Mesothelioma: Questions and Answers (Maligant -Pleural -Mesothelioma)

Mesothelioma is a rare form of malignant cancer (cancer) cells are in mesothelioma, a protective sac that most of the organs of internal organs. Most people develop the mesothelioma have worked in jobs where inhaling asbestos particles.

1st What is the mesothelioma;

The mesothelioma is a membrane in the fields and protects most internal organs of the body. It consists of two layers of cells: one layer immediately surrounds the body and the other is a bag around him. The mesothelioma produces lubricating fluid circulates that between these layers, so that moving organs (such as cardiac and expansion of markets and the lungs) to slide slightly against the neighboring structures.

The mesothelioma has different names, depending on the location of the body. The peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that most organs in the abdominal cavity. The pleura, the membrane around the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity. The pericardium covers and protects the heart. The mesothelial tissue surrounding the male internal reproductive organs is called the tunica vaginalis testis. The watery womb caftan cover the internal reproductive organs of women.

2nd What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma (cancer of mesothelioma) is a disease in which cells of mesothelioma are abnormal and divide without control or order. You can invade and damage surrounding tissues and organs. Cancer cells can also metastasize (spread) from their original site to other parts of the body. Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura or peritoneum.

3rd What is Mesothelioma?

Although incidence rates have doubled in the last 20 years, mesothelioma, cancer is still relatively rare. About 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and the risk increases with age, but this disease can occur in men or women at any age.

4th What are the risk factors for mesothelioma?

Working with asbestos is the biggest risk factor for mesothelioma. A history of exposure to asbestos at work refers to almost 70 percent to 80 percent of all cases. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals with no known exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos is the name for a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong flexible fibers, which can be separated into thin woven and son. Asbestos has been widely in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, coatings, textiles and insulation. If tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, can be inhaled or swallowed and can cause serious health problems. In addition to mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis (a noncancerous, chronic lung disease), and other cancers, such as those of the larynx and kidney.

Smoking does not appear to reduce the risk of mesothelioma. However, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person risk for cancer of the air passages in the lungs.

5th Who is associated with an increased risk for developing mesothelioma?

Asbestos was used for commercial purposes and extracted by the end of 1800. Its use has grown considerably during the Second World War. Since the early 1940s, millions of American workers, the asbestos dust. Initially, the risks associated with exposure to asbestos was not known. However, an increased risk of mesothelioma later in shipyard workers, people working in asbestos mines and mills, producers of asbestos products, workers in the heating and construction and other trades. Today, the U.S. Health and Safety at Work (OSHA) sets limits for acceptable levels of exposure to asbestos at work. People who work with asbestos wear personal protective equipment to reduce the risks of exposure.

The risk of asbestos-disease increases with the weight of asbestos exposure and longer exposure time. However, only a few brief exposures have developed mesothelioma. On the other hand, not all workers who are exposed to a large extent the development of diseases associated with asbestos.

There is some evidence that family members and others living with asbestos workers have an increased risk of mesothelioma, and possibly other diseases related to asbestos. The risk may be the result of exposure to asbestos dust were the clothes and hair of workers exposed to asbestos. , To reduce the risk of detection of family members of asbestos, asbestos workers are usually required to shower and change clothes before leaving the workplace.

6th What are the symptoms of mesothelioma?

The symptoms of mesothelioma May not appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath and chest pain caused by accumulation of fluid in the pleura are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and abdominal pain and swelling by accumulation of fluid in the abdomen. Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma May include intestinal obstruction, abnormal blood clotting, anemia and fever. If the cancer has changed over the mesothelioma spread to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, difficulty swallowing, or swelling in the neck or face.

These symptoms may by mesothelioma or by other, less serious. It is important to see a doctor about any of these symptoms. Only a doctor can diagnose.

7th How is it diagnosed with mesothelioma?

