What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a relatively rare form of cancer that is the topic of much debate and scientific research. Over the past couple of decades scientists and physcians have worked to compile more concrete information surrounding the cause, prognosis and treatment options of this disease.

What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that specifically attacks cells lining the mesothelium, which line the lungs, heart and abdomen. Exposure to asbestos is the leading cause of this deadly form of cancer, with extensive scientific research demonstrating a causal link.

2,000 to 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the United States alone. While these numbers are fairly large, in comparison to the population this means that the disease is still somewhat rare. However, statistical projections indicate this number will continue to climb in the future.

Average Patient Demographics

Most people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma are between 50 and 70 years of age. It is certainly possible for somebody to be diagnosed with the disease if they are not within this range, but this is relatively rare due to the disease's long latency periods.

Historically, men have been more likely to develop mesothelioma due to the disease's tendency to have an occupationally-based causation. Unfortunately, secondary exposure to asbestos can also lead to mesothelioma. Science suggests that the incidence of mesothelioma in women is likely to continue to rise. Currently, women are more prone to paraoccupational secondary exposure when loved ones and family members bring the dangerous fibers home on their clothes and hair. For reasons that are still not clear to researchers, mesothelioma does seem to occur less often in african americans than in caucasians. Occurrence in children is extremely rare but is not unheard of. The causes behind childhood mesothelioma are relatively unknown because exposure to asbestos in this age bracket is very uncommon.

Life Expectancy and Survival Rates

Since it is difficult to detect mesothelioma in its early stages, diagnosis often does not occur until well after the disease has progressed. In many cases, this means that the life expectancy is little more than a year. However, if the disease is diagnosed within the first stage, treatments such as surgical resection of tumors or some organs can cause the survival rate to rise dramatically.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of cancer, spreading rapidly from the lungs to the abdomen and lymph nodes. Remission for this form of cancer is rare.

While treatment options have improved drastically in a relatively short period of time, there is currently no known cure for mesothelioma. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy can help a patient survive for several years if the cancer is discovered early enough. Combining alternative therapies with these tools has also been proven effective as a palliative form of treatment. Most therapies for mesothelioma are aimed at relieving symptoms and improving the patient's quality of life.

Various mesothelioma patients have survived years beyond their original prognosis by combining chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery with supplements, therapies, and stress reduction. This is referred to as a multimodal approach to treatment and has been widely accepted as the most effective way to combat mesothelioma. Some patients have experienced success and extended survival rates by undergoing aggressive or atypical surgical procedures, such as an extrapleural pneumonectomy. Life expectancy for patients will depend on the overall health of the individual, what stage of cancer they are diagnosed in, and what treatment options their doctor deems appropriate.

Mesothelioma Prevention and Vaccination

Medical experts are currently working on perfecting a vaccine that will help the body fight off the carcinogenic properties of asbestos. Progress has been made in the Netherlands to develop a vaccine that helps the body fight off mesothelioma. This particular vaccine is expected to be most effective for people who have been exposed but currently show no sign of symptoms. Avoidance of exposure to this deadly mineral remains the most effective method for preventing mesothelioma.

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Mesothelioma Surgery

While considered a traditional method for treating cancer, surgery is a somewhat limited option for mesothelioma patients. This is because mesothelioma is usually not diagnosed until the later stages of progression, when the cancer has spread beyond the scope of resectable measures. Surgical procedures for mesothelioma are usually palliative in nature, meaning they are intended to treat the cancer’s symptoms rather than cure the disease itself.

Surgical Options

There are several surgical options associated with mesothelioma, which range in their aggressiveness. Most of these procedures are meant to make the patient more comfortable and improve their quality of life. The five most common surgical procedures associated with mesothelioma are:

Thoracentesis

Pleurodesis

Pleurectomy

Extrapleural pneumonectomy

Lobectomy

Surgery in the case of mesothelioma is often used in conjunction with other treatment methods in what is known as a multimodal approach.

