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An Overview Of Mesothelioma Cancers
What are Mesothelioma Cancers?
Mesothelioma cancers are the cancers that spread in the mesothelium tissues. Mesothelium in general is the name of tissue that forms lining of different body organs such as heart, lungs, abdomen and...
Gene Therapy for Mesothelioma
Gene Therapy for Mesothelioma An exciting new treatment that has given hope to mesothelioma victims is called gene therapy. Gene therapy attempts to decipher why proteins within certain cells cause them to be resilient to cancer while some cells do...
Mesothelioma Treatment
There are several methods of treatment for mesothelioma although none of these have a high success rate. In general, the chances of curing a mesothelioma patient depends on how much the cancer has developed and matured when treated. If tackled...
What Is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma (cancer of the mesothelium) is a disease in which cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and divide without control or order. They can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. Cancer cells can also metastasize (spread) from their...
What is Mesothelioma? - The Basics
What is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that effects the lining of
the chest, abdomen or heart. Most people who have or have had
mesothelioma have been exposed to asbestos about 35-40 years
before contracting the disease....
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Mesothelioma Surgery
Mesothelioma is a rare, deadly form of cancer which can occur in
a number of types. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to
asbestos, a group of natural fibres which are extremely
dangerous if inhaled as fibres. When fibres are inhaled they
become lodged in the alveoli of the lungs and over a period of
time these fibres make tissue and cells abnormal and cause
mesothelioma cancer. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common
form of mesothelioma cancer, accounting for approximately 75% of
all mesothelioma cases. The next most common form, peritoneal
mesothelioma, accounts for 20% of all mesothelioma cases and
pericardial mesothelioma accounts for the remaining 5%. Pleural
mesothelioma affects the lining of the lungs, peritoneal
mesothelioma attacks the peritoneum, which is the lining of the
abdomen and pericardial mesothelioma affects the tissue
surrounding the heart. All three of these types of cancer occur
in extremely important areas of the human body and this is one
of the reasons why it is so difficult to treat. Treatment
methods such as radiation therapy can only be conducted with
strict radiation dosage restrictions due to the possibility of
damaging a vital organ such as the lungs or the heart.
Aggressive mesothelioma surgery is undertaken only by the
strongest of mesothelioma patients because weaker patients are
at risk of death within the first month after the operation. An
experienced doctor will evaluate a patient before deciding that
surgery is the best treatment method. He will take into account
age, medical record,
disabilities, allergies, sex, even weight.
The operation will then take place. Mesothelioma surgery
consists of cutting open a patient and removing the majority of
cancerous cells from either the lining of the lungs, abdomen or
heart in an attempt to gain long term control over the cancer.
Due to the proximity of the cancer to major organs of the body,
the operation can only be performed by extremely skilled
surgeons. There is a chance that a patient will die during the
operation.
A second type of mesothelioma surgery is called palliative
procedures. This is a far less dangerous and aggressive form of
surgery which does not attempt to gain long term control over
the cancer. Palliative procedures are designed to lessen the
symptoms for a patient when it is almost certain that the
patient will die inevitably from the cancer.
Mesothelioma surgery can also be coupled with radiation therapy
and chemotherapy in what is known as dual therapy. Patients
would undergo surgery to get rid of the majority of the
cancerous mesothelioma cells and then chemotherapy and radiation
therapy would be used to kill off any remaining cells. This
combination of treatments has proved to be effective and has one
of the highest success rates for treatments of mesothelioma
cancer.
About the author:
For more information on pericardial mesothelioma such as the
risks, causes, symptoms and treatments go to:
http://www.pericardialmesothelioma.co.uk,
http://www.pericardial-mesothelioma.co.uk and
http://www.asbestos-resource.co.uk
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