Asbestos is a mineral fiber that was widely used in construction, manufacturing and industry. Though its use has largely been limited since the 1980’s, many products and buildings utilizing the insulating properties of asbestos are still in use today and may be aerosolized through use, removal or demolition. In addition, those keen in manufacturing, construction and industries which employed large scale use of asbestos are only now seeing the results of acute or chronic asbestos exposure including the development of asbestosis or the noteworthy more serious malignant condition of mesothelioma.
Malignant mesothelioma is a cancer that develops in the pleural (lung) cavity lining, the peritoneal (abdominal) cavity lining or the pericardial (heart) cavity lining. All are difficult to treat, requiring possible surgery, radiation and chemotherapy and even with treatment; all have a poor prognosis, often resulting in death. Because of the seriousness of these disorders, recognizing risks factors of exposure and symptoms is important and seeking diagnosis, advice and treatment immediately is absolutely essential.
Risk Factors
Occupational risk factors for the development of asbestos related mesothelioma include being or having been employed in any of the following occupations which utilized asbestos in production of materials or insulation:
Construction – including both residential and commercial widely frail asbestos in materials
Metal Works – including steel, aluminum, iron workers along with power plant and railroad workers
Mining – including asbestos mining but also talc, vermiculite and dolomite
Pipe Fitting – including power plants and oil refineries along with pipe fitting for other high heat processes
Ship Building – particularly during WWII and Korean War but also including ship crew members who may have been exposed to asbestos in confined conditions
Factory Work – manufacture of construction materials of all types
Auto Work – auto manufacturing and repair, particularly brake parts and engine gaskets containing asbestos
Demolition – including those involved in or near intentional or unintentional demolition of buildings constructed with asbestos, along with asbestos removal projects
Symptoms
Unfortunately for many, mesothelioma may rob years to develop and not be recognized as related to work hazards. Symptoms of mesothelioma may include: Pleural Mesothelioma – dry raspy cough, coughing up blood, trouble swallowing, fever, night sweats, weight loss, fatigue, painful chest, difficulty breathing, lumps under the skin of the chest, Peritoneal Mesothelioma - swollen or painful abdomen, changes in bowel habits, nausea or vomiting, anemia, fatigue, fever or night sweats, weight loss, lumps under abdominal skin, and
Pericardial Mesothelioma - heart palpitations, chest harm, trouble breathing, fever or night sweats, fatigue
Anyone who is suffering from symptoms of mesothelioma or other asbestos related disease should seek medical help immediately. The sooner diagnosis is obtained and treatment is started, the better chance for a hopeful outcome. Unfortunately, some may feel the cost of medical treatment is too high and avoid seeking support. In any case of asbestos-related disease, particularly one as serious as mesothelioma, legal advice should be obtained along with medical advice. A consultation with a lawyer will provide the best possibility of getting appropriate treatment as soon as possible and may even save a life.
Getting a diagnosis of mesothelioma can be a unsightly experience for both the patient and family members alike. Attend organizations such as the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation can be a good source of information regarding diagnosis, medical issues and treatment options. Additionally, they may provide comfort and befriend through the use of chat rooms, message boards and forums which may be of benefit to family members and patients.
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Filed under Mesothelioma Prognosis by on Jan 15th, 2012. 
Breast Cancer is the most common cancer affecting women and is the number two killer of women ages 35-54. Breast cancer rarely occurs in men. Lymph node involvement is the most valuable prognostic predicator for breast cancer. Breast cancer may earn any time after puberty but is most common after age 50.
Some of the causes of breast cancer are a family history of breast cancer, particularly first-degree relatives. Positive tests for genetic mutations (BRCA 1 and BRCA 2). Long menstrual cycles. Early age at which periods began or late menopause. No pregnancies or first pregnancy after age 30. History of unilateral breast cancer or ovarian cancer. Exposure to vulgar level radiation. Pregnancy before age 20, history of multiple pregnancies. Persons with Native American or Asian ancestry.
