Sunday, October 16, 2011

Test May Detect Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma was recorded has increased worldwide. Like many cancers, early detection is the key to survival and a better quality of life for patients. Now, a group of Japanese researchers pave the way for laboratory tests can help doctors identify the disease - and begin aggressive treatment - previously.

Writing in the journal, Modern Pathology, the researchers explain how a protein called CD146 can serve as a biomarker for mesothelioma. protein has been shown to be present in patients with advanced malignant melanoma, prostate cancer and ovarian cancer. Now, for the first time, researchers also identified the presence in the lung fluid of mesothelioma patients.

The research team tested the lung fluid of 51 patients, 23 had malignant mesothelioma and 28 had benign lung condition called reactive mesothelium. Although the patients experienced the same symptoms and all had fluid build-up, only patients with malignant mesothelioma presence of CD146 positive. The researchers reported that the protein was undetectable in all cases of reactive mesothelium. They can use CD146 to identify and confirm 90 percent of patients with malignant mesothelioma.

Caused exclusively by exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma is very difficult to diagnose. Its symptoms, which can include shortness of breath and cough, can mimic other diseases and even CT scans are often not definitive. As a result, some cases of mesothelioma are not identified until the disease is in advanced stage and treatment options are limited. Japanese researchers wrote "We propose that CD146 is a sensitive and specific immunocytochemical marker allowing differential diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma from reactive mesothelium."

According to the World Health Organization Read More

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Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma - 5 Important Facts Should Know About Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare type of mesothelioma which attacks the lining of abdomen also known as peritoneum. Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a universally fatal disease affecting 20% to 30% of the mesothelioma cases. It's was first described by Miller and Wynn in the year 1908. According to the statistics, in the past two decades, the incidence of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma cancer has increased.

Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the lining of the abdomen also known as peritoneum. The location of malignant cell is human's abdominal lining and because of that, MPM can sometimes known as abdominal mesothelioma. However, most common term used to describe this type of cancer is peritoneal mesothelioma.

The main cause of MPM in humans is asbestos. Asbestos typically is the one of most commonly roofing materials since it is not only cheaper but is easy to fix on a roof. Asbestos exposure contributed to almost 70 to 80 percent of mesothelioma lung cancer. Humans come into contact with asbestos when they swallow or inhale the fibers. Asbestos inhalation may increase risk to develop asbestos related diseases, most importantly mesothelioma.

Asbestos was completely banned in UK since it was recognized to be a serious health hazard, and it is now responsible for about 4000 deaths each year and many cases of serious disease. The people at increase risk of developing health asbestos related disease are those whose work brings them into direct contact with asbestos such as builders, heating engineers, roofers and demolition workers. In addition to mesothelioma, asbestos exposure will increase the risk of other health problems such as lung cancer, asbestosis (chronic lung ailment) and other type of cancer such as larynx and kidney cancer.

Symptoms of Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma

It can takes such a long time for cancer to develop the symptoms and sometimes may take up to 30 years, between exposure to asbestos and the start of the disease. Most common symptoms of the disease are abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, abnormal weight loss, anemia, easy fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Abdominal pain and swelling result from fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity. Other than that, people can easily get fever when the disease starts to shows its symptoms. Among the symptoms stated above, abdominal pain is the most common reported initial symptoms of MPM.

Unexplained night sweats and blood coagulation problems are less frequent symptoms occurring when the cancer develops. If the cancer cells spread to the other part of the body, the symptoms may lead to trouble swallowing or swelling of the neck and face.

Diagnosis of Abdominal Mesothelioma

It is very difficult to diagnose peritoneal mesothelioma since there is no defined system so far that can differentiate the stages of the development of cancerous tumor cells. If required, TNM staging system normally used to detect the cancer in stages. Other than that, Serum mesothelin-related protein (SMRP) may be a potentially useful serum marker used to diagnose and to follow-up the cancer progression. Computer tomography (CT) findings may be a useful tool in detection and characterization of peritoneal mass.

Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma is a deadly neoplasm. MPM's diagnosis is difficult to perform since the symptoms will take a long time to show up. Early detection is the key in peritoneal mesothelioma treatment since the cancer cell normally spread very fast.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma can be regarded as a very dangerous cancer among other cancer.However we can prevent this problems from occur to you and your family. As i said before, early detection is the key of peritoneal mesothelioma treatment success since the cancer cell spread very fast. Get your free update's information about mesothelioma especially mesothelioma treatment by click > mesothelioma

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What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma can either be malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous) in nature. Mesothelioma affects the mesothelium, hence mesothelioma. What is the mesothelium?

The mesothelium is a type of tissue lined with special cells referred to as mesothelial cells. The mesothelial cells typically line the abdominal cavity, heart cavity, chest cavity, and the outer surface of most internal organs. Each cavity has a specific name for the mesothelial covered cavity which is:

Peritoneum: abdominal cavity
Pleura: chest cavity
Pericardium: heart cavity

The mesothelium has a specific purpose in the body. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that allows easy movement of the organs. The pleural mesothelium for example, allows the lungs to move easily with each breath that is taken. Without this, breathing would be a difficult and possibly painful process.
Many refer to malignant mesothelioma as simply, mesothelioma. There are three main types of malignant mesothelioma ranked from less likely to more commonly seen:

Sarcomatoid
Mixed/Biphasic
Epithelioid

Malignant mesothelioma more commonly begins in the chest cavity (pleural mesothelioma). Approximately 10-20% of the cases of malignant mesothelioma will begin in the abdominal cavity (peritoneal mesothelioma). Malignant mesothelioma rarely begins in the cavity surrounding the heart (pericardial mesothelioma).
Malignant Mesothelioma Statistics:

Mesothelioma is a very rare cancer estimated to affect 2,000-3,000 newly diagnosed cases annually in the U.S. The United States reported an increased rate of mesothelioma from 1970 to 1990, which has currently stabilized and possibly decreased. However, European countries continue to see an increase in the rate of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is commonly seen in the ages 65 years and older but increases with age. Mesothelioma is 5 times more likely to affect men than women. Mesothelioma is more common in the Caucasian nationality than African American.