Surgical Methods

As mentioned earlier, surgery for mesothelioma patients is not usually done in an attempt to cure the cancer. Instead, surgery is performed for the following reasons:

Decrease the buildup of fluids—mesothelioma can cause fluid to buildup in the chest or lungs, causing the patient to have difficulty breathing. Surgeons can insert either a tube or a catheter into the body in order to drain the fluid. Doctors can also inject medications that can prevent future buildup.

Remove tissues surrounding the lungs or abdomen—as a means of symptom relief. This removal can be of the tissue lining the ribs and lungs, known as a pleurectomy, or the tissue lining the abdominal cavity, which is a peritonectomy.

Debulking—this is a procedure intended to resect as much of the cancer as possible, but does not surgically eliminate the cancer as a whole.

Lung removal (as well as the surrounding tissue)—resecting the affected lung, and the tissue surrounding it can be another means of symptom relief. This type of organ removal can allow doctors to use higher amounts of radiation post-operation since there will be less concern over organ damage due to radiation.

As medical professionals and scientists continue to research and gain information about mesothelioma, more extensive treatment options will become available. While the majority of cases are not receptive to surgery, improvements in diagnostic procedures and earlier staging could prove more hopeful.

References:

American Cancer Society

Mayo Clinic

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the Mesothelioma Prognosis

The prognosis of people diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the lung, is generally poor but it is slightly better than that of patients fighting some other types of mesothelioma.About 10 percent of pleural mesothelioma patients live longer than three years after being diagnosed. Of those survivors, half can expect to live five years beyond diagnosis. Most mesothelioma patients typically survive less than a year after learning they have the disease.

One study found that the average pleural mesothelioma patient lives for about 12 to 17 months after a diagnosis. This is longer than the prognosis of the average mesothelioma patient, whose life span is generally four to 18 months.

Many factors affect the prognosis of patients with pleural mesothelioma, which is the most common form of mesothelioma cancer. Chief among those factors is early detection and diagnosis. The sooner pleural mesothelioma is confirmed by a doctor, the sooner an appropriate treatment program, can be developed. If it is diagnosed early enough a doctor may be able to employ curative treatment techniques, which will have a huge positive impact on prognosis. If it is not diagnosed early enough, then the available treatment options may be limited to those that are considered palliative in nature, treatments that reduce the impact of symptoms but are not expected to have a major impact on the overall prognosis of a patient.

Find out about improving your pleural mesothelioma prognosis. The Mesothelioma Center's free informational packet discusses top treatments, top pleural mesothelioma doctors, new clinical trials and more. Fill out this form to get your complimentary packet.

Fundamentally, early detection and diagnosis is one of the more important determinants of a prognosis. However, there are a number of other factors a doctor will take into account when developing a prognosis:

the stage it is in

the size and location of the tumor or tumors

the cell type of the tumor

a patient's symptoms

a patient's age

a patient's overall health

a patient's gender.

course of treatment

a patient’s life style

Proper treatment is also a major component of prognosis. Treatment typically means a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, and it can improve someone's quality of life along with life expectancy.

Prognosis and the Stages of Pleural Mesothelioma

Because pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma, it is by far the most researched. Unlike less common and less researched forms of mesothelioma, researchers have developed a staging system intended to assist doctors in developing a course of treatment and help determine a patient’s prognosis.

The staging system ranges from Stage 1 to Stage 4. Each stage in the system represents progression of the cancer. As pleural mesothelioma progresses from Stage 1 to Stage 4 the tumor grows larger and begins to move into other areas of the body. As this happens, it becomes much more difficult to treat and therefore has a significant impact on a patient's prognosis.

Unfortunately, the early stages of pleural mesothelioma, Stage 1 and Stage 2, either have no symptoms at all or the symptoms are so mild that they are often attributed to other, more common conditions. In most cases, once symptoms are noticeable and un-attributable to other conditions, the cancer has progressed into the later and more difficult to treat stages, Stage 3 and Stage 4.