Breast cancer occurs more commonly in the left breast than the right. Breast cancer is more commonly in the outer part of the breast around the armpit. Slow growing breast cancer may take up to 8 years to become palable at 3/6″ in size. Breast cancer spreads by way of the lymphatic system and the blood stream through the right side of the heart to the lungs and eventually to the other breast, the chest wall, liver, bone and brain. The estimated growth rate of breast cancer is referred to a “doubling time”, or the time it takes the malignant cells to double in number. Survival time for breast cancer is based on tumor size and spread, the number of involved nodes is the single most important factor in predicting survival time.
Breast cancer is classified by the shape of the cells under a microscope and situation of the lesion. Adenocarcinoma – arising from the epithelium of the skin. Intraductal- within the ducts of the breast (including Paget’s disease). Infiltrating- in parenchymal tissue of the breast. Inflammatory (rare) – overlying skin becomes edematous, angry, and indurated; reflects posthaste tumor growth. Lobular carcinoms in situ – involves glandular lobes. Medullary or circumscribed – large tumor, rapidly growth rate. The descriptive terms to describe breast cancer should be coupled with a staging or nodal status classification system. The most commonly used staging system for breast cancer is the TNM (tumor size, nodal involvement, metastatic progress)
There are many signs and symptoms of breast cancer. Lump or mass in the breast, breast pain. Breast mass or thickening. Unusual lump in the underarm or above the collarbone. Persistent skin rash approach the nipple area. Flaking or eruption arrive the nipple. Change in nipple position. Burning, stinging, or prickling sensation. Change in symmetry or size of the breast. Change in skin – thickening, scaly skin around the nipple, dimpling, edema or ulcerations may also be a sign of breast cancer. Change in skin temperature (warm, hot, to pink status.) Unique drainage or discharge from the nipple. Change in nipple (itching, burning, erosion, or retraction.) Pathologic bone fractures, or increased calcium levels. Edema of the arm. A spontaneous discharge of any kind in the nonbreastfeeding, nonlactating women warrants investigation; suspect any greenish-black, white, creamy, serous, or bloody discharge. Monthly self breast exams and yearly (or bi-yearly) exams by a practitioner are the best and most accurate way to detect breast cancer.
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Filed under Malignant Mesothelioma by on Jan 16th, 2012.
When you suffer from health complications that can not be easily diagnosed, it can be quite frustrating. Often your healthcare professional will order standard blood work, urinalysis, x-rays and may even order MRI or CT scans. For many patients, however, even these tests do not provide a solid diagnosis.
When dealing with a complex health complication, especially that engaging lung pain, chest pain, heart burn, stomach pain or abdominal cramping, the best diagnostic test may actually be the PET scan. With the PET scan, the healthcare professional can often rule out complications associated with malignancy where other tests fall short.
An example of complicated health condition can be found in the health risks associated with a lung mass. While the exact complication is often difficult to diagnose, most patients are concerned with the mass being malignant or benign. Using the non-invasive diagnostic tool known as a PET scan, lung masses can be differentiated from malignant to benign and, when malignant, can often be staged in progress.
Because most lung tumors, especially those that are benign, do not pose any health complications, they are often not diagnosed promptly. As part of your routine annual health examination, the use of x-ray technology should be a standard practice. With chest x-ray, many physicians can initiate to assess the early indications of mass or tumor development. Once found, the employ of PET scan can further assess the complication without the need for a variety of other diagnostic screenings.
If, however, you suffer from a lung complication known as mesothelioma, the PET scan may not even diagnose this complication accurately as either benign or malignant. Using a process known as FDG uptake as part the PET scan, your physician can make a more definitive diagnosis of cancer, when appropriate.
The accuracy of PET scans in differentiating malignant complications from benign complications, in the lungs, is as high as 92 percent. As a costly map, however, many patients are not offered this type of diagnostic screening as a first line of diagnosis. If you are experiencing complications involving a lung mass or tumor, ask your physician to conduct PET scan testing to speed the process by which diagnosis is confirmed. In doing so, you may save many hours and dollars spent in other health care settings, undergoing unnecessary tests for lung cancer. The key, then, will be to determine what type of PET scan is needed and if the FDG uptake should be assessed.
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Filed under Malignant Mesothelioma by on Jan 17th, 2012.
