On Treatment Pericardial Mesothelioma

Pericardial mesothelioma is a cancer that develops on the pericardium (the lining of the heart). The pericardium is a fluid-filled sac made of thin tissue covering the heart and providing vital lubrication. Pericardial mesothelioma is, in fact, cancerous tumors of the pericardium.

An estimated 5% to perhaps 10% of people who develop mesothelioma have subtype-pericardial mesothelioma. The exact incidence is difficult to estimate as pericardial mesothelioma is easily confused with other illnesses such as cardiovascular disease.

Once a person has been diagnosed with pericardial mesothelioma they are offered three different treatment options. This radiation, surgery and chemotherapy. pericardial mesothelioma is extremely difficult to treat (because of the complexity involved in the removal of tumors of the pericardium), and the chances of patient survival are slim. All three methods have a low success rate due to the fact that the pericardial mesothelioma is detected at a mature stage of development. The reason is that in the early stages of cancer symptoms resemble those of diseases such as pneumonia. The prognosis for a patient under treatment at the mature phase is usually less than a year.

Before treatment, the patient requires an evaluation of a physician to determine which of the three treatments are suitable for him. Details such as age, weight, medical history, and general well-being are taken into account before starting treatment.

Radiation
As with all therapies against cancer using this method, high doses of radiation are used to kill cancer cells on the pericardium. The disadvantage of radiotherapy is that you are not only kill cancer cells, but you’re also damage vital organs near the heart, namely the lungs. The heart also becomes damaged due to the high radiation dose.

Surgical treatment
Surgical treatment may be decomposed into two parts, aggressive surgery and palliative surgery. aggressive surgery involves the removal of the cancer cell. Since these are very close to the heart and lungs, making it an extremely precarious procedure and requires a highly skilled surgeon. Palliative procedures are used in the final stages of pericardial mesothelioma and serve the sole purpose of reducing symptoms. Usually at this stage, cancer is virtually incurable.

Chemotherapy
The chemotherapy is the most widely used therapies against cancer that involves the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Unfortunately, most of the drugs used have a low success rate of pericardial mesothelioma. Research is conducted to arrive at a cocktail of drugs that have a more favorable outcome.

There is another form of treatment is to use the three treatment options above. It is known that the combination therapy. Surgery is used to eliminate cancer cells, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are used to kill the remaining cells.

The combination of these elements and surgery can be used to treat cancer and reduce the discomfort that the patient with pericardial mesothelioma may face. The success rate of treatment depends in part on the stage of mesothelioma cancer and the patient’s general health.

Written by admin on January 9th, 2012 with no comments.
Read more articles on Mesothelioma Treatment.

Information About Malignant Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is a form of asbestos cancer that affects the thin layer of tissue surrounding an internal organ of the body. A layer of specialized cells called mesothelial cells lines the chest cavity, abdominal cavity and the cavity around the heart. These cells also cover the outer surface of most internal organs. The tissue formed by these cells is called mesothelium. Cancer is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure.

The mesothelium helps protect the organs by producing a special lubricating fluid that allows organs to move. For example, this fluid, it is easier for the lungs to move inside the chest during breathing. The mesothelium of the chest is called the pleura and the mesothelium of the abdomen is known as the peritoneum. The mesothelium of the pericardial cavity around the heart is called pericardium.

Tumors of the mesothelium can be benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). A malignant tumor of the mesothelium is called mesothelioma. Because most mesothelial tumors are cancerous, malignant mesothelioma is often simply called mesothelioma.

The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most internal organs of the body. It is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart and the expanding and contracting lungs) to glide easily against adjacent structures.

The mesothelium has different names, depending on its location in the body. The peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that covers most organs in the abdominal cavity. The pleura is the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity. The pericardium covers and protects the heart. The mesothelial tissue surrounding the male internal reproductive organs is called the tunica vaginalis testis. The tunica serosa uteri covers the internal reproductive organs in women

There are three types of mesothelioma.
• peritoneal mesothelioma in the peritoneum or membrane surrounding the abdomen. A rare form of peritoneal mesothelioma can also affect the testes of men, because the lining around the scrotum is an extension of the peritoneum.
• Pericardial mesothelioma, in the perdicardium or lining surrounding the heart.
• pleural mesothelioma, which is the most common form of mesothelioma affects the lining of the lung cavity.

All mesotheliomas are now considered malignant or cancerous. They begin as a localized tumor and the rapid spread to include most of the surrounding tissues and organs. The original fibrous cysts and other non-cancerous tumors that appeared in the serous membranes were considered mesothelioma and were described as “benign fibrous mesothelioma” and “multicystic mesothelioma.” These conditions are now known to do not derived from mesothelial cells, other cells in the serous membranes. These conditions are generally localized, non-cancerous and do not spread quickly.

Although malignant mesothelioma is rare, it is a serious illness and death. It is often in advanced stages when it is detected, then the prognosis for mesothelioma patients is not as good as for patients with cancers that are detected earlier. The mean survival time after detection is 1 to 2 years. This time, survival also depends on the type of mesothelioma.

Written by admin on January 9th, 2012 with no comments.
Read more articles on Mesothelioma Information.