Aging and Disease

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a cancer of the peritoneum, or tissue lining the abdomen and some of its organs. This lining tissue provides a small amount of lubricating fluid that allows organs in the gut to move and work properly. This cancer accounts for approximately ten percent of all malignant mesotheliomas and is therefore rarer than malignant pleural mesothelioma, which affects the tissue lining the chest and lungs. Irrespective of location, the majority of malignant mesotheliomas are associated with exposure to asbestos.

A person with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma may be diagnosed because of complaints such as an abdominal lump or swelling, unexplained weight loss, fever, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, nausea, and constipation caused by bowel obstruction. There are many other conditions that could cause similar symptoms, and in the absence of an accurate history of asbestos exposure, a diagnosis of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma may be missed.

When malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is suspected, the patient’s doctor orders a CT scan or an MRI to detect the presence of any abnormality in the abdomen. If features suggesting this cancer are present, a biopsy of the potentially cancerous tissue is taken to determine the types of cells in this tissue.

Once diagnosed, the exact treatment and the eventual outcome depend on the types of cells found in the cancer. People with epithelioid cell cancers typically have the best survival, followed by those with mixed cell cancers. Sarcomatoid cell cancers carry the worst prognosis. The average survival time is approximately one year, and five-year survival is lower than ten percent. Because of this poor prognosis, the cancer is treated as aggressively as the patient’s overall physical condition allows, with some combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Surgery helps remove the bulk of the cancer. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are then used to kill the remaining cancer cells.

Malignant Mesothelioma provides detailed information about malignant mesothelioma, diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma, malignant mesothelioma diagnosis, malignant mesothelioma lawyer and more. Malignant Mesothelioma is the sister site of Peritoneal Mesothelioma Lawyers.

Tags: Disease, Medical

Popularity: 1%

Peritoneal Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that attacks the lining of the abdomen. The cancer envelops many of the organs in the abdomen by a thin membrane of mesothelial cells, known as the peritoneum. Its only known cause in the U.S. is previous exposure to asbestos, and in most of the cases, the disease appears after many years of the exposure to the asbestos. Peritoneal mesotheliomas account for about one-fifth of all mesotheliomas. It affects the lining that protects the contents of the abdomen and which also provides a lubricating fluid to enable the organs to move and work properly.

This type asbestos-related cancer is the second most common after Pleural Mesothelioma. Just like pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma can be either benign or malignant. There are a number of symptoms for this disease. These symptoms typically include abdominal pains, weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal swelling. Depending on the location of the tumor, additional problems such as breathing problems and severe pains can be experienced. Fluid often accumulates in the peritoneal space, a condition known as ascites. Over time the wasting symptoms can become more and more severe.

X-rays and CT scans are, typically, the first step towards detecting peritoneal mesothelioma. Though the actual diagnosis is achieved by obtaining a piece of tissue from the victim’s body. Presently, there are treatments, but no for sure known cure, for peritoneal mesothelioma. The prognosis depends on various factors, including the size and stage of the tumor, its extent, the cell type, and whether or not the tumor responds to treatment. However, the options for relief and treatment of people with peritoneal mesothelioma have opened up, especially for those whose cancer is diagnosed early and treated vigorously.

Specific types of treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma include:

1-Surgery

2-Radiation Therapy

3-Chemotherapy

Peritoneal Mesothelioma causes many deaths each year. Although it is not the most common form of this cancer, many new cases come to light each year. However, with continued research and clinical trials, it may be possible to one day make this a curable disease and save the life of people who have fallen victim to this dreadful disease.

Mesotherapy provides detailed information about mesotherapy, cost of mesotherapy, mesotherapy before and after, mesotherapy injections and more. Mesotherapy is the sister site of Mesothelioma Doctors Info.

Tags: Illness, Health

Popularity: 1%

Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma is neoplasm arising from the serosal lining of the peritoneal and pericardial cavities. Primary tumors arising from the peritoneal mesothelioma are extremely rare. The accurate diagnosis of the diffuse peritoneal mesothelioma is important because it almost invariably has a fatal outcome. In many cases, malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is not diagnosed until after surgery or autopsy. The distinction of the malignant peritoneal mesothelioma from tumors metastatic to the serosal membranes can often be made based on the results of histochemical studies.

The most common symptoms of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma are difficulty in breathing, chest pain, or both. Other symptoms include weight loss, fever, night sweats, cough, and a general feeling of not being well, although these symptoms are not as common.

The standard treatment for the malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is not curative. Aggressive treatment will enable some patients to experience long-term survival, but it is still unclear whether overall survival rates would be significantly changed by different treatments or combinations of treatments. There are different treatments available for the malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, depending upon the state of its diagnosis. For stage one, that is localized malignant peritoneal Mesothelioma, standard treatments are malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, intracavitary mesothelioma, intracavitary chemotherapy following resection.

For stages 2 to 4, that is advanced malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, treatments available are symptomatic treatment to include drainage of effusions, chest tube pleurodesis, or thoracoscopic pleurodesis, palliative surgical resection in selected patients, palliative radiation therapy, single-agent chemotherapy, and multimodality clinical trials.

To date, there are no treatment approaches that have been shown to improve survival or control symptoms for a prolonged period of time. But with the advancement in the field of technology and medicine, there is hope that some day, doctors will be able to defeat the tumor and come out with some life-saving treatment against this dreadful tumor.

Mesotherapy provides detailed information about mesotherapy, cost of mesotherapy, mesotherapy before and after, mesotherapy injections and more. Mesotherapy is the sister site of Mesothelioma Doctors Info.

Tags: Disease, Cancer

Popularity: 1%