The TV has lawyer commercials on all the time, “If you or a loved one has Mesothelioma….” But what is it? Hopefully this article will abet you understand. More attention is being called to it moral now, as Merlin Olsen succumbed to it Thursday after a year long battle.
Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma Definition
There is a tissue that covers your lungs (among other organs) called the mesothelium. This lining actually produces lubrication for your organs to move, say during breathing. When this rare cancer develops of this lining it is called Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma. For a contrivance with statistics on age and area, you can see it at this CDC site.
Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma Causes
Asbestos is the main cause for Mesothelioma. When a person breathes in the Asbestos, it damages the mesothelium lining and causes changes in the cells. However, it could take up to thirty years post exposure before Mesothelioma develops. This is a proven way that one can get Mesothelioma.
There is some speculation that exposure to the virus SV40 could possibly also be linked to Mesothelioma. Researchers have found SV40 cells in Mesothelioma patients, but it is important to keep in mind, they also have done so in healthy people.
Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma Symptoms
The symptoms of Mesothelioma are those which can easily be dismissed as something far less serious at first, and oftentimes goes overlooked. Some may believe they have the flu. They are as
follows:
Cough
Fever
Sweating
Fatigue
Hoarseness
Other symptoms are easily seen as a real predicament and are as follows:
Pain in the side of the chest
Shortness of breath
Weight loss
Trouble swallowing
Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma Treatments
It is very difficult to treat Mesothelioma. If caught still early, say stage one or two, sometimes surgery can be performed to remove the cancer. Because of the area it is in, treatment by surgery is very difficult. Just as with other cancers, radiation and chemotherapy are options chosen by the specialists.
The patient is spoken to by their oncologist about what stage they are in and how this will effect treatment. The very hard decision is then made to try to treat the cancer, or to base treatment on comfort of the patient.
Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma Outlook
Unfortunately, Mesothelioma is a very hard cancer to treat. Patients are usually told they have a year to live. With recent research, there are more and more Mesothelioma survivors past that one year outlook. The five year survival rate is a mere 9%.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mesothelioma.html
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp? level=0
http://www.mesothelioma-data.com/stats/about-mesothelioma/survival.php
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Filed under Mesothelioma Symptoms by on Jan 18th, 2012.
Newly released cancer research indicates a slight increase in the number of cancer patients surviving this once fatal disease. Most striking was the news that increased screening for cancers, and public education, has prevented the rate of new cancer cases from rising.
Statistics on the impact of cancers throughout various populations of the United States were released in October. The report broke down how cancer affects Americans by age, gender, race, and economic class.
The report, entitled “Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2002,” which was published by the major cancer research organizations in the United States, indicated a 1.1 percent decrease in the number of cancer deaths in the United States from 1993-2002. At the same time, the number of reported cases of cancer stayed the same, as opposed to increasing as in past years.
Not surprisingly, the report noted that the most common cancers of the past continue to remain the most-often fatal. For all groups studied, the most deadly cancers for men continue to be prostate, lung and colorectal cancer. For women the most deadly cancers remain breast, lung and colorectal cancer.
While lung cancer remains the most deadly cancer for men and women, the number of men contracting lung cancer and dying from lung cancer have both gone down. While lung cancer death among women rose slightly between 1995 and 2002, the rate of new cases in women has remained the same between 1998 and 2002. Experts attributed a decline in increasing lung cancer rates among women to decreased cigarette smoking.
The report well-known that the incidence of new cancer cases among men remained the same between 1993-2002. At the same time, the number of new cancer cases among women rose by 0.3 percent. This was attributed to increases in seven types of cancer including breast, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, melanoma, thyroid, leukemia, bladder, and kidney.
In reviewing how cancer breaks down among racial groups, scientists found gloomy men continue to have the highest rates of original cancers and deaths from cancers among any group. Indeed, gloomy men contract new cancers at a rate 25 percent higher than white men. Their death rate is 43 percent higher.
Black women have lower cases of new cancers than white women, but their death rates are higher.
The number of cases of new cancer and the rate of death from cancer was generally lower among Asian/Pacific Islanders, American Indian/Alaska Natives, and Hispanics/Latinos.