The diagnosis of mesothelioma is often difficult because the symptoms resemble those of a number of other conditions. The diagnosis begins with an examination of the patient medical history, including the history of asbestos exposure. A complete physical examination to take place in May, including X-rays of the chest or abdomen and lung function. A CT (or CAT) scan or MRI may also be helpful. A scanner is a series of images from inside the body, through a computer in conjunction with an X-ray. In an MRI, a powerful magnet in conjunction with a computer used to make detailed images of areas inside the body. These photos are displayed on a screen and can also be printed.

The biopsy is necessary to confirm the diagnosis of mesothelioma. In a biopsy, a surgeon or a medical oncologist (a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer) removes a tissue sample for examination under a microscope by a pathologist. It could be a biopsy done in different ways, depending on where the abnormal area. If the cancer is in the chest, the doctor may prescribe a Thoracoscopy May. In this procedure, the doctor a small cut in the chest wall and constitutes a thin, lighted tube called Thoracoscopy in the chest between the two sides. Thoracoscopy allows the doctor within the breast and tissue samples. If the cancer is in the abdomen, the doctor perform peritoneoscopy May. In order tissue for examination, the doctor has a small opening in the abdomen and inserts a special instrument called peritoneoscope abdominal cavity. If these procedures do not yield enough tissue, more extensive diagnostic surgery in May is necessary.

If the diagnosis is mesothelioma, the doctor you want to learn the stage (or extent) of the disease. If the scene were more tests to try to determine whether the cancer has, and if so, what parts of the body. Knowing the stage of the disease helps the doctor plan treatment.

Mesothelioma is described as localized if the cancer is only on the surface of the membrane, where they originated. Was as if he has advanced over the surface of the membrane of origin in other parts of the body such as lymph nodes, lungs, chest wall, or abdominal organs.

8th What is Mesothelioma?

Treatment for mesothelioma depends on the situation of cancer, stage of disease and patient age and general health. Standard treatment options include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Sometimes these treatments are combined.

* The surgery is a common treatment for mesothelioma. Doctor in May, the removal of a Party wall in the chest or abdomen and some tissue around him. For cancer of the pleura (pleural mesothelioma), a lung removed in May in a company called pneumonectomy. Sometimes, part of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs that helps breathing, is also deleted.

* Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, involves the use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy affects cancer cells in use. May radiation from a machine (external radiation) or the inclusion of materials that produce radiation minutes with plastic pipes in the area where the cancer cells are (internal radiation).

* Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells in the body. Most drugs used to treat mesothelioma, which is injected into a vein (intravenous or IV). Doctors are also studying the effectiveness of chemotherapy position directly in the chest or abdomen (intracavitary chemotherapy).

To relieve symptoms and control pain, the doctor can use a needle or a thin tube to drain that fluid in the chest or abdomen. The procedure to remove fluid from the breast called thoracentesis. Remove the fluid in the abdomen called paracentesis. Drugs can be done through a tube in his chest to prevent the further accumulation of fluid. Radiation and surgery May also be useful in alleviating the symptoms.

9th Are new treatments for mesothelioma study?

Yes. Because mesothelioma is very difficult to control, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical trials is sponsoring (research studies with people), the search for new treatments and better ways to use current treatments. Before any new treatment can be recommended for general use, doctors conduct clinical trials to see if the treatment is safe for patients and effective against the disease. Participation in clinical trials is an important therapeutic option for many patients with mesothelioma.

Interested in participating in a clinical trial should contact their doctor. Information on clinical trials, visit the Cancer Information Service Research Center (CIS) (see below) at 1-800-4-cancer. Information specialists of the CIS use PDQ ®, NCI database with information on cancer, identify and provide detailed information on clinical trials underway. The patients also have the option to search for clinical trials on their own. Clinical trials for the NCI Cancer.gov site is located on http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials the Internet, provides general information on clinical trials and links to PDQ.

Persons clinical trials in May to be interested in the NCI booklet Participation in cancer research studies. This brochure describes how studies are carried out and explains the benefits and risks. The brochure is available by phoning the CIS countries, or the NCI Publications Locator on the Internet at http:// www.cancer.gov / publications on the Internet.