›› Mesothelioma
The National Cancer
Institute states that: "Malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer,
is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the sac
lining the chest (the pleura), the lining of the abdominal cavity (the
peritoneum) or the lining around the heart (the pericardium)."
Sadly, mesothelioma is an environmentally cause diseased.
That is most cases have occurred in people who have been exposed to
asbestos one their jobs. They have breathed the asbestos
fibers into their lungs. Other cases of mesothelioma have
occurred in people exposed to asbestos I a household
environment.
Exposure to asbestos can be deadly, as we have discovered. As
little as one or two months of exposure can result in mesothelioma 30
or 40 years later. The National Cancer Institute has noted
that "People exposed in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s are now being
diagnosed with mesothelioma because of the long latency period of
asbestos disease".
There are common early symptoms of mesothelioma, but usually they are
too general for a common person to make a proper evaluation.
Sometimes a person thinks they have pneumonia. Other symptoms
may include shortness of breath, chest pain, and/or persistent
cough. However, and this is important, some patients show no
symptoms at all. It is always good to have regular medical
check-ups including a chest x-ray.
However, diagnosis of mesothelioma requires taking a sample of fluid or
tissue for expert examination to determine if the cancer is present
diagnosis is very important, as the treatment is dependent upon an
accurate diagnosis. Talk to your doctor or contact a cancer
health care clinic for a list of expert pathologists to make the
diagnosis. Like most cancers, the prognosis for this disease
often depends on how early it is diagnosed and how aggressively it is
treated.
People diagnosed with this disease are often told the expected survival
rate is only eight to twelve months. However, specialists in
treating malignant mesothelioma at the leading cancer centers often
have better statistics. On expert in this particular cancer
is Dr. David Sugarbaker at Brigham and Women's Center in
Boston. His patients have achieved a five-year survival rate
in almost 40% for selected patients. Nevertheless, here
again, time is of the essence for even a partially successful
treatment.
There are three traditional kinds of treatment for patients with
malignant mesothelioma: surgery for taking out the cancer, chemotherapy
in using drugs to kill the cancer, and radiation therapy using
high-dose x-rays to kill cancer cells.
There are many fine websites to help you and your family through the
stages of dealing with the disease of mesothelioma.
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A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