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Filed under Mesothelioma Awareness by on Jan 19th, 2012.
Pleural Mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma is a type of asbestosis that presents in the cells that makes up the lining of your lungs. This lining is called the pleura. In the United States this disease is caused only by exposure to asbestos. If you worked with asbestos, or asbestos products such as chysotile, crocidolit, or amosite you are at risk of developing pleural mesothelioma. If you now have been diagnosed with the disease, you were probably exposed to asbestos about twenty years prior to diagnosis.
Fortunately, some people are diagnosed early with pleural mesothelioma before having any symptoms because tumors were visible on a routine chest X-ray. There is a cancerous and a non-cancerous form of pleural mesothelioma. Of course, the best kind to have, if you have to have it is the non-cancerous kind. This is called benign mesothelioma and it is not usually life-threatening and is not usually caused by exposure to asbestos. This do of mesothelioma can be removed surgically. However, the cancerous kind is called malignant mesothelioma, which involves the entire pleural lining, and it is found in approximately 2.000 people in the United States each year.
The signs and symptoms of this disorder do not demonstrate up for years after exposure, but when they do, your symptoms might be complaints of lower back pain, shortness of breath, weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, a persistent cough, chest pain, and difficulty in swallowing. You could have one, or any of these symptoms or even all of them.
If your doctor suspects mesothelioma he/she will set about to confirm the diagnosis. Chest X-rays may have already been done, so there may also be a CT scan done just to verify the X-ray. Then the doctor will do a brochoscopy, which is the insertion of a tube that is equipped with a camera and surgical equipment. The doctor can then visualize the tumors from the inside of the lungs and snip off pieces of the tumors and lesions so they may be studied by the pathologist.
If you have a history of working with asbestos and asbestos products and you come to your doctor with symptoms, your doctor can suspect you have mesothelioma during the routine examination-It is common to have pleural effusion, which is a build up of fluid within the lungs. The lungs become edematous (swell) and this movement of fluid can be heard by the doctor who is listening to you breathe under the stethoscope. Some patients can have such serious effusion that they can be heard without a stethoscope and they almost sound like they are bubbling on the inside-however a final diagnosis cannot be made until a biopsy is obtained. The pathologist has to prepare the samples with a special stain to be visualized under a microscope. The pathologist will be able to tell which kind of mesothelioma it is (cancerous or not) and he will be able to stage it if it is cancerous.
When symptoms develop mighty of the pleura may be keen with tumors. As the tumors grow they crowd against the lung tissue. The tumors cause thickening of the pleura so there is little elasticity in the pleural cavity. The lungs become pressured and they cannot expand. The person with this disease becomes very short of breath. The tumors can also grow outward and invade the chest wall and ribs. This is a very painful disease at this point. The patient’s lung function drops drastically over time and the patient slowly suffocates.
Not much is known about how the asbestos changes the cells in the pleural cavity. It isn’t known if just one fiber of asbestos causes a tumor or if long time exposure to asbestos causes the cells to change into tumors. There are now laws in place to protect people who have contact with asbestos. Asbestos is a mineral that is section of our environment. People who high-tail down old houses may come into contact with asbestos fibers because asbestos was once traditional in roofing and flooring materials. If you have a job that puts you in contact with asbestos it is imperative that you wear protective clothing and a camouflage.
Asbestos fibers are shaped similarly to a fish hook. The fibers are barbed and once the fibers pierce a part of your anatomy the fiber is there and will not arrive out. Mesothelioma can present in most any part of your body. Wherever asbestos causes irritation can be an position that the disease presents. If you swallow asbestos it can get into your stomach, you breathe it and it gets into your lungs. If you are not wearing protective clothing, asbestos can get into your skin folds. Males can get asbestos in their testicles. It is important to heed safety regulations when working with asbestos.
The non-malignant type of mesothelioma of the pleural tissue can be removed with surgery, but the malignant type may be treated with chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. There is no cure for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Some people have a 5 or a 10 year survival rate, but sadly, some die after a few months of diagnosis. The average survival time for a person after diagnosis with no surgical intervention is one year. Some patients benefit from a surgical plot called debulking, which is a removal much of the bulkiness of the tumors. This makes more room within the pleural cavity, which in turn gives the lungs more station, and it relieves a great deal of pain the patient may have been experiencing due to the pressure exerted onto the lungs and the rib cage.
