Malignant Mesothelioma

Malignant Mesothelioma

By Elizabeth Morgan

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer in which malignant or cancerous cells form in the thin layers of tissue lining the human chest, heart or abdomen. When the cancer is in the chest, it affects the pleura or tissue lining the lungs and is called malignant pleural mesothelioma. In the abdomen, a cancer of the peritoneum or tissue lining the abdominal cavity and covering various organs is called malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Avoiding exposure to asbestos can largely prevent malignant mesotheliomas.

If a detailed medical history and physical exam suggests malignant mesothelioma as a possible diagnosis, a variety of diagnostic tests may be performed, including blood tests, x-rays, MRIs, CT scans and biopsies. Malignant mesotheliomas are graded upon the extent they have spread. A stage I, or localized, malignant mesothelioma is one that has not spread beyond the area it originated in. Stage II, III and IV malignant mesotheliomas are advanced, and may have spread to lymph nodes or to surrounding or distant organs and tissues. Some cancer treatment centers are involved in clinical trials using biotherapy and immunotherapy.

When a patient has symptoms suggesting malignant mesothelioma, a doctor starts with imaging techniques to confirm a diagnosis. Magnetic resonance images (MRI) or positron emission tomography (PET) images are taken to determine the extent of spread of a cancer; PET is most expensive but also the most accurate.

Once cancer is suspected, a tissue biopsy is needed to confirm the diagnosis. If the pleura or tissue lining the chest and lungs is involved, a thoracoscopy is performed, usually under local anesthesia. Tissue and fluid can be collected through this opening. Similarly, if the peritoneum or tissue lining the abdominal cavity and abdominal organs is involved, a peritoneoscope is inserted into the abdominal cavity to collect biopsy tissue. Depending on the cell type, a diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma can be made. Malignant mesotheliomas are of three cell types: epithelioid, mixed and sarcomatoid. In general, epithelioid malignant mesotheliomas are the most common and carry the best prognosis; sarcomatoid ones are the most rare with the shortest survival time.

The next step is to stage the cancer as localized, advanced or recurrent. There are three staging systems in use, each with four stages: the Butchart System, the TNM System and the Brigham System.

Malignant mesotheliomas are highly aggressive cancers, usually linked to asbestos exposure. The American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute are good resources for information on ongoing clinical trials and enrollment criteria. While radiotherapy is palliative in chest pain and chest wall spread, it has no effect on survival. Photodynamic therapy is being evaluated for earlier stages of malignant pleural mesothelioma; it combines the injection of a drug that makes cancer cells sensitive to light with the use of light of a certain wavelength to kill these cells.

The University of Chicago’s Cancer Research Center is leading a trial that combines the anti-cancer drugs gemcitabine and cisplatin, which kill cancer cells, with the biological agent bevacizumab, which slows the growth of cancerous tissue and blood vessels in this tissue. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute have identified a protein called mesothelin that is present in higher levels in mesothelioma cancer cells than in surrounding normal tissue.

Treatment for Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Treatment for Peritoneal Mesothelioma

By Omoluwabi Oluwaseyi

Peritoneal Mesothelioma is the name given to the cancer that attacks the lining of the abdomen. This type of cancer is caused by ABESTOS exposure and it affects the linings that protect the contents of the abdomen and which also provides a lubrication to enable the organs to move and work effectively.

There are a number of symptoms for these diseases. However like all other types of MESOTHELIOMA, there is a very long latency period and symptom may not become evident for decades after exposure. This means that by the time the symptoms have begun, it is often already too late to offer any real constructive treatment.

The symptoms of this disease include pain and weakness, weight loss, nausea, loss of appetite abdominal swelling, bowel obstruction. There are several tests that doctors can run to determine if a patient has a peritoneal mesothelioma diagnosis. These tests vary in terms of intrusion into the body and accuracy. A time line for testing a person suspected of having peritoneal mesothelioma is as follows:

When a patient first presents at the doctors office complaining of difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, or pneumonia types symptoms, the primary care physician will take an X-ray or CT scan to determine the presence of asbestos in or around the lungs, heart or stomach.

If tumors or growths are detected, the primary care physician will typically refer the patient to a specialist for various tests to determine whether there is a mesothelioma diagnosis.

Peritoneal mesothelioma diagnosis is generally tested for in one of two ways. Depending on the condition of the patient, the doctor may want to do a minimally intrusive procedure called a needle biopsy. The procedure allows the doctor to abstract cells suspected of cancer infection from the lining affected area. The doctor can run tests on the mesothelial cells to determine the proper diagnosis for the patient. There are several ways in which the doctor can perform a tissue biopsy in order to run tests for mesothelioma. Your doctor may decide to do a needle biopsy, where a hollow needle is inserted through the skin and into the chest cavity.

The second more common way that doctor’s test for Peritoneal mesothelioma is to surgically enter the patients body, at which time they cut a small piece of infected tissue for biopsy purposes. If the doctor determines that the mesothelioma diagnosis is malignant, they will likely refer the patient to an oncologist (cancer doctor) for further tests and treatment.

The oncologist will test the patient to determine the progression of the mesothelioma and the prognosis for the future. Generally, the oncologist will start the patient on a series of chemotherapy treatments to slow the growth of the mesothelioma. If the doctor determines, after running tests, that the patient is not a candidate for chemotherapy, the oncologists may prescribe medication to help the patient with pain management.

Treatment however include:

(1) {SURGERY}:

This entails cutting the out part of the linings and tissues from the abdomen in order to remove the tumor. It may sometimes be necessary to remove a line or part of the diaphragm in order for surgery to succeed in the removal Peritoneal Mesothelioma tumor.

(2) {RADIATION THERAPY}:

This is where high energy x-rays are used to shrink tumors and kill cancerous cells in the affected area. There are two ways to administer radiation therapy. The first is through external means, where a machine is placed outside the body and emits radiation through the body. As well as administering the radiation therapy through the tubes; doctors are also able to administer any required drugs this way.

(3) {CHEMOTHERAPY}:

Here, a combination of drugs is used to try and kill off the cancer cells. Drugs can be administered by mouth in tablet form, or you have the administered intravenously via needle into a vein or a muscle.