What is the prognosis of Malignant Mesothelioma?

Malignant mesothelioma usually is advanced by the time it is diagnosed, so the outlook usually is poor. On average, the survival time after diagnosis is about one year.

Malignant Mesothelioma: When should one seek medical advice?

Call your doctor promptly for an evaluation if you have any of the symptoms of lung cancer, especially if you have worked in an industry with high exposure to asbestos. If you have shortness of breath or chest pain, you should call your doctor for an evaluation as soon as possible.

What is the expected duration of Malignant Mesothelioma?

Once it develops, this type of cancer will continue to grow and spread until it is treated.

How can one prevent Malignant Mesothelioma?

To reduce your risk of malignant mesothelioma, you should avoid exposure to asbestos. Because there is no safe level of asbestos exposure, any asbestos exposure is too much. In your home, especially if it is an older home, have an expert check for areas of exposed asbestos-containing insulation or other areas of deteriorating asbestos. These areas must be removed or safely sealed off professionally. Workers who routinely deal with asbestos-containing materials should use approved measures to limit their exposure and to keep from bringing asbestos dust home on their clothing.

What is the diagnosis of Malignant Mesothelioma?

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and your medical history before examining you. Tests usually are needed because the more common symptoms of chest pain and shortness of breath may come from many causes. These tests include an electrocardiogram (EKG), a chest or abdominal X-ray, depending on your symptoms and your physical exam. If these tests show any abnormalities of the lungs or pleura, you will need a computed tomography (CT) scan or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. These imaging studies allow the physician to determine the size and location of any tumor in the chest or abdomen.

If you have fluid in your chest or abdomen, a thin needle may be used to remove a small sample of the fluid for examination. This procedure, called fine-needle aspiration, also may be used to drain the fluid to relieve symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath. Occasionally, mesothelioma can be diagnosed from this fluid sample alone, but usually a tissue sample (biopsy) will have to be taken, too. The tissue sample can be obtained with procedures called a thoracoscopy or video-assisted thoracoscopy (VAT) for a pleural tumor or with a procedure called laparoscopy for an abdominal tumor. In both procedures, a tubelike instrument inserted through a small incision allows the physician to see the tumor and collect a tissue sample. You also may need a procedure called a bronchoscopy or a mediastinoscopy so the doctor can look for masses in the lung airways caused by other tumors or can remove tissue samples from lymph nodes.

There are also some investigational blood tests that may be associated with mesothelioma and can be helpful both in the diagnosis and response to treatment. These are known as osteopontin and mesothelins and are available as part of some clinical studies.

Once your doctor is certain you have malignant mesothelioma, the next step is to determine how far the tumor has spread, which will classify the cancer into one of four stages. This is done with imaging studies, such as CT and MRI. In stage I, the tumor is limited to the pleural lining on one side of the chest without any signs of having spread. If the disease returns after being treated successfully, it is called recurrent mesothelioma.

Stage I also is called localized disease, whereas stages II to IV are called advanced disease.

What is Malignant Mesothelioma?

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is diagnosed in approximately 3,000 people each year. The disease usually affects the thin membrane that lines the chest cavity and the lungs. This membrane is called the pleura.

It also can affect the lining of the abdominal cavity, called the peritoneum, and, very rarely, it affects the lining around the heart, called the pericardium.

Most cases of malignant mesothelioma are caused by exposure to asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral that was used in a variety of industries. A small percentage of cases have been linked to exposure to a mineral silicate called zeolite or to a type of radiation contrast dye (Thorotrast) that was used before 1960 to help blood vessels show up on X-rays. In a few cases, the cause is unknown.

People exposed to asbestos for a long time or exposed to high levels have an increased risk of developing malignant mesothelioma, but even people exposed for a very short time can develop this disease. The disease develops at least 15 years (typically 20 to 40 years) after exposure to asbestos. People usually are diagnosed with this disease between ages 50 to 70. More men than women get this cancer, probably because men are more likely to have worked in the industries that use asbestos.

There are three main types of malignant mesothelioma: epithelial, sarcomatoid and mixed. The epithelial type is the most common.

Know Lung Disease

Know Lung Disease - This important organ is one of the vital organs for human life. Especially work on the human respiratory system.

Served as a place of exchange of oxygen that humans need and remove carbon dioxide which is the result of residual respiratory process that must be removed from the body, so the body's need for oxygen remains fulfilled.

The air is very important for humans, not inhaling oxygen for several minutes can cause death. That is the important role of lung. Organ located below the rib was indeed has a heavy duty, not to mention the more polluted the air we breathe as well as many germs floating around in the air. This can cause various lung diseases.

Symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, or pain in the chest area may indicate that something is wrong with your lungs. By detect it more quickly, this will help for this disease is not the longer and worse