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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