Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Mesothelioma - A Rare And Fatal Cancer

By Shan Durai

Exposure to asbestos is the chief cause of this sort of cancer called mesothelioma. Jobs that deals with or takes place around asbestos is always suspect. In a study carried out, it was found that up to 80% of all mesothelioma cancer patients had periods of lengthened exposure to asbestos at some point in their lives. Thought of a rare type of cancer, mesothelioma cases number in the vicinity of 3 to 4 thousand every year. There are 3 chief varieties of mesothelioma cancer that vary depending on the area of the body that has been affected. The three main varieties of mesothelioma cancer are Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Pericardial Mesothelioma and Pleural Mesothelioma.

It is called mesothelioma because of the area it affects, the mesothelium. The cavities that we are interested in are the Pleura, Pericardium and Peritoneum cavities.

Depending on the sort of mesothelioma contracted, symptoms may vary. The symptoms can take as long as 50 years to show up Peritoneal Mesothelioma - Weight loss, Abdominal Pain, Abdominal swelling, Nausea, lumps in the abdomen region, erratic bowel movements. Pleural mesothelioma symptoms consist of chest pains, lumps in the chest, and painful breathing instead. Lastly, pericardial mesothelioma symptoms involve murmurs, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations and orthopnea.

Remission of the cancer is achievable with treatment but such cases are not widespread. The survival rate of patients is not promising at all. The life expectancy of those with advanced stages of this cancer usually do not survive more than a year. Those fortunate enough to uncover the cancer in its early stages can expect to live for up to 5 years.

Because of its rarity, widespread research is not being done. The most aggressively researched region would pleural mesothelioma, spearheaded by the recognized Dr.David Sugarbaker as well as other significant doctors specializing in mesothelioma. The main areas of research tend to target pleural mesothelioma and new, aggressive techniques have been found to prolong live expectancy by years.

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