Surviving Mesothelioma - Health

Mesothelioma is a serious type of cancer that is caused by too much exposure to asbestos. People who suffer from this type of ailment experience a difficulty in breathing, pain in the chest and dry cough. A lot of patients suffering from this type of ailment undergo CT scan, X-ray, chemotherapy and MRI. We all know that as of the moment, Mesothelioma has no cure yet. And undergoing these tests will help determine if one really has Mesothelioma.

The most common signs of Mesothelioma are chest pains, fatigue, short breathes, night swats, dry fever, hemoptysis, dysphalgia or difficulty in swallowing. Only that who suffers from this type of ailment knows how hard it is to wake up every morning knowing that your days are being counted. It is true that if hope is gone or a person gives up, his body breaks down.

People who suffer from this type of ailment should be patient and never lose hope since it is all you have to get through the grueling process.Since Mesothelioma rarely arise at an early stage and mostly those who suffer from it knows about it at a late stage already, people should understand that this is one type of ailment that is hard to cure. I firmly believe that people who suffer from this type of ailment are the strongest. Knowing that there is no cure to this type of ailment but able to live with it is hard, being able to keep up with it is simply amazing.

We all know that Mesothelioma does not have a 100% survival rate, but there are those who are still fighting it and have successfully moved on with the scare and are somehow living a happy life though still diagnosed with the ailment. Being able to go through living under that condition takes more than faith but with love and support from family and friends to back them up, little by little, they will see that there is more to life. They will somehow realize how important life is and not living it because of an ailment is a waste of time that they were given.

Mesothelioma survivors need all the support that we can give them. They need to see the love and faith we have for them to give them that drive force to live. For those who are living under normal condition should realize how important life is and should know how lucky we are that we are in good health unlike those who were given a deadline here on earth. Let??s learn from them and little by littler embrace the life that we are blessed with.

iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software

Why Some Mesothelioma Patients Survive Longer Than Others - Law

Very few mesothelioma patients have survived beyond the average forecast of a year from the time of diagnosis. There are only a small percentage of mesothelioma patients who have survived beyond the average forecast of a year to enter into remission, a stage in which the body is cancer free. However, this does not entail any permanency as patients can have instances of the cancer recurring even after years of remission.

Some attorneys have reported that while most of their mesothelioma clients eventually pass away, there are a few who have survived and are in remission. The common factor that is shared by those in remission is their immune systems. All have healthier, more active immune systems than those who either do not survive or fail to go into remission. Treatments, including clinical studies in immunology, have helped boost mesothelioma patients immune systems and it would seem also increases the likelihood of remission.

An instance of an increased survival rate was seen in that of Paul Kraus, an Australian mesothelioma survivor who was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma back in 1997. After he was diagnosed, Kraus began changing his diet and consumed vitamins and supplements as a part of his daily routine. Though Krauss survival is the most known in the mesothelioma medical community, his was not the only.The other case of mesothelioma survival was that of a man who was diagnosed 14 years ago at the age of 58. The man had a chest wall resection after his diagnosis and had no symptoms of recurrence since the time of his surgery. Physicians believe that in both of these survival cases, a strong immune system to fight infections was a key factor in cancers remission.

A change in nutrition and efforts to boost an immune system can help in the increase of a mesothelioma patients survival.

iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software

Vitamin a - Possible New Drug For Mesothelioma - Other

Vitamin A is a very important vitamin to maintaining health. Vitamin A is found in foods like carrots and it is well known for its importance in maintaining eyesight. Also recent independent research studies over the last three decades have suggested that vitamin A could possibly have an impact on managing and preventing mesothelioma.

Vitamin A has many essential functions in the human body including:

- sustenance of vision

- bone growth

- Reproduction

- Cell division

- Cell differentiation

- Helping to maintain the immune system - the body's defense against infection.

Vitamin A comes from animal sources (such as liver and whole milk) and plant sources.Retinoids which are chemically related to vitamin A have been implicated as anti-carcinogenic. For example, according to an article published in a leading medical journal: "At the cellular level, the anti-leukemia and anti-cancer activity of retinoids is the result of three main actions, cell-differentiation, growth inhibition and apoptosis."

In a 1988 study performed by the National Cancer Institute, the dietary patterns of mesothelioma patients were compared to those of healthy individuals. According to the article, mesothelioma patients ate less homegrown, cruciferous vegetables and all vegetables combined before they were diagnosed compared to healthy patients. Cruciferous vegetables, also called Brassica Vegetables, include Arugula, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Watercress, Bok Choy, Turnip Greens, Kale, and Mustard Greens. The researchers also pointed out that carotene intake was significantly lower for the mesothelioma patients. Carotene is a precursor to vitamin A.

