PLEURAL MESOTHELIOMA: 2021

How Does Pleural Mesothelioma Develop?

When an individual is exposed to asbestos on a regular basis, whether it be through job-related activity or other environmental issues, inhalation of loose, airborne asbestos fibers can occur. These fibers travel to the lungs and become imbedded in the lung lining, outside of the lungs and inside the ribs. When these jagged particles settle in the pleura, they cause inflammation.

The inflammation, in turn, can lead to dangerous cancerous tumors. In some cases, those who've inhaled asbestos fibers will first develop the less-severe asbestosis, followed by mesothelioma several years later. Upon diagnosis, patients usually exhibit multiple tumor masses affecting both the visceral (further from the lung) and parietal surfaces (closer to the lung) of the pleura. The parietal surface is more often affected than the visceral surface, and the right lung, due to its larger size, often suffers more damage than the smaller left lung. In addition, more asbestos tends to settle in the lower lungs than the upper lungs.

These tumors often grow quickly in size and can cover the entire lung cavity, making it very difficult to breathe and causing excruciating pain. Also, in the advanced stages of pleural mesothelioma, the cancer may spread to other nearby organs, including the heart, abdomen, and lymph nodes. Pleural Mesothelioma

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Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms

It's not always easy to diagnosis pleural mesothelioma by examining its symptoms. All too often, the symptoms of the disease may resemble those of other more common illnesses, including something as simple as the flu, a cold, laryngitis, pneumonia, or whopping cough. It often takes weeks or even months before a correct diagnosis is made, and because the disease usually takes between 20 and 50 years to surface, past exposure to asbestos often doesn't come to mind when attempting to make a diagnosis or when a patient is giving a medical history.

Common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma often include:

* Chest pain

* Coughing

* Wheezing

* Shortness of breath

* Fluid around the lungs (pleural effusion)

* Hoarseness or difficulty speaking

* Blood clots (less common)

Chest pain is usually the first indication of a problem, caused by the growing tumors that enlarge the pleural space and cause it to fill with fluid. Such chest pain is often mistaken for heart problems and many yet-to-be-diagnosed mesothelioma victims believe they are having a heart attack or suffering from heart disease. The discomfort caused by the above symptoms can also result in loss of appetite and weight loss. Once mesothelioma is diagnosed, it's important for patients to maintain good eating habits in order to better combat the disease. Cool. Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms.

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Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment Options

Extrapleural pneumonectomy is surgery to remove a diseased lung, part of the pericardium (membrane covering the heart), part of the diaphragm (muscle between the lungs and the abdomen), and part of the parietal pleura (membrane lining the chest).

Extrapleural pneumonectomy may improve survival, but its impact on long-term survival is unknown. Aggressive treatment help some people, but even experienced oncologists still aren’t sure which treatments provide the best benefits. It is likely that different patients do better with different therapies, which is why treatment plans are individualized.

Combinations of treatments (e.g. surgery plus combination chemotherapy) are often employed. Doctors often recommend pleurectomy and decortication (removal of part or all of the external surface of the lung or mesothelium) to remove the bulk of the malignant tissue, which reduces pressure in the chest and can reduce pain experienced by the patient. There is always a risk with surgery, but experience with pleurectomy/decortication shows that less than 2% of patients die during the surgery.

The more radical extrapleural pneumonectomy has a mortality rate between 6% and 30% according to the National Cancer Institute. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are usually done after surgery but they have not been effective in improving survival. Radiation therapy has been shown to alleviate pain in most patients for a limited time.

Doctors have tried to find an optimal chemotherapy regimen, and both single-agent (one drug) and combination (two or more drugs) regimens have been evaluated in clinical trials. While there is no definitive chemotherapy regimen for pleural mesothelioma patients, the most common technique employed by oncologists uses the anti-folate pemetrexed and the alkylating agent cisplatin. Your doctor may recommend a different regimen if your condition warrants.Cool. Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment Options.

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