. The fault lies with your employer.

Mesothelioma Resource Online, presents information that will help you understand the disease; its causes, effects and how you can best cope with it. If you need further assistance or have some questions on what you have seen so far, please feel free to contact us for more information.

Action You May TakeMoney is not everything. But if you or your loved one have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma as a result of Asbestos exposure, consider legal action as you may be entitled to MONETARY COMPENSATION.

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As pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma - Health - Cancer

Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma and has been studied to a far greater degree than any of the other forms of the disease. However, it is difficult to diagnose pleural mesothelioma in its early stages because its symptoms often mimic the symptoms of other common illnesses, such as the flu, pneumonia or laryngitis. Benign pleural one is often checked at the age of 50-60 years old, Malignant mesothelioma usually occurs in the right chest. Malignant pleural mesothelioma(MPM), originated from pleural mesothelium cell, is an fatal tumor with natual history of only about several months, has showed an increased morbidity recently.Mesothelioma has three types, and these are pleural mesothelioma (affecting the linings of the lung), peritoneal mesothelioma (stomach or abdominal cavity) and pericardial mesothelioma (heart lining). Its most common symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pains, massive and unexplained weight loss, a persistent cough and d ifficulty swallowing food.

Global figures of cancer patients are rising at an alarming rate and medical experts worldwide are now rushing to discover ways to treat the sickness. A study conducted in 2008 showed that there were approximately 174,300 mesothelioma cases from 56 countries that "use asbestos at substantial levels but report no cases of the disease." Among 33 countries surveyed that did not report any mesothelioma cases, the researchers estimated a total of 38,900 deaths.

As pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma, It is often considered or spoken of as a form of lung cancer, but this is incorrect. Most patients do not have obvious symptoms. It was found when taken X-ray examination. About 50% pleura changes the cancer patient having malignant chest water that the pleura thins out the most common symptom of skin tumour is to breathe hard. Cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath, poor lung is an early symptom of pleural mesothelioma, 25% of clinical cases with fever, 25% of clinical cases with fever without infection to testify. Benign fibrous pleural mesothelioma is often accompanied by two new class of biological syndrome, Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy and hypoglycemia. 20% of patients may have hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy, digital clubbing, joint pain, stiffness and ankle edema. Most patients with hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy, The tumor diameter> 7cm. Syndrome have been alleviated a fter surgery. 4% of benign mesothelioma have low blood sugar syndrome. it may be caused by the reasons cancer deplete lucose. Less common symptoms are Hemoptysis, chills, night sweats and weight loss, a small number of patients have pleural effusion. Using image study CT inspection is difficult to confirm the Benign pleural mesothelioma.

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Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma - Health - Cancer

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is the most typical cancer within the pleura (area encircling the lungs). It is definitely an abnormal as well as steady division of mesothelial cells which encompass a large section of the pleural area. A powerful causal affiliation with asbestos subjection is clearly established. Different presentations of this disorder are also reported, although seldom.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an uncommon neoplasm for which the key risk cause is former asbestos exposure. During the past 10 years, there has been progress around the diagnosis, staging as well as biology of mesothelioma. In addition, treatment for this killer is still greatly controversial which enable it to range from supportive (palliative) care by itself up to aggressive multidimensional therapy. Calculating this, potential scientific tests within cautiously staged patients are essential to see what approaches to management could achieve the best survival rate.

At this time, chest tube drainage via a tube positioned within the chest cavity and pleurodesis, "a procedure which brings about the linings around the lung to stay together and prevents the increase of fluid", is believed to be the most typical of comfort care treatment for malignant pleural Mesothelioma. Fluid build-up, or pleural effusion, is often the first indication of this grave condition which normally causes the patient to seek medical intervention. Once this effusion has taken place, it is usually obstinate and comes back rapidly subsequent to an original thoracentesis (draining of the fluid). In efforts to get rid of this dilemma, the pleural space must be closed by means of a procedure called pleurodesis. This procedure involves using a "talc slurry" or other sclerosing factor which makes the sticking outcome talked about previously.

