Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma Diagnose

How Mesothelioma is Diagnosed

Diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions. Mesothelioma diagnosis begins with a review of the patient’s medical history, including any history of asbestos exposure.

A complete physical examination may be performed, including x-rays of the chest or abdomen and lung function tests. CT (or CAT) scan or an MRI may also be useful.
CT Scan used for a mesothelioma diagnosis is a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body created by a computer linked to an x-ray machine.
MRI used for mesothelioma diagnosis is a powerful magnet linked to a computer that is used to make detailed pictures of areas inside the body. These pictures are viewed on a monitor and can also be printed.
Your doctor will review your work history, especially whether you have worked in an industry in which you may have been exposed to asbestos.
Mesothelioma Diagnosis

If fluid is present in the pleura or peritoneum, a thin needle may be used to collect a small sample of the fluid for examination. This procedure, called fine-needle aspiration, also may be used to drain the fluid to relieve symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath that can result from an effusion. Occasionally, mesothelioma can be diagnosed with this fluid sample alone, but usually a tissue sample (biopsy) is required.
The tissue sample can be obtained via thoracoscopy (for a pleural tumor) or via laparoscopy (for an abdominal tumor). In both procedures, a tubelike instrument inserted through a small incision allows the physician to view the tumor and collect a tissue sample. Patients suspected of having pleural mesothelioma also may need a procedure called bronchoscopy.

Mesothelioma Diagnosis – Three Types of Mesothelioma :

Pleural Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lung (pleura)
Peritoneal Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneum)
Pericardial Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining surrounding the heart (pericardium).
Sub-Types (or cell types) of Mesothelioma are:

Epithelial (the most common, and considered the most amenable to treatment)
Sarcomatous (a much more aggressive form)
Biphasic or mixed (a combination of both of the other cell types).
Mesothelioma Diagnosis – Staging
Once the diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma has been confirmed, the next step is determining the extent of the disease (called staging). Imaging studies, such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), allow physicians to assess the stage of the disease and determine the most appropriate treatment. The stages of malignant mesothelioma are:

Stage I – The tumor is found in the pleura with or without some involvement of the lung, pericardium (lining of the heart) or diaphragm.

Stage II – The tumor is found in a stage I location, plus there is involvement of some lymph nodes in the chest.

Stage III – The tumor has extended into the chest wall, ribs or heart, through the diaphragm or into the peritoneum (the abdominal lining). There also may be involvement of the lymph nodes.

Stage IV – The tumor has spread through the bloodstream to distant sites (that is, it has metastasized).

Recurrent mesothelioma – The tumor has recurred after treatment.
Stage I also is called localized disease, whereas stages II to IV are called advanced disease. Stage I disease generally has the best prognosis, particularly when the tumor is of the epithelial type.

Mesothelioma Diagnosis – Expected Duration
Once it develops, this type of cancer will continue to grow and spread until treatment is provided.

Mesothelioma Diagnosis – Prevention
To reduce your risk of malignant mesothelioma, you should reduce your exposure to asbestos. Because there is no safe level of asbestos exposure, any asbestos exposure is too much. Especially if you have an older home, check for areas of exposed asbestos-containing insulation or other areas of deteriorating asbestos. These areas must be removed professionally or safely sealed off. Workers who routinely deal with asbestos-containing materials should use approved measures to limit their exposure and to keep from bringing asbestos dust home on their clothing.

Mesothelioma Diagnosis – Treatment
The treatment of malignant mesothelioma has proven difficult. Because the disease begins in the pleura and peritoneum, which are the membranes surrounding the chest cavity and abdominal cavity respectively, progression of the malignancy results in spread to the underlying organs. The tumor spread makes complete surgical removal nearly impossible. Furthermore, the effectiveness of different treatments has been difficult to evaluate in large treatment trials because there are relatively few cases of malignant mesothelioma.
Although the general prognosis for malignant mesothelioma is not encouraging – on average, patients live about one year after diagnosis – an early diagnosis and aggressive treatment can improve survival – up to two years in almost 50 percent of cases and five years (or longer) in 20 percent. Some of the factors that affect prognosis are the type of mesothelioma, the stage of disease at diagnosis, the patient’s age and the patient’s overall health. The prognosis is best when the mesothelioma is the epithelial type and stage I.

