What is pericardial mesothelioma ?

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.

How do you treat 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.

Mesothelioma is serious cancer.

Mesothelioma is serious cancer and asbestos is main cause. During in 1940 and 1950s constructions community used asbestos as the best thing to happen after cement for construction industry. Asbestos was applied greatly in insulator and ceiling tiles in homes, schools and factories because to high degree of stability and resistance to very high temperatures.

Nonetheless, asbestos is capable of causing harm, contaminant. It has trend to break into small parts and remain stay in the air for longer durations. For individual who is that comes in contact it, becomes attackable to serious disease to lung cancer or mesothelioma lung cancers.

What types of Mesothelioma?
Name of Mesothelioma, asbestos related cancer, acquires its name from the mesothelium cells that are responsible for protecting and enabling easy movement of our vital organs such as lungs, heart and the abdomen in the body. Mesothelioma is generally of three types, pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma and pericardial mesothelioma.

If a person is suffering from hoarseness, difficulty in breathing, loss in weight, coughing, blood in sputum, chest pain, weak muscles, reduced tactile sensitivity, he may be suffering from Pleural mesothelioma or the cancer of lining of the lungs. This is the most common type of mesothelioma and almost two-thirds of the mesothelioma patients suffer from pleural mesothelioma. The Peritoneal mesothelioma or cancer of the lining of the abdomen causes impaired bowel motion, bloating, swelling in feet, and nausea. This is less common among mesothelioma patients and it affects one-third of the mesothelioma patients. Pericardial mesothelioma is of the cancer of lining of the heart. It is also caused because of asbestos exposure. However, its prevalence is rare. Pericardial mesothelioma manifests in the form of chest pain, palpitations and cough.

Lawsuits related to Mesothelioma:
The dangerous consequences of long term contact with asbestos and its linkage to mesothelioma cancers has led to several lawsuits against its manufacturers. The manufactures were claimed by the attorneys that they were aware of the capable of causing harm affects of asbestos exposure and yet persisted with its use for profit motives. This is the reason why juries have ordered stringent awards in many mesothelioma and asbestos related lawsuits.

How do you treat 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.

Asbestos Mesothelioma- A Deadly Disease

Asbestos- the Main Culprit behind Asbestos Mesothelioma

Asbestos mesothelioma is a rare but dangerous cancer caused by exposure to asbestos particles suspended in the air. Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring silicate minerals. It is made up of strong and durable fibers that are resistant to heat and fire. Thin long and flexible structure of asbestos fibers allows you to weave them even into cloth. These inherent qualities of asbestos prompted the manufacturers of industrial, automotive, maritime, scientific, building and consumer products to use it widely during 1890-1970.

Different Types of Mesothelioma and Their Symptoms

Asbestos mesothelioma affects the lining of lungs, abdominal organs or heart. Asbestos mesothelioma affecting lining of lungs or pleural membrane is called pleural mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the lining of abdominal organs or peritoneum. When this disease shows its effect in the lining of heart or pericardium, it is known as pericardial mesothelioma. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are pain and swelling in abdomen, weakness, loss of weight, loss of appetite and nausea. In most of the cases, fluid accumulates in the peritoneal space. Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are persistent cough, difficulty in breathing, weakness, loss of weight, loss of appetite, chest pain, lower back pain and difficulty in swallowing. In most of the cases, a fluid accumulates in pleural space.

Asbestos Mesothelioma Kills Silently

Most unfortunate thing about the asbestos mesothelioma is its long latency period. Any individual, who had asbestos exposure even 20 to 50 years back, may have asbestos mesothelioma lying dormant in his body without any appearance of aforementioned symptoms. By the time, symptoms become noticeable, it is already too late. The average survival time of all types of mesothelioma patients is not more than 24 months.

Diagnosis of Asbestos Mesothelioma

Diagnosis of asbestos mesothelioma involves x-ray, CT-scan, peritoneoscopy and bronchoscopy. After finding any abnormality doctor may suggest biopsy. In biopsy, we send a tissue sample for pathological examination. After examining tissue sample an expert pathologist can confirm about the development of disease.

Chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery are some treatment options available for the patients suffering from asbestos mesothelioma. People suffering form asbestos mesothelioma can filer lawsuits to recover damages for the persons or industries responsible for their asbestos exposure.