Source:
Mayo Clinic information page
Advanced Cancer Help information page
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Filed under Mesothelioma Symptoms by on Jan 22nd, 2012.
Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths of older males, usually occurring between the ages of 65 and 75 years. Unfortunately, the complexity of prostate cancer is difficult to understand without accurately determining where the tumor cells are and the extent to which they have spread outside the prostate gland. Doctors use a classification known as staging to understand the stages of prostate cancer and to gauge the degree of its growth and spread (National Cancer Institute) [1].
PROSTATE CANCER PROGNOSIS
Every type of prostate cancer is different. Therefore, notion the current stage of the cancer at the time of diagnosis is crucial in determining further prognosis (the progression of the disease and whether there is a chance of recovery).
THE WAYS PROSTATE CANCER SPREADS IN THE BODY
There are three ways the cancer may spread. The cancer can invade normal surrounding tissue, travel through the lymph vessels, and it can also go through the blood via the veins and capillaries to affect other parts of the body.
Cancer cells within the primary tumor (in the prostate gland) can wreck away from the initial status and cause a secondary tumor to form. This is known as metastasis and it is what makes prostate cancer and other cancers so difficult to treat. It is important to know that the secondary tumor, despite not being in the prostate gland, is composed entirely of prostate cancer cells. Therefore, it will be called metastatic prostate cancer.
THE TNM SYSTEM OF PROSTATE CANCER STAGING
Pathologists primarily use the TNM System (Tumor, Nodes, Metastasis) for diagnosing the unusual stage of prostate cancer and predicting future prognosis (Robbins Basic Pathology, 7th Edition) [2].
T1 – This is the first stage. The tumor is runt and is present only in the prostate gland. It is medically defined to be a nonpalpable lesion, which means it cannot be felt by hand during a normal rectal examination. There are three further sub-stages in this stage (T1a, T1b, and T1c) that rate how much of the tissue consists of the tumor from TURP tissue (transurethral resection of the prostate); which is acquired from a common operation used for benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH). It is important to note that the cancer at this stage is strictly local and has not spread.
T2 – In this stage, the tumor can be felt using a digital rectal exam and also through ultrasound. Professionally, there are three sub-stages (T2a, T2b, and T2c) that measure the involvement of the tumor in each lobe. If it is T2b, over 50% of only one lobe is keen. If it is classified as T2c, then both lobes are affected. These cancers are usually local and confined to the prostate gland.
T3 – This stage denotes a spreading tumor. The tumor cells will begin to move to nearby tissues and the seminal vesicles. This stage has three sub-stages (T3a, T3b, and T3c). T3c indicates seminal vesicle invasion. T3 cancers are also usually regional and have not yet spread to the lymph nodes of the body.
T4 – In this stage, the prostate cancer has spread to organs and tissues nearest to the prostate (contiguous organs and supporting structures). It has metastasized but only in the regional location. It is during this stage of prostate cancer that accurate diagnosis is extremely important. There are two sub-stages in the T4 stage – T4a and T4b. T4a signifies the invasion of the bladder neck, rectum, or external sphincter. The classification of T4b indicates the invasion of the levator ani mucle or pelvic floor. This cancer generally spreads to the lymph nodes, bones, liver, and lungs.
N Stage – It is in this stage when the prostate cancer is beginning to afflict the entire body. N staging is used to detect the tumor’s spread into pelvic lymph nodes more specifically. There are four sub-stages (N0, N1, N2, and N3).
M Stage – This is the stage that classifies metastasis of the prostate cancer to distant lymph nodes and bones. There are two sub-stages (M0 and M1), with the M1 sub-stage being further divided into M1a, M1b, and M1c. The purpose of these stages is to more accurately recount the spread of the cancer by pathologists. M1b denotes bone metastases and M1c means other distant sites are affected.
