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Pericardial Mesothelioma
Pericardial mesothelioma is a rare form of mesothelioma that
accounts for roughly 5% of all mesothelioma cases. Pericardial
mesothelioma is a cancer that grows on the lining of the heart.
The lining of the heart is extremely important because it plays
an important role in protecting the heart from damage and so
pericardial mesothelioma is an extremely serious condition.
Pericardial mesothelioma becomes a terminal illness if not
treated aggressively in its early stages.
Like all other forms of mesothelioma, pericardial mesothelioma
is caused by inhalation of asbestos dust and fibres. Once
inhaled, asbestos fibres become lodged in the lungs. From the
lungs, the fibres can either pass into the lymphatic system and
then be transported to the lining of the lungs or they can
gradually move across to the lining of the heart over a long
period of time. Over a long period of time, asbestos fibres can
accumulate on the lining of the heart and this is when
pericardial mesothelioma becomes a likelihood. Due to the fact
that asbestos is still present in many public buildings, the
possibility of pericardial mesothelioma is a reality for
everyone, although for most, very unlikely. Those with the
highest chance of having mesothelioma are those who have been in
constant contact with mesothelioma for a length of time as short
as a few months. These are people like construction workers and
asbestos manufacturers. Those who are in contact with people who
are constantly exposed to asbestos are also at risk due to the
fact that asbestos fibres can stick to clothes and hair and so
can be carried around.
Presently, cases of mesothelioma are increasing including
pericardial mesothelioma. Elderly men who are approaching 60 -
70 years of age are just starting to suffer from pericardial
mesothelioma due to its long latency period (amount of time the
symptoms take to show) of 30 - 50 years. They are suffering
because this was the generation who worked with asbestos and
amongst asbestos when asbestos was an extremely popular building
material in the 1950s - 1970s. These men are now lodging
multi-million dollar lawsuits against the companies who exposed
them to the dangers of asbestos.
Pericardial mesothelioma has a number of
symptoms but these only
start to take effect in the cancer's latest stages when it is
almost fully matured and developed. These symptoms include
persistent coughing, shortness of breath, chest pains and
palpitations. Other symptoms typical of all types of
mesothelioma include loss of appetite, nausea and weight loss.
What often makes pericardial mesothelioma so difficult to treat
is that its symptoms are typical of many other more common
diseases such as pneumonia. To be treated effectively,
pericardial mesothelioma needs to be treated aggressively in its
early stages and so many patients' treatments are given too late
because of a delay in diagnosis.
Treatments for pericardial mesothelioma are very limited and as
yet, success rates for curing pericardial mesothelioma are very
low. The chances of a patient's survival depend largely on how
early the cancer is treated and how aggressively. Treatment
methods include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, dual therapy
and surgery. Chemotherapy uses drugs to try to kill off
cancerous cells. Radiation therapy uses radiation to try to kill
off cancerous cells although this is extremely difficult in the
case of pericardial mesothelioma because too much radiation can
badly damage the heart. Dual therapy is a combination of both
chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Surgery comes in two
different types, aggressive surgery and palliative procedures.
Aggressive surgery is only used on the strongest of patients
such as young and healthy men and consists of removing a large
portion of the cancer and attempts to gain control over the
cancer. Palliative procedures are a more passive way of dealing
with pericardial mesothelioma and just attempts to relieve the
patient of the symptoms.
Research is being done into pericardial mesothelioma in research
stations all over the USA and many pharmaceutical companies are
also attempting to find new drugs for chemotherapy. So far, much
research has been unsuccessful.
About the author:
For more information on pericardial mesothelioma such as the
risks, causes, symptoms and treatments go to:
http://www.pericardialmesothelioma.co.uk,
http://www.pericardial-mesothelioma.co.uk and
http://www.asbestos-resource.co.uk
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