Guide to Cancer

Mesthelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma, the main cause being asbestos, is a cancer where the cells of mesothelioma lining in the abdomen and chest are affected. Although it's statistics seem to be on the up, it remains rare. In the US alone, there are around 2,500 new cases each year. There are two types and their symptoms are not specific to just mesothelioma. It is not rare for these symptoms to be undiagnosed or even misdiagnosed for quite some time. It's symptoms such as pain in the chest and abdomen, difficulty to breathe and fever are also associates with other illnesses and because that is sometimes assumed to be the case, this type of cancer advance to a fair degree before it is discovered. Because of this delay in diagnosis, post diagnosis survival is estimated to be about a year.

There are two forms of mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma spreads throughout the chest cavity and can sometimes involve the lungs. It can also involve any of the body's organs, including even the brain.

Metastasis is an occurrence which takes place more than what was previously acknowledged. It indicates the progression of the disease. It's symptoms are consistent chest pain and difficulty in breathing. Other symptoms are weight loss, fever, and coughing. Survival time is 17 months median time. Ten per cent if suffered live for three years post diagnosis.

The other type is peritoneal mesothelioma. This affects the abdominal cavity, the spleen, the liver, and sometimes but not always, the bowel. Symptoms include a swollen abdominal, vomiting,fever, immobility of the vowels, nausea, and swelling of the feet. Post diagnosis survival rate is only ten months.

There are two rarer forms of mesothelioma. Benign mesothleioma is one which is a cancer of the mesothelioma of the peritoneum. This is basically the lining if the major organs in both the abdomen and chest. It's not the easiest thing in the world to diagnose and is more prevalent in younger females. An extremely rare cardiac cancer is mesothelioma of the pericardium. This can also be found in the ovaries and scrotum. Excluding benign mesothelioma, the prognosis is not a good one.

There are four stages to the progression of mesothelioma. These can be used to form a prediction of just how far the cancer has spread. To determine this staging, CT scans, x-rays and MRI imaging are all used. Decisions on treatment and general prognosis are dependent upon both the form and the stage of the disease. In stage one, it can be found in the pleura, pericardium, lung, or diaphragm, and is localised to one side of the body. During stage two, it invades the esophagus ir the chest wall.

This stage may also see cancer in the heart, lymph nodes in the chest, or both sides of the pleura. Stage three sees penetration through the diaphragm and the peritoneum and the cancer spreads to more distant lymph nodes. The final stage is when tests show metastases in distant organs. The mesothelioma runs through the blood into these sights.