What is Peritoneal Mesothelioma?

Peritoneal Mesothelioma is a tumor of the membrane Peritoneum. The peritoneum is a thin membrane in the organs in the abdomen consisting of mesothelial cells.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma is a tumor of the membrane Peritoneum. The peritoneum is a thin membrane in the organs in the abdomen consisting of mesothelial cells.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma is associated to coming about from having previous exposure to asbestos, and in many cases is found through routine abdominal xrays and CT scans showing something different than normal. 

Peritoneal Mesothelioma can stay dormant in your body for many years, before it will be seen, and for this reason many people years after they have been exposed to asbestos will be diagnosed with Peritoneal Mesothelioma. About 20% of all mesotheliomas are Peritoneal Mesothelioma, and they can be of two types: malignant and benign.

What are the Symptons of Peritoneal Mesothelioma?

- abdominal pains

- weakness

- weight loss

- loss of appetite

- nausea

- abdominal swelling

The symptoms become more severe over time and should be checked out by a doctor.  If they do not, they will cause increasing pressure on your abdomen organs, causing much discomfort, and will lead to bowel obstruction and distention.

How is peritoneal mesothelioma diagnosed?

A peritoneoscopy is performed, and if there is a reason to be concerned, a biopsy is performed. A biopsy is the process of taking a piece of tissue to be given to a pathologist for analysis. The pathologist uses a microscope to analyse the tissue and make the actual diagnosis. 

Currently, it is still unknown why Asbestos causes the mesothelial cells to be cancerous, and it is unsure how many fibers are needed for the tumor to occur. Many treatments exist for peritoneal mesothelioma, however a cure has yet to be found.

What are some of the treatments available for Peritoneal Mesothelioma? 

- chemotherapy

- radiation therapy 

- surgery. 

If you are feeling any of the symptoms noted above, ensure you have it checked out early. The earlier the diagnosis of Peritoneal Mesothelioma, the better chance the treatments will be effective.

What is pericardial mesothelioma ?

Do you have enough info on pericardial mesothelioma ? Come and educate yourself on this rare cancer here.:

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the epithelium that lines the lungs, the abdomen, or the heart. Pericardial Mesothelioma is the cancer of the lining of the heart, known as the pericardium, hence the name pericardial mesothelioma.

This rare form of mesothelioma accounts for small percentage of all cases, roughly 5%. The pericardium has an extrememly important role as it protects the heart from any damage. Should an individual become afflicted with this cancer, they should take it very seriously and seek specialized medical attention. If left untreated during the early stages of diagnosis, it can become a terminal illness with a very low survival rate.

As with all forms of mesothelioma, pericardial mesothelioma is caused by inhaling asbestos. Those who are most at risk are construction workers and asbestos manufacturers. The wearing of a protective mask can help to minimize the inhalation of asbestos dust in to the lungs (since the asbestos fibres get lodged in the lungs). If you have noticed, the majority of workers aren't properly protected when working on construction sites - even in industrialized nations such as the United States. One would expect to see otherwise, thinking that companies follow OSHA directives. That isn't the case all the time.

During the middle of the 20th century (roughly between 1950-1970) asbestos was one of the most popular building materials, and scores of young men were exposed to it. Now, in the 21st century (some 50 years later - the latency period of pericardial mesothelioma), these young men who are now over 60 years of age are beginning to exhibit the symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma. As a result, multi-million dollar lawsuits are being filed against the companies that employed them.

The problem with pericardial mesothelioma is that its symptoms only start appearing in the cancer's latest stages, making it even more difficult to treat. The main symptoms are shortness of breath, palpitations, chest pains and a persistent cough. Other symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma include nausea, weight loss and loss of appetite. Another problem with these symptoms is that they are similar to those of pneumonia (shortness of breath), and this tends to lead to the wrong treatment being administered to an individual afflicted with pericardial mesothelioma.

Treatment options for pericardial mesothelioma include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and dual therapy. The survival rate is extremely low, and it is important to stress that one's chances of healing are increased should treatment commence in the early stages of diagnosis.

Pericardial Mesothelioma: Quick Facts

Do you need some quick facts about the rare cancer that is pericardial mesothelioma ? We have them listed here for you. :

What is pericardial mesothelioma ?

It is a cancer caused by the inhalation of asbestos dust, and is the most rare of mesothelioma cancers. It accounts for about 5% of all cases.

