What is MESOTHELIOMA? Mesothelioma is an aggressive, malignant and rare form of cancer that develops in the lining of the lungs, stomach and heart. Caused by asbestos, mesothelioma is difficult to cure and has a poor prognosis.
According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control in 2017, 2,400 - 2,800 people in the United States each year are diagnosed with mesothelioma.
People who have worked / have been exposed to asbestos have the highest risk of developing mesothelioma. After exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma symptoms can take 20 to 50 years to appear.
life expectancy for mesothelioma patients is very little, because there is no cure for this disease. The stages of the disease, cell type, and location of the tumor are the most important factors for the survival of the patient. Health factors for the patient as a whole, age, and whether the cancer has spread also affect the prognosis.
Mesothelioma causes
Mesothelioma cancer that attacks the body's organs begins with mutations in cells that cause its growth to become uncontrollable so that it multiplies. HEALTH experts still cannot ascertain the cause of these cell mutations. However, the interaction between lifestyle, conditions, derivatives and the environment is thought to be a trigger factor for Mesothelioma cancer.
Although mesothelioma is not known for sure, the main risk factor for mesothelioma is asbestos. This disease is relatively rare before commercial use of asbestos begins. What is Asbestos? Asbestos is a mineral that is used as an ingredient to make vehicle brakes, house floor, building roofs and insulation.
If asbestos dust is inhaled or swallowed it will accumulate in the lungs also in the stomach for a long time, usually around (20-50) TH, before eventually developing into mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is also more commonly diagnosed in men than in women, and in humans over 65 years.
Several other factors trigger mesothelioma, namely:
Soil environment that has asbestos content.
Living in an area / living with someone who has a job related to the explanation of Asbestos, can also be attached to the skin and clothes so that they can carry asbestos into the house and other environments.
Have been exposed to asbestos or have a family member suffering from mesothelioma.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma symptoms vary based on the location of cancer cells. Perhaps the type of pericardial mesothelioma causes chest pain and difficulty breathing, while tunica vaginalis mesothelioma will show symptoms such as swelling in the testicles.
Pleural mesothelioma has the following symptoms:
Cough with unbearable pain.
Shortness of breath due to accumulation of fluid in the chest.
Unusual bumps on the tissue behind the chest skin.
Sudden or unexplained weight loss.
Often experience excessive fatigue.
Fever is accompanied by sweating especially at night.
The fingertips swell.
Chest pain feels below the rib cage.
Peritoneal mesothelioma has the following symptoms:
Feeling sick in the abdominal area.
There is a lump in the stomach tissue.
Swelling in the abdominal area.
Weight loss without cause.
Diarrhea or constipation.
Note:
Given that unspecified symptoms of mesothelioma can also be associated with other conditions, it is better for the patient to see a doctor as soon as you feel the above symptoms, especially if there is a history of explanation of asbestos.
Peritoneal mesothelioma has the following symptoms:
Feeling sick in the abdominal area.
There is a lump in the stomach tissue.
Swelling in the abdominal area.
Weight loss without cause.
Diarrhea or constipation.
Note:
Given that unspecified symptoms of mesothelioma can also be associated with other conditions, it is better for the patient to see a doctor as soon as you feel the above symptoms, especially if there is a history of explanation of asbestos.
Types of Mesothelioma and which can attack several parts of the body
Did you know that Mesothelioma has several types? and between these types can affect body parts? recognize the types, as follows:
Pleural mesothelioma (lung lining)
This type is the most common of all mesotheliomas. Usually caused by frequent inhalation of asbestos dust or fibers, which are then trapped in the pleura and cause scarring and inflammation.
Peritoneal mesothelioma (abdominal cavity membrane)
This second type is also commonly developed in the peritoneum, the tissue that lines the stomach. As with pleural mesothelioma, the cause is dust and asbestos fibers that are either swallowed or find a way to the digestive tract so that it settles and develops in the membranes of the abdominal cavity.
Pericardial mesothelioma (sac covering the heart)
This mesothelioma ranks third most frequently which attacks the tissue lining the heart. The cause is also asbestos, and this cancer develops from abnormal cells that have developed in the pleura. Somehow the process, but this asbestos dust can break into the pericardium and develop in the lining of the heart.
Mesothelioma of the testicles tunica vaginalis (internal layer of male sex organs) and also mesothelioma of the tunica serosa uterus (internal membranes of the female intimate organs)
Both types of mesothelioma are the most rare. Although it is uncertain how exactly asbestos dust can settle and attack the intimate organs of women and men, some cases do show that asbestos dust is the main cause.
Diagnosis of Mesothelioma
To find out someone has mesothelioma, there are several ways to diagnose the disease, including:
X-tray
Biopsy
Immunochemystri
Here are the 4 stages of spreading mesothelioma
As follows:
The first stage of lymph node mesothelioma has not been attacked. In addition, the cancer has not been in a very severe condition and has not spread to other organs and tissues of the body.
The next stage The size of the cancer enlarges and attacks the lungs. Even lymph nodes can also be affected. When mesothelioma is at stage 2 the patient can still perform the surgery. Although the possibility of cancer has spread to both sides of the pleura.
Ahap next the cancer is severe enough and can not do surgery or surgery on the patient. Damage will occur in the lymph nodes, esophagus and chest wall.
At this stage cancer has attacked in several other areas. The operation is of no use when you reach the final stage. Because cancer not only spreads in the chest area but also has spread throughout the area far away from where the cancer originated.
How to treat mesothelioma
Currently a powerful treatment for cancer is still very difficult to find, but there are several alternative treatments that must be followed if the individual has Mesothelioma. Among others,:
Surgery or Surgery
As a surgical operation for cancer, it became increasingly unreliable because of its minimal success rate. Although successful, sometimes the cancer cells will grow again and grow again. Even people who do surgery will only be able to survive for less than 12 months or 1 year.
Radiation
Radiation is often given along with chemotherapy. Note that the disease still tolerates radical surgery. So that radiation can be used as a post-surgical consolidative treatment. Doing chemotherapy and radiation after surgery will increase the patient's life expectancy. But the side effects are very severe and very severe.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a treatment for Mesothelioma disease which has been shown to improve the survival of the majority of patients. What patients initially only managed to survive for less than 12 months can survive for more than 13 months.
So, hopefully it will be useful, if there is a mistake please let me know in the comments column,
Note: there are many other ways of treatment such as:
* Clinical Trials
* Multimodality therapy
* Heated Introaperative Intraperitoneal chemotherapy
No comments:
Post a Comment