THE GLEASON Salvage STAGING SYSTEM
Another cancer staging system commonly used to classify the stages and prognosis of prostate cancer is the Gleason System. It is used to grade prostate cancer tissue based on how it looks under a microscope and the score ranges from 2-10. If the Gleason procure is low, it means the tissue is similar to normal prostate tissue and is less likely to spread. A high Gleason catch means the tissue is very different from normal tissue and is more likely to spread (metastasize). The TNM system is usually combined with the Gleason score to describe the current stage of prostate cancer (WebMD) [3].
Stage I – Cancer is only found in the prostate gland. It cannot be felt or seen by imaging. It is usually found accidentally during surgery for benign prostate hyperplasia. The Gleason derive is gross.
Stage II – The cancer is now more advanced but it has not spread outside the prostate. The Gleason score ranges from 2-10.
Stage III – The cancer has spread beyond the outer layer of the prostate and to local tissues. It generally invades the seminal vesicles. The Gleason score ranges from 2-10.
Stage IV – The cancer has metastasized to lymph nodes near or distant from the prostate to other parts of the body – such as the rectum, bones, bladder, liver, or lungs. It often spreads to the bones and the Gleason derive ranges from 2-10.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING
Prostate cancer can be deadly, especially when it becomes metastatic. Therefore, it is highly critical to determine the correct stage to receive the best treatment and for doctors to predict the prognosis.
Still confused? Visit this link to the website of the National Cancer Institute to learn more about what you need to understand about prostate cancer, such as the extremely important types of tests and treatments that work to classify the stages and more. Do not wait until it is too late. The sooner you visit your doctor and receive reliable and frequent check-ups, the more preparation and time you will have to overcome prostate cancer in the event it shows up in the future. Build the healthy choice.
WORKS CITED
[1] National Cancer Institute: “Prostate Cancer Treatment”; 5-23-2008: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/prostate/Patient/page2
[2] Robbins Basic Pathology, written by Vinay Kumar, MD, Ramzi S. Cotran, MD, Stanley L. Robbins, MD; “Staging of Prostatic Adenocarcinoma Using the TNM System”, Chapter 18, pg. 669
[3] WebMD: “Prostate Cancer Stages I-IV”; reviewed by Louise Chang, MD, 10-14-2008:
http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/guide/prostate-cancer-stages
Related posts
Filed under Mesothelioma Prognosis by on Jan 23rd, 2012.
Pleural Mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma is a type of asbestosis that presents in the cells that makes up the lining of your lungs. This lining is called the pleura. In the United States this disease is caused only by exposure to asbestos. If you worked with asbestos, or asbestos products such as chysotile, crocidolit, or amosite you are at risk of developing pleural mesothelioma. If you now have been diagnosed with the disease, you were probably exposed to asbestos about twenty years prior to diagnosis.
Fortunately, some people are diagnosed early with pleural mesothelioma before having any symptoms because tumors were visible on a routine chest X-ray. There is a cancerous and a non-cancerous form of pleural mesothelioma. Of course, the best kind to have, if you have to have it is the non-cancerous kind. This is called benign mesothelioma and it is not usually life-threatening and is not usually caused by exposure to asbestos. This obtain of mesothelioma can be removed surgically. However, the cancerous kind is called malignant mesothelioma, which involves the entire pleural lining, and it is found in approximately 2.000 people in the United States each year.
The signs and symptoms of this disorder do not show up for years after exposure, but when they do, your symptoms might be complaints of lower back pain, shortness of breath, weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, a persistent cough, chest pain, and difficulty in swallowing. You could have one, or any of these symptoms or even all of them.
If your doctor suspects mesothelioma he/she will set about to confirm the diagnosis. Chest X-rays may have already been done, so there may also be a CT scan done just to verify the X-ray. Then the doctor will do a brochoscopy, which is the insertion of a tube that is equipped with a camera and surgical equipment. The doctor can then visualize the tumors from the inside of the lungs and snip off pieces of the tumors and lesions so they may be studied by the pathologist.
