Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that occurs in the thin cell walls which surround the abdominal cavity, known as the peritoneum. Other types of mesothelioma include malignant pleural mesothelioma, occurring in the cell wall surrounding the lungs, and malignant pericardial mesothelioma, which occurs in the pericardial lining of the hearth. Peritoneal mesothelioma is the second rarest form of the disease and accounts for approximately 20% of all mesothelioma cases each year.

What Causes Peritoneal Mesothelioma?

Peritoneal mesothelioma is known only to be caused by exposure to asbestos, a microscopic natural fiber that was used heavily in industry. Asbestos is said to reach the abdominal wall by one of two methods. The first is through ingested asbestos fibers which are processed through digestion and become lodged in peritoneum. These other method is through the lungs and lymph nodes, by inhaled asbestos fibers. Mesothelioma of the pleura is also known to metastasize directly into the abdominal cavity if its spread is not slowed.

How is Peritoneal Mesothelioma Treated?

Prognosis of mesothelioma patients is poor, and peritoneal mesothelioma patients are no exception. Most peritoneal treatment regimens for patients include palliative methods such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. However, if the disease is diagnosed in its earlier stages, patients may be eligible for surgical resection of the disease, which could potentially add years to initial prognoses.

How is Peritoneal Mesothelioma Diagnosed?

Physicians may suspect peritoneal mesothelioma if the patient complains of stomach, chest, or abdominal pain. Suspicious hernias may actually be a pleural effusion caused by peritoneal tumor growth. Misdiagnosis is common and patients will likely undergo multiple imaging scans and a diagnostic biopsy before an official diagnosis is made.

What are a patient's options?

Patients of peritoneal mesothelioma may be eligible for financial compensation if they exposed to asbestos. Industrial exposures were common and those exposed have collected compensation to finance high treatment costs. For additional information on your legal rights of mesothelioma please fill out the brief contact form on this page.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Pleural mesothelioma is the medical term for the lethal mesothelioma lung cancer caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers. There is no benign form of this disease; all occurrences of mesothelioma are malignant. Mesothelioma can attack several areas of the body, but two thirds of all mesothelioma diagnoses are pleural. Of the three thousand new cases of mesothelioma cancer diagnosed in the United States every year, two thousand of them are pleural mesothelioma, or mesothelioma lung cancer.

How Asbestos Causes Pleural Mesothelioma

The mesothelium is a membrane that lines several of the bodys internal cavities. Among them are the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum) and the pleural cavity, which is where the lungs are located. The pleura is a term for the dual layered mesothelium membrane that surrounds the lungs; the outer layer (the parietal layer) attaches to the chest wall, while the inner layer (the visceral layer) wraps around the lungs. The narrow space between the two is called the pleural area.

Asbestos finds its way to the pleural membrane through asbestos fibers which are inhaled by someone exposed to dust caused by the disturbance of asbestos. The fibers work their way through the lung to the pleural membrane and usually remain there as the body is unable to reject them.

These fibers will cause changes to the mesothelial cells that form the pleural membrane over a long period of time. Eventually the cells will begin uncontrolled growth - thickening the pleural walls, causing a buildup of fluid, and eventually leading to the development of mesothelioma cancer in the form of tumors. Often this process can take twenty years or more, which is why mesothelioma is usually diagnosed long after the exposure to asbestos has occurred.

Symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma symptoms can be misleading, as they resemble symptoms associated with more common afflictions such as asthma, allergies, cardiovascular problems, pneumonia and even tuberculosis. Symptoms include:

• A persistent cough that is harsh and dry

• Shortness of breath

• Painful inhalation

• Chest pain

• Weight loss

• Fever or night sweats

• Persistent fatique

The cause of many of these symptoms is the accumulation of fluid in the pleural area. That puts pressure on the lungs and chest wall while impacting breathing as well.

Pleural Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Diagnosis procedures for chest-related symptoms often begin with a chest X-ray. These images may show the thickening of the pleural wall. A CT or MRI scan may confirm the presence of fluid in the pleural area, which can be taken as a primary indicator of mesothelioma.

A chest drain or pleural tap? may be employed to extract fluid from the pleural area, which can then be tested for cancerous cells. A biopsy will also allow testing for cancerous cells. The biopsy sample is extracted through a small incision in the chest wall that allows the doctor to place a surgical tool between two ribs and extract a tissue sample.

