Common Mesothelioma Type And Its Treatments

by John Porter


What a paradox! Mesothelioma cannot be fully cured. This is one real fact. And the other is Mesothelioma can be cent percent prevented only if asbestos dust fibers are not allowed to mix in the atmosphere and pollute the air in which we respire. Isn't the saying that prevention is better than cure exclusively appropriate in this context?

To completely wipe out the presence of asbestos dust in the air the use of asbestos has to be totally put off. The law and order has to be made every strict to put a ban on the use of asbestos. Again an alternative for asbestos has to be figured out to serve such similar purposes where asbestos was used.

Let's hope that the day is near when no sign of Mesothelioma will be present in the human civilization. But now when the disease is taking a dangerous shape, all of us must become aware of it. How many types of Mesothelioma can attack your body and what type of treatments can be availed? This is something quite preliminary and each one of us must have knowledge about it.

Three types of Mesothelioma

 Pleural Mesothelioma  Peritoneal Mesothelioma  Pericardial Mesothelioma

These are the three types of Mesothelioma cancer known till date and among them the Pleural Mesothelioma is the most widespread whereas the Pericardial Mesothelioma is the rare type. A mere group of 5 percent becomes the victim of this rare type of cancer.

Pleural Mesothelioma

Pleural Mesothelioma is the most known form of Mesothelioma affecting the workers of the asbestos industries. The Mesothelium covering around the lungs beneath your chest is badly affected by the asbestos dust. Slowly water starts accumulating in those cavities and take the shape of tumors. Initial symptoms pop up as pain across the chest, running out of breath and suffering from cough and cold. The initial diagnosis is often mistaken for influenza. But with time some other symptoms become prominent like weight loss, frequent fever and the coughing blood. Further medical tests confirm that you are actually suffering from Pleural Mesothelioma.

The treatment

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are the most appropriate means of treating the Pleural Mesothelioma patients. Better ways of treatment are under research and may be they can help the patient to get fully cured.

Surgical method is only used when the condition of the patient is really adverse and immediately the tumors have to be removed from the body. Surgery causes an immense pain to the body and it becomes tough to get back to the normal life, hence avoided in the first step.


About the Author
Find more Mesothelioma and asbestos info online. For Credit repair related articles: http://www.credit-repair-fyi.info

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Mesothelioma Treatment: Radiation or Radio Therapy

by Laura Russell


Mesothelioma is a cancerous disease that affects the serous linings of various internal organs in the human body. Among them, the lungs, heart and the stomach are the mostly affected.

It is estimated that each year, 2,000 new cases of Mesothelioma are reported. The patients suffering from this cancerous disease have had prior exposure to asbestos, which is considered to be the only known cause of Mesothelioma. Mesotheliomic patients are often told of the short survival duration of 6 - 12 months. But doctors specialized in treating malignant Mesothelioma at leading cancer centers expect better survival rates. Though Mesothelioma causes immense pain and suffering to the victim along with short life expectancy, certain treatments have resulted in the successful reduction and removal of the cancerous tumors of Mesothelioma. Radiation Or Rado Therapy is one of the Mesothelioma treatments available to patients suffering from the asbestos-related cancer (Mesothelioma).

RADIATION or RADIO THERAPY: Radiation or radiotherapy is a series of localized use of high-dose radiations given to a Mesothelioma patient either externally (known as external radiotherapy) or internally (known as internal radiotherapy). It destroys the cancer cells in the targeted section of the body by means of x-rays or radioactive materials.

External Radiotherapy: In external radiotherapy, radiations are passed through a patient's body using x-rays and/or cobalt irradiation. This type of radiotherapy is a relatively painless procedure, which is divided into several sessions. Although, it reduces the size of the tumor, the external radiotherapy also damages the normal cells. Thus, the idea to have it in sessions results the damage control of normal cells that can be repaired naturally.

Internal Radiotherapy: Internal radiotherapy is a clinical procedure that delivers higher quantity of radiations to a Mesothelioma patient than the external radiotherapy. This is usually given to those patients whose cancer is on extreme stages. In internal radiotherapy, a radioactive material is placed inside the patient's tumor or a radioactive fluid is given to a patient through mouth or injection. The radioactive material(s) then circulates throughout the body, with the help of blood, and annihilates the cancer cells.

Radiation therapy can be administered, with or without chemotherapy, after a surgery to avoid the recurrence of Mesothelioma. Doctors may also prescribe a limited amount of radiation therapy to a patient, depending on the nature, position and stage of the cancer. Certain side effects are recorded in patients who underwent radiation therapy, which were minor and diminished once the radiation treatment was over. Consult a professional oncologist for detailed information about the side effects and its treatment(s), before undergoing radiotherapy.


About the Author
Laura Russell is a professional health writer in then field of Mesothelioma Cancer. To view more of her articles please visit: Mesothelioma Cancer Portal

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Mesothelioma Treatment: Chemotherapy

by Laura Russell


Mesothelioma is a cancerous disease that affects the serous linings of various internal organs in the human body. Among them, the lungs, heart and the stomach are the mostly affected.

It is estimated that each year, 2,000 new cases of Mesothelioma are reported. The patients suffering from this cancerous disease have had prior exposure to asbestos, which is considered to be the only known cause of Mesothelioma. Mesotheliomic patients are often told of the short survival duration of 6 - 12 months. But doctors specialized in treating malignant Mesothelioma at leading cancer centers expect better survival rates. Though Mesothelioma causes immense pain and suffering to the victim along with short life expectancy, certain treatments have resulted in the successful reduction and removal of the cancerous tumors of Mesothelioma.

Treatment of Mesothelioma depends on many factors, including the stage of the cancer, the circulation of the malignant cells, pathology reports determining the nature of the cancer cells and patient's age and health. Following is a detail description of the options for Mesothelioma Treatment.

CHEMOTHERAPY: Chemotherapy is a "systematic treatment" of Mesothelioma that uses drugs, chemicals and medicines in an efficient manner to kill cancer cells. It is given to patients in either pills form or is injected directly into the body. In some cases, the medicines are directly inserted into the chest, known as intrapleural chemotherapy, or into the abdomen, known as intraperitoneal chemotherapy, to destroy the growth of cancerous cells. It is also given to patients before and after a surgery to limit the growth of Mesothelioma cancer.

The widely used pemetrexed, Alimta ®, is given in combination of Cisplatin (a standard platinum compound) to treat pleural Mesothelioma. The drug was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February, 2004. The working of this drug is simple: it enters the blood stream of a patient and kills the cancer cells throughout the body, while stopping the malignant cell growth. The drug has some side-effects for which vitamin B 12 and folic acid is given to the patients undergoing this treatment.


About the Author
Laura Simmon is a professional health writer having expertise in the field of Mesothelioma Cancer. To view more of her articles, please vist:Mesothelioma Cancer

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