How Cell Types Affecting Prognosis

In addition to diagnosing the stage of pleural mesothelioma cancer, a doctor will determine the type of cell that makes up the tumor. Because each cell type can be an indicator of how aggressive the tumor will spread and how well it will respond to treatment, doctors need to know the cell type before developing a treatment plan and a prognosis.. Analyzed cells from the tumors will point to one of three main types of mesothelioma cells: epithelial, sarcomatoid or biphasic.

About half of all mesothelioma cases, including pleural mesothelioma, are epithelial. This type of tumor is made up of fairly uniformcells that are small or medium in size. The more organized cell structure can lend itself well to more treatment options, leaving open the possibility of potentially curative surgery. Epithelial tumors therefore have the best prognosis overall.

Nonepithelial tumors can be significantly more aggressive and more difficult to treat, leading to a worse prognosis. One study found that men over the age of 50 — a demographic representing the majority of mesothelioma patients — survived a median of 12 to 18 months with epithelial tumors, but only nine to 12 months with nonepithelial tumors.

Nonepithelial tumors are split into two subtypes: sarcomatoid and biphasic. The sarcomatoid subtype, which accounts for 10 to 20 percent of pleural mesothelioma cases, is the most aggressive form of the cancer. It spreads quickly and reacts poorly to both chemotherapy and is very difficult to surgically remove. The biphasic subtype, reported in 30 to 40 percent of mesothelioma cases, is a mixture of the other two. This means treatment and prognosis rely heavily on how much of the tumor is epithelial versus sarcomatoid. If a majority of the tumor is made up of the sarcomatoid cell type it is more likely to spread aggressively and less likely to respond favorably to treatment.

Treatment Strategies that Can Impact Prognosis

Taking action against pleural mesothelioma, whether in the form of conventional treatments or lifestyle changes, can change your prognosis and increase your life span. When developing a treatment strategy, your doctor will determine if you are elegible for potentially curative treatments or palliative treatments. Your doctor can determine if you are eligible for these treatments by evaluating the stage and cell type of your cancer, while keeping in mind your gender, age and overall health.

If you are eligible for a potentially curative treatment, your treatment plan will usually be a form of multimodal therapy. Multimodal therapy is any combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Alone, each of these treatments can improve life expectancy. Combining them, however, has been proven to be very effective and is associated with a higher survival rate than any one treatment alone.

Surgery: The two most common types of surgery for pleural mesothelioma are extrapleural pneumonectomy and pleurectomy/decortication. Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) removes the entire cancerous lung and affected nearby tissue. The loss of a lung has a significant impact on quality of life, but it can be effective in removing all or most of the tumor.

Pleurectomy/decortication (P/D), on the other hand, leaves the lung intact and only removes the affected lining of the lung and lining of the chest cavity. Generally, P/D patients have a better prognosis after surgery and a better quality of life than those who undergo EPP.

Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy drugs are designed to target cancer cells in order to stop their spread or kill them entirely. Chemotherapy alone is not as successful in mesothelioma as it can be in other cancers, but it can improve prognosis when properly combined with surgery and/or radiation therapy.

Radiation Therapy: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays or other radiation in order to stop the growth of cancer cells. Alone, it can be effective in providing relief from symptoms in mesothelioma patients. To improve prognosis, however, it should be combined with other forms of treatment.

Impact of Age and Gender on Prognosis

Besides the characteristics of the mesothelioma itself, your doctor will also take into account your symptoms, age, gender and overall health.These factors can affect your treatment options, prognosis and life expectancy.

A patient's initial symptoms may affect prognosis and life expectancy. Studies have shown that patients tend to live longer if they initially show no corresponding weight loss or chest pain. These two symptoms can mean that the tumor has grown within the chest cavity, causing internal complications that may be more difficult to resolve.