As stated, malignant pleural Mesothelioma is an aggressive thoracic malignancy affiliated with contact with asbestos, also its incidence is predicted to increase during the first part of this century. Chemotherapy will be mainstay of any aggressive treatment of the disease, nevertheless there does exist ample confirmation to verify that this standard of care has come forth just in the past 5 years. Experimental clinical trials of second-line and distinctive agents are emerging from an improved comprehension from the mesothelioma cell make-up. These tests, together with high-quality translational examination have revealed that many developments possess a real potential to improve the outlook of sufferers at a time of an increasing incidence.

Please do not forget that malignant pleural Mesothelioma will be the most frequently recognized kind of any malignant mesothelioma. That said, numerous factors are used in determining the survival rate because of this aggressive cancer and some are better understood than others. Estimates of average survival times of this population vary from one to 2 years furthermore these averages depend on a variety of underlying criteria including the type and extent of spread belonging to the mesothelioma. Based on recent figures, persons recognized with malignant pleural Mesothelioma, only have a 7 percent survival time to 5 years following diagnosis. However, this outlook is increasingly improving in the midst of some promising investigational management and several will survive well beyond the stated five years from the point of diagnosis.

Of note is the truth that no reports have included formal dealings of quality of life matters when keeping track of the survival rates for this population plus a small number of scientific studies have reported regarding strategies involved to rate symptom control as well. Palliative radiation treatment may offer symptom treatment and increased quality of life (QOL) for these sufferers.

In review, asbestos exposure symptoms, malignant pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) is the most common neoplasm of the pleura (area around the lungs). It entails an irregular proliferation of mesothelial cells that incorporates a large part of the pleural space. A powerful causal connection to asbestos exposure is well proven. mesothelial cells, It is the most often recognized type of any malignant mesothelioma as well as includes a survival time of approximately 2 years after diagnosis. Nevertheless, breakthroughs in the treatment and control of this debilitating disease can increase survival rate to above five years and in some cases longer. In other terms, there is hope mesothelioma asbestos attorney.

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Pleural mesothelioma and how to detect it - Health - Cancer

Pleural mesothelioma is the form of mesothelioma that affects the linings of the lung which is also called the pleura. People often mistake pleural mesothelioma to be a kind of lung cancer. Mesothelioma is a malignance that affects the protective membrane surrounding the lungs and not the organ itself. Of course with advanced stages, it does affect the functioning of the organ but it is not the same as lung cancer. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common kind of mesothelioma that victims experience. The other two kinds are peritoneal mesothelioma and pericardial mesothelioma - in the first it affects the lining of the abdomen and in the second it affects the lining of the chest.

Pleural mesothelioma is sometimes referred to as asbestos lung cancer which is not absolutely incorrect since in most cases of mesothelioma, it stems from the unprotected exposure of an individual to extreme amounts of asbestos. Still it should be remembered that a cancer which does not originate in the lung cannot be called as a form of lung cancer. It is a different issue if it develops into a further stage and affects the organ. Pleural mesothelioma as stated before happens due to inhaling asbestos fibers which sediment along the lining of the lungs and over a considerable period of time starts to show symptoms and cause problems to the individual which eventually gets diagnosed as a malignant disease - namely pleural mesothelioma.

Pleural mesothelioma often shows multiple tumours which grow along the outise surface of the lining of the lungs. Normally, the outer lining is more affected than the inner lining. In records, it has been noted that the right lung has a slight more chance of contracting pleural mesothelioma than the left lung and this is because the right lung is biologically larger and thus offers a larger pleural surface than the left one. Also it has been observed that the lungs on the lower side contain more tumours than those on the upper side and this is often credited to the force of gravity which causes the asbestos fibers to settle down in a certain way.

As patients are diagnosed with mesothelioma only in its later stages, the size of the tumours is usually very large and if they are left undiagnosed they eventually cause complete blockage of the lungs. These tumours if left unattended can also start to affect other organs of the body including the abdomen and heart as well as the circulatory system. But not all tumours that grow in the pleura are related to pleural mesothelioma.

The symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are hard to spot as they are like those that we experience for very simple diseases. These include shortness of breath, chest pains, cough, sudden weight loss etc. But if you suspect there are chances that you might be suffering from pleural mesothelioma because you have been subject to inhaling asbestos at some point of time in your life, visit a doctor immediately and get yourself thoroughly checked because there are major chances that you might be suffering from mesothelioma and not even be aware of it.

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An Overview of Pleural Mesothelioma - Law - Personal Injury

Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma, found in 70 percent of the 2,000 to 3,000 cases of mesothelioma that are diagnosed every year in the United States.

The details regarding mesothelioma symptoms and staging is provided for educational and reference purposes only.

Pleural mesothelioma targets the delicate membranes that protect the thoracic cavity, causing the proliferation of aggressive tumors on the lining of the lungs, the esophagus, the diaphragm and the pericardial sac that contains the heart. Medical scientists have conclusively linked this type of mesothelioma to asbestos exposure, but the interval between that exposure and diagnosis of the disease is typically very long: As many as 20 to 50 years may elapse before an asbestos-exposed individual is diagnosed with this condition.

Typically, patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma were exposed to asbestos through working at a jobsite where one of hundreds of commercial asbestos-containing products was used. In the late 1970s, federal agencies began regulating the occupational use of asbestos and the manufacture of these products was discontinued.

Pleural Mesothelioma Staging

Like other cancers, This kind of mesothelioma is typically staged at diagnosis as a convenient way to enable patients to review viable treatment options. The stage of the disease represents the extent to which mesothelioma has spread throughout the patients body prior to diagnosis:

Stage 1 Pleural Mesothelioma: In Stage 1 pleural mesothelioma, the cancer is localized at one primary site and has not metastasized to other parts of the body. Patients may be asymptomatic as this stage: Upon examination, pleura may appear normal or only slightly inflamed. Treatment options include potentially curative, multimodal therapies such as surgery in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The median survival rate for patients diagnosed with Stage 1 pleural mesothelioma is three years. Stage 2 Pleural Mesothelioma: Stage 2 pleural mesothelioma is characterized by cancerous cell proliferation away from the primary tumor site. Mesothelioma cells may have begun to spread to the adjacent lymph nodes and chest wall, the diaphragm and even the pericardium. Symptoms are still vague: Patients may experience unusual shortness of breath, particularly upon exertion, as well as mild chest pain. The median life expectancy for Stage 2 pleural mesothelioma patien ts is 16 months.

Curative treatments are still an option although they are more limited than they might have been had mesothelioma been detected at Stage 1. A surgical procedure called an extrapleural pneumonectomy which involves the removal of the affected lung, chest wall, diaphragm and pericardial tissues, may be a viable treatment; alternatively, pleurectomy/decortication involving the removal of all or part of the affected lung may be effective. Surgical procedures will be performed in conjunction with chemotherapeutic and radiation therapies. Stage 3 & 4 Pleural Mesothelioma: Stage 3 and Stage 4 pleural mesothelioma represent the end stages of this disease. In Stage 3 pleural mesothelioma, multiple tumors begin to invade the chest walls and the disease has metastasized to distant loci throughout the body; in Stage 4 mesothelioma, tumors have completely invaded the chest walls, the pericardium and the diaphragm, and metastasis is widespread.

The symptoms of Stage 3 and Stage 4 mesothelioma are similar: Patients experience extreme shortness of breath; dry, hacking coughs that frequently bring up blood; and severe chest pain. Treatments at these stages of the disease focus on the relief of symptoms rather than the cure of the disease. Stage 3 and Stage 4 pleural-mesothelioma patients typically have life expectancies of a few months to a year.

Goldberg & Osborne, a personal injury law firm, has provided this article for informational purposes only, written by an independent author, and has not reviewed or edited this article and is not responsible for its content or accuracy.

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