If you have a history of working with asbestos and asbestos products and you come to your doctor with symptoms, your doctor can suspect you have mesothelioma during the routine examination-It is approved to have pleural effusion, which is a build up of fluid within the lungs. The lungs become edematous (swell) and this movement of fluid can be heard by the doctor who is listening to you breathe under the stethoscope. Some patients can have such serious effusion that they can be heard without a stethoscope and they almost sound like they are bubbling on the inside-however a final diagnosis cannot be made until a biopsy is obtained. The pathologist has to prepare the samples with a special stain to be visualized under a microscope. The pathologist will be able to tell which kind of mesothelioma it is (cancerous or not) and he will be able to stage it if it is cancerous.
When symptoms develop much of the pleura may be alive to with tumors. As the tumors grow they crowd against the lung tissue. The tumors cause thickening of the pleura so there is diminutive elasticity in the pleural cavity. The lungs become pressured and they cannot expand. The person with this disease becomes very short of breath. The tumors can also grow outward and invade the chest wall and ribs. This is a very painful disease at this point. The patient’s lung function drops drastically over time and the patient slowly suffocates.
Not considerable is known about how the asbestos changes the cells in the pleural cavity. It isn’t known if just one fiber of asbestos causes a tumor or if long time exposure to asbestos causes the cells to change into tumors. There are now laws in place to protect people who have contact with asbestos. Asbestos is a mineral that is part of our environment. People who tear down old houses may come into contact with asbestos fibers because asbestos was once used in roofing and flooring materials. If you have a job that puts you in contact with asbestos it is imperative that you wear protective clothing and a mask.
Asbestos fibers are shaped similarly to a fish hook. The fibers are barbed and once the fibers pierce a part of your anatomy the fiber is there and will not come out. Mesothelioma can present in most any part of your body. Wherever asbestos causes irritation can be an position that the disease presents. If you swallow asbestos it can get into your stomach, you breathe it and it gets into your lungs. If you are not wearing protective clothing, asbestos can get into your skin folds. Males can come by asbestos in their testicles. It is important to heed safety regulations when working with asbestos.
The non-malignant type of mesothelioma of the pleural tissue can be removed with surgery, but the malignant type may be treated with chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. There is no cure for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Some people have a 5 or a 10 year survival rate, but sadly, some die after a few months of diagnosis. The average survival time for a person after diagnosis with no surgical intervention is one year. Some patients serve from a surgical procedure called debulking, which is a removal much of the bulkiness of the tumors. This makes more room within the pleural cavity, which in turn gives the lungs more space, and it relieves a great deal of damage the patient may have been experiencing due to the pressure exerted onto the lungs and the rib cage.
Source:
Mayo Clinic information page
Advanced Cancer Help information page
Related posts
Filed under Malignant Mesothelioma by on Jan 24th, 2012.
This year a growing upright crisis may affect you more than you could imagine. With proposed bills that would limit asbestos company liability and significantly reduce payouts, some wretchedness that lawmakers who are in charge of advocating for everyday may be pandering to special interests.
Prolonged asbestos exposure can lead to dangerous health conditions including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer. Every year 2500 to 3000 new cases are diagnosed every year with thousands more outside the United States as other countries have been slow to adopt asbestos bans (though asbestos is not completely outlawed in the United States and exists in many products manufactured today).
For the most part treatment only prolongs a person’s life by a short span because the disease is often discovered in advanced stages.
The problem that lawmakers are trying to address is the abundance of cases currently sitting dormant in our legal system. The case backlog is gargantuan and cases (if unsettled) take years before they go before the courts and often the victim is not alive by the time a judgment is reached.
Furthermore numerous companies have gone out of business because they could no longer operate under the financial strains of numerous multi-million dollar judgments. This in turn hurts victims trying to receive compensation.
If this system continues, the expected case filings over the next decade will earn a standstill for legal action.
One of the major problems with asbestos cases is the fact that a number of these lawsuits are speculative. A person who was exposed but has yet to score a conclusive diagnosis of any asbestos related illness may file in court.
The Proposed Solution
The Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2005 came to existence shortly after March of 2004 after Pres. Bush. proposed limits on asbestos related “junk” lawsuits at a speech in
Originally introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch, the FAIR Act would establish a $140 billion trust fund to supplant litigation as a means to compensate victims of asbestos and limit liability.