Mesothelioma is a very serious cancer. Symptoms commonly do not appear early which causes mesothelioma to be diagnosed at an advanced stage. For this reason, mesothelioma has a low survival rate that is about 1-2 years. However, cancer research is slowly changing this statistic. Learn more about what risk factors predispose you to mesothelioma.

Kristy is a mother and experienced nurse. She has a Bachelor in Biology and Chemistry and writes to inform individuals interested in health information.

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Reducing Mesothelioma Life Expectancy

Chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery or a combination of the three is used in the treatment of mesothelioma. The survival ratio can only be ascertained after diagnosis (up to 5 to 10 years) and implementation of varied treatment some of which are yet undergoing clinical trials. The membrane lining of the abdomen, lungs and the heart gets affected by the cancer referred to as malignant mesothelioma, triggered by exposure to asbestos.

The condition is caused almost always due to the ingestion or inhalation of asbestos. The disease takes approximately 30 to 40 years to manifest initial signs and symptoms, from the time of initial ingestion or inhalation. This is one of the reasons why mesothelioma is mostly seen in older people. This is one of the most painful, fatal and aggressive type of cancers, even though it is not very common, and efforts are being made to improve mesothelioma life expectancy.

Types of malignant mesothelioma

Pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma and pericardial mesothelioma are the three types of cancers triggered by asbestos exposure. Pleural mesothelioma occurs in the tissues surrounding the lungs and is the most common form of this cancer. Perinoteal mesothelioma occurs in the tissues surrounding the abdomen, while pericardial mesothelioma is the rarest form, occurring in the tissue that surrounds the heart.

Malignant mesothelioma treatment

The type of treatment is decided by the surgeon, which again depends on the extent of spread of the cancer, its location, as well as the age and health of the patient. In most cases, the condition only manifests fully by the time it is too late for a complete cure. Even after diagnosis the patient does not survive for more than a year or a year and a half. To improve mesothelioma life expectancy, and to slow down the spread of cancer further, the surgeon always focuses on different ways to remove the cancer cells.

To improve mesothelioma life expectancy, there are a number of treatments available, some of them undergoing clinical trials currently. You can decide on the type of treatment after considering the new medical techniques at work as well as all the factors surrounding the case. A full treatment option or rather a guaranteed one is not possible even if the latest lab experiments are applied. However, patients could live longer if they are able to participate in the clinical trials and at the same time allow the surgeons to understand the disease better. In this way, in the near future, a total cure for Malignant Mesothelioma can be found.

Symptoms and cure:

Depending on the symptoms, the type of mesothelioma can be identified. Excess fluid surrounds the lungs, and due to lung compression there is difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath which worsens as the cancer keeps spreading. There is also incidence of severe to mild pain in the chest, weight loss which is sudden and unexplained, and fatigue. Depending on what stage the cancer is diagnosed and the type of mesothelioma, the treatment depends on the call of the doctor. Surgery is most common, followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

As far as the treatment of Malignant Mesothelioma is concerned, currently there are three treatments, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery to increase the otherwise petty grim Mesothelioma Life Expectancy.

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Mesothelioma Symptoms: An Overview

Malignant mesotheliomas are rare cancers that form in the tissues lining the lungs (pleura), abdomen (peritoneum) or heart (pericardium). Pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lungs, is the most common, accounting for about 75 percent of all malignant mesotheliomas. Between ten and twenty percent of all malignant mesotheliomas are peritoneal mesotheliomas. Pericardial mesotheliomas are extremely rare. A history of exposure to asbestos is found in most individuals with mesothelioma. The time from exposure to onset of cancer may be as long as thirty years; this is why most people with malignant mesothelioma are between 50 and 70 years old.

Many symptoms of malignant mesothelioma are non-specific, and are also seen in a number of other chest and abdominal conditions. This, combined with the lack of an accurate history of asbestos exposure in some patients, may considerably delay diagnosis. The majority of people with mesothelioma only have symptoms during the two to three months before they are diagnosed. About one quarter of all people with malignant mesothelioma have symptoms for about six months before diagnosis.

Once symptoms are present, they may depend on the location of the primary cancer. In general, symptoms become more pronounced with more advanced disease. With pleural mesothelioma, common symptoms are difficulty breathing, cough, pain in the chest or under the ribcage, coughing up blood, hoarseness, and the collection of fluid or pleural effusion in the pleural cavity. The face and arms may swell up. Many of these symptoms and signs are also seen with lung cancer.

With peritoneal mesothelioma, symptoms may include a lump or swelling in the abdomen, abdominal pain, fluid in the abdomen, constipation due to bowel obstruction, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Patients suffering from pericardial mesothelioma may experience chest pain, breathlessness and palpitations. Some symptoms of malignant mesothelioma are common to many cancers. These include unexplained weight loss, fever and fatigue.

Mesothelioma Symptoms provides detailed information on Advanced Mesothelioma Symptoms, Clinical Mesothelioma Symptoms, Mesothelioma Diagnosis: An Introduction, Mesothelioma Stomach Symptoms and more. Mesothelioma Symptoms is affiliated with Pleural Mesothelioma Information [http://www.e-MesotheliomaInformation.com].

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