Patients under the age of 50 who are relatively healthy tend to respond better to treatment and have fewer complications. This can play a major role in overall prognosis. Often, older patients or those with pre-existing medical conditions do not have the same treatment options as younger, healthier patients. Surgery, for example, may be too risky, and recovery time for such treatment may be much longer. One 2010 study by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons tracked the survival times for men with epithelial tumors and distinguished if they were older or younger than 50 years old. Those over 50 had a median survival of about 15 months, while the younger patients lived a median of about 22 months.

In addition to age, gender can play a key role in prognosis, as women have been found to survive longer than men. Although the vast majority of mesothelioma patients are men, long-term survivors tend to be women. The same 2010 study explained that this observation is not entirely understood, in part because there are so few female patients that their prognostic factors are difficult to generalize. However, the study did point to a number of possible explanations: women tend to be younger at the time of diagnosis; women are more likely to develop epithelial tumors than nonepithelial; and women tend to respond better to treatments such as surgery.

Lifestyle Changes to Help Prognosis

Patients may choose to make personal lifestyle changes to boost prognosis, such as implementing dietary changes, regular exercise and quitting smoking Adopting healthier eating habits can boost overall well-being while easing pleural mesothelioma symptoms. One 2007 study suggested that a ketogenic diet such as Atkins or South Beach is helpful for fighting brain cancer because it is effective in reducing overall caloric intake while also reducing overall glucose levels. Tumors require glucose to grow rapidly.

The addition of certain fruits, vegetables, herbs and other foods can boost nutrient levels and immunity in the body. These are especially important in the recovery phase after surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Among foods to add to a diet to improve prognosis are:

Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables for antioxidants

Fruits for vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients

Garlic for antibiotics

Mushrooms to increase immune system response to cancer cells

Nuts for protein, fiber and healthy fat

Exercise can also be beneficial for pleural mesothelioma patients. The National Cancer Institute recommends keeping exercise levels up during cancer treatment and recovery. It stated that three to five hours of exercise each week can improve quality of life for cancer patients by reducing fatigue, elevating mood and minimizing treatment symptoms such as nausea.

Additionally, smokers should consider quitting. Smokers have not been found to have higher rates of mesothelioma, and smokers who do develop mesothelioma do not have any worse a prognosis than nonsmokers. However, smoking does have a huge impact on lung function, which is already compromised by mesothelioma. Quitting smoking has noticeable effects on lung function and can therefore help reduce common symptoms such as difficulty breathing.

Although pleural mesothelioma patients tend to receive a poor prognosis, it is important to understand why they received that prognosis and what they can do to extend their life expectancies. When weighing your options, consider conventional treatments — surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy — but also keep in mind the effects of holistic approaches such as diet and exercise.

Learn more about how you can improve your prognosis and increase your life span. Request a free book from the Mesothelioma Center by filling out this form. Choose between four books that discuss nutrition, dealing with mesothelioma and becoming a survivor.

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Mesothelioma Lawyer

Mesothelioma disease is a rare form of lung cancer which affects the lungs due to the direct exposure to asbestos. Even though, there are some protective measures to improve up on the quality of asbestos, it still remains as a serious cause of concern for people who are exposed to it, where there is old construction with old asbestos sheets. People who suffer from mesetholioma can seek the advice of a mesothelioma lawyer for protection by way of compensation.

The stringent measures to control the use of asbestos and to enhance the quality of it notwithstanding, people are still exposed to it and suffer from mesothelioma and other asbestos related deadly diseases. People in the age group of 25-50 years are found to be more exposed to asbestos. It was a common scene among the people who work at construction sites and ships during 1970’s.

Mesothelioma lawyer can give you the timely advices on your rights if you or your loved one are exposed to this disease. Mesothelioma lawyer are specialized people to help you out in legal matters, when you are in need of a legal help to get a compensation for it. But it is a costly affair to consult with a mesothelioma lawyer and proceed with a case for compensation because these lawyers charge you exorbitantly.

Tips to choose the right Mesothelioma Lawyer:

To find out the right mesothelioma lawyer is a strenuous task. They are a few in number. But there are some mesothelioma lawyer firms which are fully into it. Even then it is a hard task to find which firm or the lawyer is the best among them. Here are some tips that could help you in selecting a best Mesothelioma lawyer.