Treatment for Pleural Mesothelioma

Unfortunately, pleural mesothelioma is usually diagnosed only after it has been active in the body for a long period. Symptoms do not begin to develop until after the cancerous stage is well underway. Treatment often involves surgery for the removal of any tumors that have developed, followed by a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

There has been a good deal of research on mesothelioma treatment, with the specific goal of extending the life expectancy for victims of the disease. While the disease can be slowed, it cannot be stopped. However several years ago the average life expectancy following a mesothelioma diagnosis was a year to eighteen months.

 

Today, the use of new medications in combination with chemotherapy andradiation can extend that average life expectancy into a period of years. There is an extended discussion of these options and developments in the treatment section of this website.

Legal Considerations

The liability of asbestos manufacturers and users has been well established legally throughout the world. In this country, it is a routine practice for mesothelioma patients to engage a mesothelioma attorney who specializes in getting compensation for victims of this disease. Billions of dollars have been set aside by asbestos corporations for this purpose.For a quick and expert legal analysis of your mesothelioma lawsuit options, contact mesothelioma lawyer today.

Malignant Mesothelioma

Malignant Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects the thin cell wall lining of the body's internal organs and structures. This lining is known as the mesothelium. Malignant mesothelioma has three known varieties. They are malignant pleural mesothelioma, malignant pericardial mesothelioma, and malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma occurs in the pleura, the lung's lining. Peritoneal mesothelioma occurs in the peritoneum, the abdominal cavity wall. And pericardial mesothelioma occurs in the lining of the hearth, known as the pericardium.

What Causes Malignant Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is known only to be caused by asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a nature, yet toxic mineral that was used commonly in heavy industry. Microscopic asbestos fibers enter the body through the lung or ingestion. Once inside, the durable fibers are unable to be broken down or expelled by the body, causing a harmful inflammation and scarring of the mesothelium. This scarring lays the groundwork mesothelioma and other respiratory conditions, such as asbestosis.

How is Malignant Mesothelioma Treated?

Malignant mesothelioma prognoses are poor, as often the disease will be diagnosed in its later stages after symptoms have appeared. However, there are several treatment options for the management of the cancer. Among these are chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgical resection. Chemotherapeutic and radiation therapy methods are more likely but surgery is often an option for those whose disease is diagnosed early enough.

How is Malignant Mesothelioma diagnosed?

Malignant Mesothelioma will typically be suspected if the patient complains of chest pain, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, chronic cough, or difficulty swallowing. While any of these could indicate mesothelioma, they are also associated with many other respiratory conditions so further diagnostic procedures are typically warranted. These may include imaging scans, such as computer topography or magnetic resonance imaging. A diagnostic biopsy is also required for cancer specialist to examine the behavior of these cells before a diagnosis is determined.

What options of patients of Malignant Mesothelioma have?

Patients of malignant mesothelioma or any other asbestos related health complications may be eligible for compensation if they were wrongfully exposed. All those seeking further information should fill out the brief contact form on this page to receive a mesothelioma and asbestos information packet detailing treatment and legal options.

Pericardial Mesothelioma

Malignant pericardial mesothelioma is a type of cancer that originates in the mesothelium, a thin wall of cells that surround the body's organs and internal body structures. Pericardial mesothelioma originates in the lining of the heart. Other locales of the disease are malignant pleural mesothelioma, which occurs in the lining of the lungs and malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, which occurs in the abdomen wall. Pericardial mesothelioma is the rarest of these malignancies and accounts for only an estimated 10 percent of all mesothelioma incidences annually.

What Causes Pericardial Mesothelioma?

Pericardial mesothelioma is known only to be caused by exposure to asbestos, a naturally occurring but toxic mineral that was used in industrial capacities. While the precise route by which microscopic asbestos fibers reaches the pericardial lining is not known, physicians surmise that inhaled asbestos fibers are absorbed into the bloodstream and become entangled in the heart's lining as the blood processes through the heart. Mesothelioma occurring in other parts of the body, such as in the pleura or peritoneum, can also metastasize to the pericardial lining.

How is Pericardial Mesothelioma Treated?

Prognoses are poor in cases of pericardial mesothelioma, just as nearly all mesothelioma cases are. However, several treatment options exist to help patients manage the disease and maintain comfort. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are the most likely treatment options for patients of this disease. Surgery is typically not an option because of the local of the disease and the risk of grave damage to the tumor area.