Its period of latency (time it takes for the symptoms to show) is approximately 30-50 years. Symptoms are similar to other diseases such as pneumonia whilst in the early stages. This makes it rather difficult to diagnose and treat.

What are the treatment options for pericardial mesothelioma ?

There are three options available for an individual diagnosed with this cancer; surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. A patient will first require a doctor's evaluation to determine which treatment option is suitable for him.

What are my chances of survival from pericardial mesothelioma ?

It is important to stress that once you start experiencing the symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma (shortness of breath, chest pains, coughing up blood, and palpitations) you should immediately seek specialized help.

The prognosis of pericardial mesothelioma depends largely on how early the cancer is detected. Should you be diagnosed in the later stages of development, your chances of survival could be very slim (usually a few months).

Can you go through each of the treatment options ?

Radiation - large doses of radiation are used to kill the cancerous cells on the pericardium. The disadvantage of using radiation to treat pericardial mesothelioma is that the vital organs close to the heart are also being damaged.

Surgery - this can be divided into two parts; aggressive surgery & palliative procedures. Aggressive surgery involves the removal of the cancerous cells from the pericardium. This procedure is only performed by an extremely skilled surgeon as the cells are usually located in close proximity to the heart and lungs. Any small mishap can have a fatal outcome. 

Palliative procedures are used in the latest stages of pericardial mesothelioma. They serve the sole purpose of relieving the symptoms since the cancer is almost incurable at this stage.

Chemotherapy - drugs are used to kill the cancerous cells. Unfortunately, the majority of drugs used to treat pericardial mesothelioma have an extremely low success rate. Pharmaceutical companies are conducting trials to come up with the right combination of drugs that can produce better results for treating pericardial mesothelioma.

You also have dual therapy which is just a combination of the three methods. Cancerous cells are removed by means of surgery, then the remaining cells are killed off by radiation and chemotherapy. Although still dangerous, dual therapy has demonstrated a higher success rate than using the three individual methods alone.

treat pericardial mesothelioma

How do you treat pericardial mesothelioma ?:

Learn about the different treatment options for pericardial mesothelioma.

Of all the cancers caused by asbestos dust (mesothelioma), pericardial mesothelioma is the most rare, accounting for a fraction of all cases (5%). It is a cancer that grows on the pericardium (the lining of the heart). This is a delicate 'film', and any infection on the pericardium can have deadly consequences.

Once an individual has been diagnosed with pericardial mesothelioma they are offered three different treatment options. These are radiation, surgery and chemotherapy. Pericardial mesothelioma is extremely difficult to treat (due to the intricacies involved in removing the tumours from the pericardium), and a patient's chances of survival are slim. All three methods have a poor success rate mainly due to the fact that pericardial mesothelioma is detected in the mature stages of development. (The reason for this is because in the early stages of the cancer the symptoms resemble those of diseases such as pneumonia). The prognosis for a patient undergoing treatment at this point (mature stage) is usually less than a year.

Before treatment, the patient requires a doctor's evaluation in order to determine which of the three treatments are suitable for him/her. Details such as age, weight, medical history, and general well-being are considered prior to the commencement of treatment. So, how do you treat pericardial mesothelioma ?

Radiation - As with all cancer treatments that use this method, large doses of radiation are used to kill the cancerous cells on the pericardium. The downside to radiation treatment is that not only are you killing off the cancerous cells, but you are also damaging the vital organs in close proximity to the heart, namely the lungs. The heart also gets damaged (due to the large doses of radiation).

Surgery - We can break this down into two parts; aggressive surgery and palliative procedures. Aggressive surgery involves the removal of the cancerous cell. Since these are very close to the heart and lungs, this makes it an extremely precarious procedure and one that requires an extremely skilled surgeon.Palliative procedures are used in the latest of stages of pericardial mesothelioma and serve the sole purpose of reducing the symptoms. Usually at this stage the cancer is practically incurable.

Chemotherapy - This is the most widely-used of cancer therapies which involves the use of drugs to kill the cancerous cells. Unfortunately, the majority of drugs used have a low success rate with pericardial mesothelioma. Research is being conducted to come up with a cocktail of drugs that have a more favourable outcome.

There does exist another form of treatment which involves using all three aforementioned treatment options. It is known as Dual Therapy. Surgery is used to remove the cancerous cells, then chemotherapy and radiation are used to kill the remaining cells. The success rate for this method is higher than just using radiation, surgery or chemotherapy alone, but can still be dangerous.