Mesothelioma Types of Treatment
The primary treatment options for malignant mesothelioma are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Source: mesothelioma-absestos.blogspot.com

Mesothelioma Exposure

Victims of Secondary Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos causes cancer, including Mesothelioma, in Americans exposed to the hazardous material while working in steel mills, shipyards, power plants, construction sites, industrial plants.
The symptoms of Mesothelioma or other asbestos-related cancers may not appear for 20, 30, or even 40 or more years after the exposure occurred.
At least 90,000 American workers have slowly suffocated as a result of asbestos-related cancer. Additionally, asbestos is also causing cancer in those who were exposed secondarily through the worker or to the worker’s clothing. This is termed “secondary exposure”. Those most likely affected are the spouses and children of exposed workers.
Very few Mesothelioma patients live longer than one year after symptoms occur.
Secondary exposure to asbestos occurs among those who are exposed to dangerous asbestos fibers but not as a direct result of working with the asbestos related products themselves.
Most secondary mesothelioma cases involve women or children who inhaled asbestos fibers that were brought home on the clothing of relatives who worked directly with some type of asbestos in the workplace.
Mesothelioma Types
Mesothelioma can attack the pleural lining around the lungs. It can also attack the peritoneum, a tissue that surrounds the GI tract. Mesothelioma can attack the stomach lining, other internal organs, or even the pericardium (the tissue sac covering the heart). Thus, mesothelioma can be generally classified into the following types:

Pleural – 75% of all mesothelioma cases
Peritoneal – 10%û20%
Pericardial – 5%
Mesothelioma Types

Epithelioid – most common, best survival rate
Sarcomatoid – most severe, but more rare
Mixed/biphasic – a mixture of epithelioid and sarcomatoid cancer
Mesothelioma Secondary Exposure

People all over the world have been poisoned by toxic levels of asbestos, putting them at risk for mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other deadly diseases that are directly caused by the inhalation and digesting of asbestos fibers.

Asbestos was used in thousands of products that humans and animals encounter on a daily basis particularly in building components such as ceiling and floor tiles, walls, bricks and stucco, and in automotive parts such as brakes and clutches.

Workers who have mesothelioma have labored for years in jobs that required frequent contact with asbestos. When asbestos is mined, processed, woven, sprayed or otherwise manipulated, its microscopic fibers can be released into the air, where they may be inhaled, initiating the development of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Symptoms

Mesothelioma symptoms include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss

Mesothelioma signs and symptoms:

abdominal pain
bowel function problems
chest wall pain
weight loss
pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
shortness of breath
fatigue or anemia
wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemoptysis)
Mesothelioma signs and symptoms in severe cases:

blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs
jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
low blood sugar level
pleural effusion
pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
California Secondary Asbestos Exposure Lawsuit Sees $11.5 Million Verdict

A California jury recently awarded $11.5 million to a woman who developed a rare lung cancer from washing her husband’s asbestos-riddled work clothing.

In October 2001, Genevieve Gunderson, 75, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, an incurable cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. From 1948 to 1963, Gunderson’s ex-husband worked as a pipe fitter at numerous industrial sites throughout Southern California. Plaintiff attorneys argued that during that period, pipe fitters regularly worked near asbestos-laden insulation, which Gunderson would have been exposed to from handling her husband’s work clothes. Asbestos-related diseases can remain latent for up to 40 years.

Gunderson, who has two months to live, filed suit against 40 defendants, all of which settled except for Unocal Corp. Unocal argued that the industry had no way of knowing people could get cancer from secondary exposure to asbestos on clothes during the 1950s. Plaintiff attorneys, however, presented documents citing state and federal hygiene regulations that required employers to provide changing rooms and separate laundry facilities for employees due to “hazardous dust.”

Free Mesothelioma Legal Consultation

If you, or someone you care about, has been diagnosed with Mesothelioma, or any other asbestos-related cancer, you may be entitled to compensation from an asbestos company for your pain and suffering.

Mesothelioma Secondary Exposure – Note of Urgency
The first lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers were in 1929. Since then, many lawsuits have been filed against asbestos manufacturers and employers, for neglecting to implement safety measures after the links between asbestos, asbestosis, and mesothelioma became known (some reports seem to place this as early as 1898).

Source: mesothelioma-absestos.blogspot.com