How is Pericardial Mesothelioma Diagnosed?

Physicians will often suspect pericardial mesothelioma if the patient has trouble breathing, shortness of breath, or chest pain. A comprehensive diagnostic and biopsy process will be undergone through use of multiple body imaging scans.

What a Patient's Options?

Patients of pericardial mesothelioma may be eligible for financial compensation if they were wrongly exposed to asbestos. Anyone who worked with asbestos products is potentially at-risk and should fill out the brief form on this page to receive additional treatment and legal information.

Epithelial Mesothelioma

Epithelial mesothelioma cells have a definite structure with visible nuclei. This is the most common variant of this type of cancer, accounting for about 60 percent of all cases. This type of mesothelioma develops when malignant cells develop on any of the mesothelial linings. When examined under a microscope, these cells are of a uniform size and shape, and resemble normal, healthy epithelial cells.

Epithelial mesothelioma cells also bear a strong resemblance to adenocarcinoma cells, which are also associated with lung tissue. Patients who have been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma should also be examined for mesothelioma as well.

Variants

Papillary mesothelioma is an example of epithelial mesothelioma; other variants include any of the following:

• Signet Ring

• Single File

• Adenoid Cystic

• Glandular

• Tubulopapillary

• Histiocytoid

• Microcystic

• Macrocystic

• Glomeruloid

• Diffuse - NOS

• Small Cell

• Deciduoid

• Pleomorphic

• In Situ

• Mucin Positive

• Well-Differentiated Papillary

• Gaucher Cell-Like

What differentiates these various types are the shape, size and formation of the cells. This can determine what course of treatment is appropriate for the patient's situations.

Epithelial Mesothelioma and Asbestos

Once asbestos fibers are inhaled, they become lodged in the lung tissue, where they remain indefinitely. Mesothelioma is associated with hard, crystalline amphibole asbestos, which consists of hard, needle-like fibers that literally bore through lung tissue over time, causing chronic inflammation that ultimately results in malignancy. The disease has a very long latency period, which can be anywhere from five to seventy-five years. The symptoms of the disease are also similar to other respiratory illnesses, which is why mesothelioma has historically been so difficult to diagnose.

Mesothelioma Stage IV

When determining the limit and nature of a few kind of cancer - which in fit, theater a big part in wily an appropriate classes of dealing - oncologists use up a rubric or "staging" approach. This is single individual of the criteria by which malignancies are classified, the former of which is firm by the location of the tumor and the third of which is firm by the cellular put together (or lack thereof).

Staging assists the oncologist in determining how far the cancer has future and how treatable the patient's disease really is.

Although at hand are three noticeable staging systems presently in use up, all three are based on four primary stages:
• The cancer is confined to individual organ or region and is relatively small.
• The cancer has mature in size, and has expand to individual other tissue.
• The cancer has expand to adjacent areas.
• The cancer has expand to distant areas of the body, or "metastasized."

Wearing Stage IV, the cancer has expand all the way through the body and is consistently terminal.

Butchart System

This is the oldest approach used by oncologists, and is used single in support of patients diagnosed with the pleural variety of mesothelioma. Wearing Stage IV under the Butchart System, the cancer has expand via the blood torrent and can be found all the way through parts of the body remote from the tumor's aim of origin.

TMN System

TNM stands in support of Tumor, Lymph Nodes, and Metastasis. This is a newer method which is more often than not employed in support of staging malevolent pleural mesothelioma, although it is furthermore used in support of the peritoneal type as well.
Under this approach, the cancer has expand well afar the innovative locate and into the strip of land as well as the lymphatic approach.

Brigham System

This is the newest staging approach, which was urbanized especially in support of use up in bags of mesothelioma.

Wearing Stage IV of the Brigham System, the cancer is fatal. Tumors are either be too big to remove surgically or obtain penetrated deep into central organs. The cancer has metastasized to to facilitate aim to facilitate malevolent cells can be found all the way through the patient's body, so to facilitate even if nearly of it can be impassive, the cancer will almost certainly happen again elsewhere.

Prognosis

By Stage IV, the tolerant is terminal, and has a reduced amount of than a day to live in largely bags. At this aim, doctors focus on quality of life issues, offering palliative treatments to facilitate can on the very slightest reduce tolerant pain and grief.