What is Mesothelioma? - Its Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Mesothelioma is a state in which a layer of tissues will develop around the internal organs of the body. It commonly affects the Lungs & Chest Wall. Other areas that may get affected by Mesothelioma are abdomen lining, heart surrounding & testis surroundings. However, the chances of these parts getting affected by Mesothelioma is very low.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer with no cure, Unfortunately. But there are many treatments available with which the life expectancy of the patient can be enhanced by a few months or even years.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma:

Symptoms of Mesothelioma depends upon the type of cancer.

Pleural Mesothelioma, a state in which fluid accumulates along with the lungs & affects the tissues surrounding the lungs.

Most common symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma are:

1. Chest Pain
2. Shortness of Breath
3. Pain During Coughing
4. Sudden Weight Loss

Testicular Mesothelioma, a state in which cancer affects sac surrounding the testis.

Symptoms of Testicular Mesothelioma:

The symptoms of Testicular Mesothelioma are not unique. This type of cancer usually receives the wrong diagnosis because doctors mistakenly misunderstood it against most common condition such as a hernia.

But the study shows, that 5% of the persons suffering from Hydrocele, a state in which fluid gets accumulated in the scrotum may have Testicular Mesothelioma. The biopsy will be further carried out to diagnose it.

Peritoneal mesothelioma, a state which affects the sac surrounding abdomen.

Symptoms of Peritoneal mesothelioma include:

1. Pain in the Abdomen
2. Abdomen Swelling
3. Sudden Weight Loss

Pericardial Mesothelioma, a state in which cancer affects the sac surrounding heart walls.

Symptoms of Pericardial Mesothelioma include:

1. Chest Pain
2. Weight Loss
3. Shortness of Breath

Reasons Behind Mesothelioma:

The most common reason for this deadly disease is Asbestos. Now a question may arrive in your mind that What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral, composed of very tiny minerals. It is soft, flexible, heat, corrosion & electricity resistant and these properties made it very useful in industries like Automobile. It is also widely used in making clothes, paper, cement, and plastic to make them stronger.

But someone who is working in these industries has a high risk of getting suffered from Mesothelioma as they may get some particles of Asbestos inhaled even after taking necessary precautions or safety measures.

Living along someone who works in an industry using Asbestos may increase the chances of getting exposed to Asbestos as they may carry Asbestos on their clothes or skin to home if not showered or changed clothes properly.

Radiations: If you are already getting radiation therapy for cancer in the chest, the risk of Mesothelioma rises in that case as well.

Treatment of Mesothelioma:

In 2018, The ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) published various guidelines to follow while treating Mesothelioma patients.

Here are the guidelines published by ASCO:

1. Surgery
2. Chemotherapy
3. Radiation
4. Multimodal

There are many emerging therapies like immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy and targeted therapy which can be carried out depending upon the stage of the Mesothelioma.

Surgery Explained: There are 2 types of surgeries commonly carried out on a patient suffering from Pleural mesothelioma (cancer affecting lungs)

1. Extrapleural Pneumonectomy: It is also known as EPP and it removes the parts of the lungs and nearby areas affected by cancer. Other areas generally include the diaphragm, chest lining, and heart lining. It is aggressive surgery.

2. Pleurectomy Decortication: Pleurectomy Decortication also called P/D is less aggressive and generally used to remove Chest lining, heart lining, and the diaphragm. It doesn't include lungs & only removes cancerous parts around it.

Chemotherapy as a Treatment

In this treatment, heated Chemotherapy drugs get injected into the patient's chest via a chest cavity. It helps increasing patient's life expectancy by three times, revealed in a study carried out by the Wayne State University in 2016. This whole process of treatment is also called as Hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy (HITHOC).

Radiation

This is the process in which X-Rays beams will be projected on the affected part of the patient. It is also called as External Beam Radiation Therapy.

Many doctors around the world are working hard to improve these treatment techniques.

Multimodal Treatment

This is the treatment in which doctors combines two or more treatments to cure Mesothelioma. The average rate of survival in the patients treated with this technique is 13 to 24 months.

How common is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is not as common as other cancers. Let's take a look at the stats. Approximately 3,100 cases are diagnosed in the United States each year. So it's not common.

Rate of Mesothelioma in the United States (Source: https://gis.cdc.gov/):

Rate per 100,000 people:

Source: https://gis.cdc.gov

Rate of New Cancers by Sex, All Races/Ethnicities:

Source: https://gis.cdc.gov

Rate of New Cancers by Race/Ethnicity, Both Sexes:

Source: https://gis.cdc.gov

Rate of New Cancers by Age Group (years), All Races, Both Sexes:

Source: https://gis.cdc.gov

Rate of New Cancers by Sex and Race/Ethnicity:

Source: https://gis.cdc.gov

Top Mesothelioma Cancer Clinics in Texas:

We have compiled a list of top Mesothelioma clinics in Texas, United States. You can get more details about these clinics by visiting there or by calling on their official phone numbers. Please look at the reviews of these clinics before visiting.

What is Mesothelioma? - Its Symptoms, Causes & Treatment - Realinfo