The maximum award would be $750,000 but with an estimated 500,000 possible claims. The fund would quick deteriorate and could not pay victims. ($375,000,000,000,000 would be needed according to estimates if each received the maximum)
The bill was initially defeated last year but has stuck around the Senate Judiciary Committee which last week approved new amendments to the bill including support for those exposed during 9/11 and hurricane Katrina.
However the bill includes an exposure length minimum of 5 years which effectively eliminates both groups.
On April 26, 2005 supporters and detractors testified before Congress.
Dr. Philip Landrigan, Professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Chairman of the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, testified before the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary against this proposed legislation.
He testified that many of the bill’s provisions are unsupported by medicine and would unfairly exclude a large number of people who have become ill or died from asbestos: “The arrive to the diagnosis of disease caused by asbestos that is set forth in this bill is not consistent with the diagnostic criteria established by the American Thoracic Society. If the bill is to utter on its promise of fairness, these criteria will need to be revised.”
Also opposing the bill are the American Public Health Association and the Asbestos Workers Union.
The supporters included members of the United States Navy who originate around 1/3 of the deaths each year as well as various unions.
Trial lawyers have been split over their support. Corporate attorneys would lose hundreds of billable hours but would retain job security for financially strapped clients. Victim’s lawyers would lose even more as filing would not require legal counsel.
No matter what, a solution needs to be reached soon but that solution needs to be equitable to all sides involved. The bill is currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee but the new version could be voted on when the new session begins.
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Asbestos and It’s Conditions
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Filed under Mesothelioma Treatment by on Jan 25th, 2012.
There are several different mesothelioma treatment options. The treatment program prescribed will depend on many things such as the patient’s age, the patient’s wants, the look of the cancer cells (microscope), how much the cancer has spread, where the cancer is located and the stage of the cancer. Getting a mesothelioma treatment plan as soon as possible is extremely important if you expect success.
Mesothelioma Treatment Options: Will Treatments Work?
For some, yes. The average survival rate is said to be eight to twelve months, but many patients have exceeded this. Time is the most important factor when it comes to effective treatment. One treatment program (Dr. Sugarbaker’s treatment program at the Brigham and Woman’s Center in Boston) boasts a 40% five year survival rate when treated within a specific time frame. Patients must meet a certain criteria to qualify for this program.
Mesothelioma Treatment Options: Traditional Cancer Treatments
Some patients will undergo surgery in order to try and remove the cancer. Some patients will go through chemotherapy to try to fight the cancer. Some patients will go through radiation therapy to try to kill the cancer cells. Often times a combination on two or all of these methods is used when trying to treat mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma Treatment Options: Mesomark Blood Test
This mesothelioma treatment option was approved by the FDA in January of 2007. This treatment was introduced as a way to help monitor how a patient is responding to treatment. This test measures the amount to SMRP (soluble mesothelin-related peptide) in the blood to determine a patients progress. Since this treatment option is still very new, its effectiveness has yet to be determined.
Mesothelioma Treatment Options: Palliative Procedures
Pleurodesis and chest tube drainage is used as a mesothelioma treatment. This helps to prevent the fluid buildup in the lungs that often occurs with this disease. Doctors will often use some type of sclerosing agent in order to produce adhesion so prevent future fluid buildup.
Pleurectomy may be performed when an extensive surgery cannot be. Many doctors consider this the most effective way of controlling fluid buildup in the lungs. It can help to wait on restricted lung expansion that can be brought on by this disease.
Mesothelioma Treatment Options: Potentially Curative Procedures
Pleurectomy and/or decortication is typically performed on patients who are in the early stages of mesothelioma (i.e., stage 1 and distinct stage 2’s). This procedure is done to try to remove the tumor. If the tumor cannot be removed without the lung being removed as well, this may be done too.
There is a lot of medical research being done on mesothelioma treatment options, so a better prognosis could be just around the corner. It is important to have this disease diagnosed as quickly as possible to get the best results from treatment. If you have ever been exposed to anything that may cause mesothelioma, be determined to have your doctor check you factual away.
Sources
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/treat.htm
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Filed under Mesothelioma Treatment by on Jan 26th, 2012.