In this 1996 study from the Division of Epidemiology of the American Health Foundation, the investigators examined the association between dietary intake and mesothelioma by studying 94 men and women with malignant mesothelioma and 64 people without cancer. They concluded that their results provided "some justification for the hypothesis that provitamin A or beta-carotene may decrease the risk of mesothelioma. Provitamin A is any of the carotenoids that are precursors of vitamin A and can be found in fish-liver oils, egg yolk, milk products, green-leaf or yellow vegetables, and fruits.

In a study from 2002, researchers looked at mesothelioma cells in vitro (in test tubes or Petri dishes outside the body) and found that retinoic acid (the oxidized form of Vitamin A) "may lead to a decrease of mesothelioma cell local invasion." They interpreted this to mean that retinoic acid may modify how mesothelioma grows and spreads in the body. This study suggests that vitamin A levels could possibly affect the aggressiveness of mesothelioma once someone is diagnosed with the disease, thus making mesothelioma metastases unlikely.

And in 2006, Australian researchers looked at former workers and residents exposed to crocidolite (blue asbestos) in Western Australia. Their findings suggested that "people with chronically low plasma levels of retinol (the fat-soluble animal form of vitamin A found in liver and eggs) have increased risk of developing mesothelioma and lung cancer."

Will vitamin A eventually become part of conventional treatment modality for the prevention or treatment of mesothelioma? These independent studies are very preliminary, but their conclusions are intriguing. In addition, there are anecdotal reports of long-time mesothelioma survivors using vitamin A as part of their healing regiments. But first a great deal more research is needed.

Mesothelioma patients willing to add Vitamin A as part of their cancer treatment should discuss with their doctor on the use of Vitamin A before proceeding on the use.

iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software

Treatments Mesothelioma - Health

Patience might possibly be necessary to determine the precise malignancy variety and placement, but knowing these factors will definitely help the oncologist in prescribing the best possible method of mesothelioma treatments.Kinds of Mesothelioma TreatmentsIf a patient's diagnosis and health indicates that their reaction to curative treatments should be positive, their doctor may develop a course of treatments to eliminate the tumor(s) and try to prevent metastasis everywhere in the body. In case the patient is dealing with a late-stage cancer, the treatments are more likely to be palliative in nature, addressing the symptoms while enhancing the patient's total well being. Those treatments will be either palliative or curative, depending upon the patient's case.SurgerySurgery is probably the most standard treatments for mesothelioma. Patients whose cancer was diagnosed before it spread beyond the lymph nodes could possibly be eligible for curative surgery that removes the tumors. Based upon the patient's diagnosis and all-around health, mesothelioma surgeries could be either curative or palliative, and could fall somewhere in the middle if surgery attempts are effective. Mesothelioma surgery is usually accompanied by other treatments like the chemotherapy or radiation so that they can kill any remaining cancer cells.ChemotherapyChemotherapy has proved to generally be the most capable and least invasive type of treatments to boost life expectancy. Depending upon the positioning of the cancer, some patients may perhaps be qualified to receive heated chemotherapy, a solution commonly utilised for cases of peritoneal mesothelioma. Cisplatin, the most commonly used chemotherapy drug for mesothelioma, is often times applied in addition to pemetrexed to have the most advantageous results in reducing tumors.RadiationRadiation therapy directly applies radiation on the cancerous locations. This could be through either sealed or unsealed source radiatio n. Patients of all of the stages are considered to get radiotherapy, as it can be deployed in conjunction with other treatments to help reduce tumor growth and ease symptoms.Emerging & Alternative TreatmentsWhile operations, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are definitely the most widespread varieties of mesothelioma treatments, some new therapies are still in development. Immunotherapy manipulates the patient's immune system into attacking the tumors, while photodynamic therapy exposes cancer cells to photosensitizing drugs and specific lights. Gene therapy is another experimental treatment that attempts to correct defective genes which sometimes result in cancerous changes.Multimodal TherapyIn some recent study, 46% of mesothelioma patients showed a 5-year survival rate following multimodal therapyMultimodal therapy is among the most common solutions to treating mesothelioma, combining a couple of mesothelioma treatments which might be completed simultaneously or maybe i n a planned sequence. A mesothelioma specialist can most adequately analyze a patient's condition and set up a treatment regimen which might best benefit the person.Clinical TrialsClinical trials are utilized to test experimental mesothelioma treatments before they could be approved for widespread clinical use. These trials often explore new procedures and drugs and do a comparison to the current standard of mesothelioma treatments.Alternative & Complimentary TreatmentsWhen deciding on a therapy plan, some patients consider alternative and complementary mesothelioma treatments. Alternative treatments involve any unconventional treatment procedures, and complementary treatments relate to an alternative therapy utilized to supplement a minimum of one conventional mesothelioma treatments. Some mesothelioma survivors credit their remission to alternative therapies.

iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software

Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma - Health - Cancer

The TV has lawyer commercials on all the time, "If you or a loved one has Mesothelioma." But what is it? Hopefully this article will help you understand. More attention is being called to it right now, as Merlin Olsen succumbed to it Thursday after a year long battle.

Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma Definition

There is a tissue that covers your lungs (among other organs) called the mesothelium. This lining actually produces lubrication for your organs to move, say during breathing. When this rare cancer develops of this lining it is called Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma. For a map with statistics on age and area, you can see it at this CDC site.

Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma Causes

Asbestos is the main cause for Mesothelioma. When a person breathes in the Asbestos, it damages the mesothelium lining and causes changes in the cells. However, it could take up to thirty years post exposure before Mesothelioma develops. This is a proven way that one can get Mesothelioma.

There is some speculation that exposure to the virus SV40 could possibly also be linked to Mesothelioma. Researchers have found SV40 cells in Mesothelioma patients, but it is important to keep in mind, they also have done so in healthy people.

Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma Symptoms

The symptoms of Mesothelioma are those which can easily be dismissed as something far less serious at first, and oftentimes goes overlooked. Some may think they have the flu. They are as follows:

CoughFeverSweatingFatigueHoarsenessOther symptoms are easily seen as a real problem and are as follows:

Pain in the side of the chestShortness of breathWeight lossTrouble swallowingPleural Malignant Mesothelioma Treatments

It is very difficult to treat Mesothelioma. If caught still early, say stage one or two, sometimes surgery can be performed to remove the cancer. Because of the area it is in, treatment by surgery is very difficult. Just as with other cancers, radiation and chemotherapy are options chosen by the specialists.

The patient is spoken to by their oncologist about what stage they are in and how this will effect treatment. The very hard decision is then made to try to treat the cancer, or to base treatment on comfort of the patient.

Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma Outlook

Unfortunately, Mesothelioma is a very hard cancer to treat. Patients are usually told they have a year to live. With new research, there are more and more Mesothelioma survivors past that one year outlook. The five year survival rate is a mere 9%.

iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software

Mesothelioma Influenced by Vitamin A? - Health - Cancer

Vitamin A is a very important vitamin to maintaining health. We all know it is found in foods like carrots and is important in maintaining eyesight. Now, several independent research studies over the last three decades have suggested that vitamin A could possibly have an impact on managing and preventing mesothelioma.

Vitamin A has many essential functions in the human body including: sustaining vision, bone growth, reproduction, cell division, cell differentiation and helping to maintain the immune system - the body's defense against infection. Vitamin A comes from animal sources (such as liver and whole milk) and plant sources. Retinoids which are chemically related to vitamin A have been implicated as anti-carcinogenic. For example, according to an article published in a leading medical journal: "At the cellular level, the anti-leukemia and anti-cancer activity of retinoids is the result of three main actions, cell-differentiation, growth inhibition and apoptosis."1

Cruciferous vegetables and carotene may make mesothelioma less likely

In a 1988 study performed by the National Cancer Institute, the dietary patterns of mesothelioma patients were compared to those of healthy individuals.2 According to the article, mesothelioma patients ate less homegrown, cruciferous vegetables and all vegetables combined before they were diagnosed compared to healthy patients. Cruciferous vegetables, also called Brassica Vegetables, include Arugula, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Watercress, Bok Choy, Turnip Greens, Kale, and Mustard Greens. The researchers also pointed out that carotene intake was significantly lower for the mesothelioma patients. Carotene is a precursor to vitamin A.

Vitamin A or beta-carotene may decrease the risk of mesothelioma

In this 1996 study from the Division of Epidemiology of the American Health Foundation, the investigators examined the association between dietary intake and mesothelioma by studying 94 men and women with malignant mesothelioma and 64 people without cancer. They concluded that their results provided "some justification for the hypothesis that provitamin A or beta-carotene may decrease the risk of mesothelioma."3 Provitamin A is any of the carotenoids that are precursors of vitamin A and can be found in fish-liver oils, egg yolk, milk products, green-leaf or yellow vegetables, and fruits.

Retinoic Acid may make mesothelioma less likely to metastasize

In a study from 2002, researchers looked at mesothelioma cells in vitro (in test tubes or Petri dishes outside the body) and found that retinoic acid (the oxidized form of Vitamin A) "may lead to a decrease of mesothelioma cell local invasion." They interpreted this to mean that retinoic acid may modify how mesothelioma grows and spreads in the body.4 This study suggests that vitamin A levels could possibly affect the aggressiveness of mesothelioma once someone is diagnosed with the disease.

