Mesothelioma
Treatment
What
are the Signs of Mesothelioma?
The
signs of asbestos-related cancer can remain undetectable
for up to forty years after the initial exposure. Early
symptoms of mesothelioma are very non-specific and can lead
to a delay in a diagnosis. Symptoms may resemble viral pneumonia,
pleural mesothelioma patients may have a shortness of breath,
chest pain, persistent cough. Some patients will have no
visible symptoms. There can also be a build-up of fluid
or pleural effusion, which can be show through a chest x-ray.
Sixty percent on the time the right lung is affected, and
just 5% of the time both lungs are involved. Other symptoms
may include fever, night sweats, and weight loss. Pain or
swelling in the abdomen due to a build-up of fluid, nausea,
bowel obstruction, anemia, and swelling of the feet may
also be present.
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How
is Mesothelioma Detected?
Malignant
mesothelioma gradually causes a build up of fluid in the
lungs (pleural effusion) or the abdomen (ascites). During
a doctor visit, the physician uses an abdominal or chest
X-ray to detect for this build up.
Testing
that shows high levels of CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen)
may indicate lung cancer instead of mesothelioma. In order
to diagnose lung cancer or mesothelioma, a tissue sample
is taken and examined under the microscope. In either case,
a CT (computed tomographic) scan visually indicates the
degree to which the tumor has spread to other parts of the
body.
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How
is Mesothelioma Treated?
There
is no standard mesothelioma treatment regimen. The FDA has
not articulated a treatment regimen for the disease. How
and why the disease develops is not known. The American
Cancer Society has created a list suggested for those with
mesothelioma to ask their doctor. The questions include:
- What
type of mesothelioma do I have?
- What
is the stage of my mesothelioma (i.e. how advanced is
it)?
- Has
the mesothelioma spread beyond its original site?
- What
treatment options do I have? Which of these options do
you recommend, and why?
- What
is my prognosis?
- What
risks or side effects are there to the treatments you
suggest?
- What
are the chances that my cancer will recur with these treatment
plans?
- What
should I do to be ready for treatment?
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Early
diagnosis of mesothelioma allows a greater number of treatment
options including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, experimental
therapies and drugs, complementary medicine and therapies,
and lifestyle modifications.
Chemotherapy
is often offered as a treatment for mesothelioma but post
patients who receive this type of treatment do not respond
favorably to it. Chemotherapy is also used when the disease
has spread and no other treatment is an option.
Radiation
is offered but is seen as ineffective at increasing survival
but mildly helpful in managing pain and other disease effects.
Surgery
is used for exploratory measures, relief, and tumor removal.
Exploratory surgery of the chest can be used as a tool in
early diagnosis of mesothelioma. Palliative surgery is used
for relief, not as a cure. Usually this type of surgery
is performed when the tumor has spread beyond the mesothelium
and is hard to completely remove.
A
pleurectomy is to remove the tumor from the surface of the
lung by opening up the chest. The pleura is removed, also,
which is where the majority of the tumor exists. Extrapleural
pneumonectomy is the operation that has the best record
for removing the maximum number of tumor cells. It involves
removal of a portion of the lung called the parietal pleura,
which lines the lung, the pericardium, the heart lining,
and the diaphragm. Survival rate for this type of surgery
is 41 months because of the intensity of this procedure.
Complementary
methods like sticking to a vegetarian diet, exercise, vitamins,
herbal remedies, or stress management can sometimes help
a patient with mesothelioma better deal with their condition
or to enhance their quality of life.
Mesothelioma
can reoccur despite having being treated. Recurrent malignant
mesothelioma can come back in the same area it was previously
in or in a once unaffected area.
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