Search the back ground of the Lawyer:

When you get to know about a mesothelioma lawyer, try to know more about him/her. You can speak directly with the lawyer or you can collect the back ground details of the lawyer from his representatives. If you contact with a mesothelioma lawyer firm, you can collect all these details from sites which are available online. You could collect the details from the state’s bar association also.

Experience Matters in Mesothelioma law suits:

Experience in winning mesothelioma cases is important while considering a lawyer for appearing for compensation case in asbestos related cases. Since it is a very complicated and somewhat unique in nature, the mesothelioma cases are to be handled by very experienced mesothelioma lawyers. So try to find out a mesothelioma lawyer who has successful past record of winning many cases of this sort.

Personal attention:

Find out if the mesothelioma attorney that you choose, will handle your case personally. In some cases, your case may be referred to some other attorneys or firms with a wider network. At times, this would be of great help because it may refer your case to the area where compensation for mesothelioma cases is higher. Mesothelioma compensation settlement varies from state to state in the US.

Representation Fee:

This is a facility where in you do not need to pay any fee beforehand. You will be asked to pay the fee related to the proceeds of the case if you have one it. Most of the people will be devoid of any means to pay the fee in advance since they must have spent a lot on treatment itself. Mesothelioma lawyer fee is not a fixed amount but a percentage on the compensation awarded to his/her client.

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Serum mesothelin for diagnosing malignant pleural mesothelioma

Mesothelin is currently considered the best available serum biomarker for malignant pleural mesothelioma. To examine the reported diagnostic accuracy of mesothelin and evaluate its value for early diagnosis, the authors performed a meta-analysis on the individual patient data (IPD) of 16 diagnostic studies, representing a total of 4,491 individuals, including 1,026 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

They found a significant heterogeneity in reported diagnostic accuracies of mesothelin (see Figure for sensitivity of mesothelin in different studies). Differences in study population can explain this heterogeneity, since the type of control group, mesothelioma stage, and histological subtype were found to affect the diagnostic accuracy.

Moreover, they examined mesothelin in two clinically relevant settings: as an adjunct to rule in or to rule out early-stage mesothelioma. Results indicated that it would not be advisable to use a negative mesothelin test to exclude mesothelioma, even at a high-sensitivity threshold. Conversely, a positive mesothelin test at a high-specificity threshold would provide a strong incentive to urge ensuing diagnostic steps, but the associated poor sensitivity (about 30%) at that level clearly limits the added value to early diagnosis.

Several approaches to anticipate the limited accuracy of serum mesothelin are discussed in this manuscript, together with other directions for further biomarker research. For any novel candidate biomarker of mesothelioma, it will be essential to evaluate its accuracy in direct comparison with mesothelin in a sufficiently large study population, including relevant controls, such as healthy asbestos-exposed individuals and patients with lung cancer, and patients with early stage mesothelioma.

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peritoneal mesothelioma

Peritoneal Mesothelioma is Cancer of the Abdominal Lining

One of the fatal types of mesothelioma is Peritoneal Mesothelioma in which the cancerous cells attack the lining of the abdomen called Peritoneum. Peritoneum is the thin membrane, which shields various organs of the abdomen and also provides a lubricating fluid to enable the organs to move and work properly. Peritoneal Mesothelioma, which affects this lining, is yet now a relatively rare disease that accounts for about 1/5 of all mesotheliomas. Its only known cause in the U.S. till date is previous exposure to asbestos.

Major symptoms

Though Mesothelioma is neither age nor sex specific, peritoneal Mesothelioma is mostly seen in men who are in the age group of 50-70 years. There are a number of symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma most of which start appearing after 20, 30 or 50 years after the exposure to asbestos. These symptoms may include weight loss (however, waist line may increase), pain or swelling in the abdomen, weakness, loss of appetite, bowel obstruction, anemia, nausea and fever. Also, fluid often accumulates in the peritoneal space leading to a condition called Ascites.

Diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma

The initial step towards detection of peritoneal mesothelioma includes X-rays and CT scans. For confirmed diagnosis, however the doctor needs to do biopsy whereby a piece of tissue is cut from the affected part of the victim's body and is placed under microscope for examination. If the disease is detected at an early stage it stands better chance of getting cured than the state of diffuse peritoneal mesothelioma, where the cancer has already spread to various parts.

The cure

It's true that peritoneal mesothelioma is fatal and leads to several deaths every year. However, with continued researches, several modes of treatments have been embarked upon and in the future there is a fair chance of the disease becoming absolutely curable. The types of treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

In surgery a part of the abdominal tissue is cut out to remove the tumor. At times the doctor may also need to remove a lung or a portion of the diaphragm as per the requirement of the surgery. Radiation therapy, the second method, requires the application of high energy X-rays to shrink the tumor and kill the malignant cells. The rays may be applied from an external machine or by placing the radiation source directly to the affected part of the body, by means of plastic tubes. Last treatment type is the chemotherapy whereby a combination of drugs is applied to kill the cancer cells. The drugs may be administered by mouth in the capsule form or may be applied intravenously via needle.

However, it is essential to mention that cost of treating any form of cancer is extravagant and you may consult a mesothelioma lawyer to earn you a handsome compensation from the authority who was responsible for your prior exposure to asbestos.

So learn more about peritoneal mesothelioma so that you can initiate the treatment at the very early stage and get cured.

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Facts about Adominal Asbestos Mesothelioma

About Abdominal Asbestos Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a kind of cancer that affects the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a layer of membrane that is very thin and it protects almost all the internal organs inside our body. Mesothelioma has been connected with the fibrous mineral, asbestos that has used in construction for years. In fact, most cases of mesothelioma are always connected with prior contact with the mineral.

In asbestos mesothelioma, cancerous cells affect the mesothelial layer that is present in the chest cavity called the pleura and the lungs. There are some cases where the cancer has also occurred in the peritoneum, or the lining present in the abdominal cavity and the pericardium, which is the membrane sac that is around the heart.

Abdominal asbestos mesothelioma occurs in the peritoneum. People with this condition may have come into contact with asbestos and worked in areas where it has been present. This exposure to asbestos may occur in different forms. A worker while working may inhale the fibers of asbestos while on duty. A person who may not be a worker may also be exposed to asbestos by various other means. A person who washes the clothes of a worker who is exposed to asbestos directly may also be prone to abdominal asbestos mesothelioma.

A survey has shown that out of every seven people exposed to asbestos, one is likely to develop asbestos related cancer that may include abdominal asbestos mesothelioma.

There are various signs and symptoms that are related to abdominal asbestos mesothelioma. But one common problem the doctors often face when it comes to diagnosing it is that the symptoms are very difficult to identify. The signs are not noticeable till about twenty to fifty years after a person has been exposed to asbestos. The symptoms vary and are dependent on various factors, like the particular type of mesothelioma a person is afflicted with and the length of time that he has been exposed to asbestos.

The symptoms that are related to abdominal asbestos mesothelioma include cachexia which is a condition in which a person loses a lot of weight, experiences tiredness, anorexia and atrophy. The abdomen gets swollen which is a result of excessive fluids in the cavity of the abdomen. If this cancer is in a very advanced stage, pain is caused because of the buildup.

A person could also have symptoms like fever, anemia, blood clotting abnormalities and the bowels getting obstructed. If the cancer spreads to the other organs, the patient will also suffer from swelling of the face and neck and could have a lot of trouble swallowing.

Abdominal asbestos mesothelioma is fatal. The treatment methods that are available today are only partly successful. Doctors combine chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy and surgery. Other kinds of treatment that are related to abdominal asbestos mesothelioma are mainly for the relief of the symptoms rather than an actual cure. A procedure that is called heated intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy helps in the prevention of the development of this cancer by trying to remove as much of the tumor as possible from the patient.

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