Low levels of retinol associated with increased risk of developing mesothelioma

And in 2006, Australian researchers looked at former workers and residents exposed to crocidolite (blue asbestos) in Western Australia. Their findings suggested that "people with chronically low plasma levels of retinol (the fat-soluble animal form of vitamin A found in liver and eggs) have increased risk of developing mesothelioma and lung cancer."5

Will vitamin A ever become part of a protocol to prevent or manage mesothelioma? These independent studies are very preliminary, but their conclusions are intriguing. In addition, there are anecdotal reports of long-time mesothelioma survivors using vitamin A as part of their healing regiments. But first a great deal more research is needed.

iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software

Long Time Mesothelioma Survivors -What Do They Have in Common? - Other

Paul Kraus is one of the long-term survivors of malignant mesothelioma, there are many others and one thing they all have in common to all of them is the fact that they all focused most of their treatment on steps to improve or enhance their immune system. Some used alternative or complimentary therapies (with guidance from licensed clinicians) while others participated in clinical trials of immune therapy.

So does the immune system play a significant role in the control malignant mesothelioma? The experience of Paul Kraus and other long-term malignant mesothelioma survivors gives a lot of credit to the fact that the immune system is indeed very important in the management of malignant mesothelioma.

In quite a number of people with pleural mesothelioma that survived the cancer for a long time, their medical histories have shown that their immune system may have played a major role in their extremely long survival.

In 1986, an article appeared in a medical journal that discussed this very issue of malignant mesothelioma and immunity.(1) This research focused on the immune responses of 118 healthy people compared to 20 patients with malignant mesothelioma and 375 long-term asbestos workers who were cancer-free.

The researchers wanted to know if there were any measurable differences in the immune responses of the mesothelioma patients. Their findings demonstrated a relationship between the immune system and malignant mesothelioma. For example:

* The number of total T (T11+) and T-helper (T4+) cells were normal in asbestos workers with cancer, but were significantly reduced in patients with mesothelioma. T cells orchestrate, regulate and coordinate the overall immune response.

* Most patients with mesothelioma had a profound deficiency in Natural Killer cell (NK) activity which is suggestive of the role the immune system plays in the control of malignant mesothelioma. NK cells are a type of lethal lymphocyte that target tumor cells and protect against a wide variety of infectious microbes.

In the discussion section of the report, the researchers stated:"These findings led us to speculate that biological phenomena generally categorized as chronic immunosuppression associated with the presence of asbestos fibers in the exposed workers may have caused the eventual breakdown of the host's surveillance system and the onset of neoplasm [malignant mesothelioma]."

In other words, the researchers are suggesting that malignant mesothelioma may result from immune suppression. If this is true it would provide the biological basis for the role that the immune system and immune boosting approaches may play in the management of malignant mesothelioma.

Another example of a long time survivor of mesothelioma is James O'Connor.In October 2001, sixty-one year old James Rhio O'Connor ("Rhio") was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma caused by his exposure to asbestos when he was younger. His was given less than a year to live.

His tumor was not operable because the tumor was too close to his spinal cord chemo was also not an option because at the stage of his tumor chemo would not have been of any major help to him, it could not give any significant elongation to his life span. He was basically told to prepare for imminent death in a polite manner.

To soften this message, the doctor also recommended that Rhio take his wife on a cruise and then start hospice care upon his return. Rhio rejected the idea. He was determined to survive this cancer. Working with professional clinicians, he formulated a regimen of over 100 supplements a day, changed his diet, practiced mind-body medicine, most of these treatments were aimed at boosting the immune system, and he relied on his own discipline to see him through the difficult times ahead.

Rhio survived for 7 more years through his determination, knowledge, inexorable spirit, belief in something greater than himself, and the ability to make tough choices -qualities that spell success in any endeavor. Rhio passed away on July 11, 2009. He was 69 years old.Rhio was often asked how he was able to manage his mesothelioma or "Mr. Meso" as he called it.

To answer these questions and help and inspire others, Rhio wrote a book called "They Said Months, I Chose Years: A Mesothelioma Survivor's Story." In this book Rhio discusses what he did to live his life with "Mr. Meso" and much of the science behind his decisions. In his book he cites nearly one hundred medical articles that support the concept of using nutrition to help manage a chronic disease like cancer. Rhio's inspirational life and book reminds us that there may be other ways to manage cancer and extend life beyond the conventional methods of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software