Pleural Mesothelioma Lung Cancer

There is no cure for pleural cancer, however, there are treatments that can help you manage your symptoms and prolong your life. Find out about clinical trials to explore experimental treatments which could improve your odds of survival.

Doctors can detect mesothelioma with X-rays, CT scans and MRIs. They also take a tissue sample for biopsy to confirm the cancer's presence.

Symptoms

The symptoms of mesothelioma in the pleural region usually begin with breathing problems. This may be accompanied by chest pains, congestion of fluids or coughing. Symptoms vary depending on the type of cell and stage of mesothelioma. Patients with advanced pleural tumors may experience more severe and specific symptoms. This is because the cancer has been spreading to other tissues or organs like lymph nodes and bloodstream.

Early-stage mesothelioma is characterized by vague symptoms similar to those of more common diseases. This means that the condition often isn't diagnosed until years later.

A doctor can identify mesothelioma using a physical exam and medical history. The doctor will ask about asbestos exposure and symptoms, and order an imaging test, like a chest radiograph or computed tomography scan to determine the presence of the disease.

Other tests, like biopsies and blood tests can confirm the presence of mesothelioma. A doctor may also treat pleural cancer through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Patients with pleural mesothelioma who aren't in the advanced stages of the disease may be eligible for clinical trials that test experimental treatments for the disease. These trials allow patients to test new treatments that could enhance their quality of life and prolong their survival.

Diagnosis

Your doctor Mesothelioma Lung Cancer will ask you about your medical history and symptoms to diagnose mesothelioma. The doctor will also perform a physical exam to detect any lumps, or other signs of mesothelioma or other signs of. Your doctor might order imaging studies, like a CT scan of the abdomen or chest, or a chest X ray, to detect any abnormalities. These tests can reveal lung calcifications, tumors, mesothelioma lung cancer and fluid buildup around the diaphragm, lungs, or.

If your doctor suspects that you have mesothelioma he will conduct an examination for a biopsy. This involves the removal of tiny pieces of tissue from a tumor to be examined in a lab for cancerous cells. Your doctor may drain pleural fluid to ease breathlessness that results from a buildup of fluid in your body. The doctor can perform this procedure with the use of a needle or a special camera, referred to as video-assisted surgery.

If the biopsy confirms that you have mesothelioma, additional tests will reveal the kind of mesothelioma it is and at the stage it has reached. These tests will help doctors determine if the cancer has spread to another part of your body. These tests include positron emission tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. These tests provide doctors with detailed images of soft tissues, including the diaphragm. This may indicate if a mesothelioma is present.

Treatment

When a doctor diagnoses mesothelioma, they will develop a plan of treatment which includes surgery, medication and radiation therapy. The treatment plan will be based on a number of factors which include whether the tumor is pleural, peritoneal, or different, as well as the type, location and stage at which the cancer was discovered.

Mesothelioma can recur even after it is treated. This is why it's crucial for patients to check in with their doctor and discuss any new or worsening symptoms.

A biopsy is normally performed in cases of imaging scans that reveal possible mesothelioma. The procedure involves removing fluid from the body or using a needle in order to collect a sample of tissue to be examined under the microscope. A biopsy can also be utilized by doctors to determine if cancer has developed.

Surgical options for mesothelioma include extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), which removes the affected lung, as well as some of the surrounding lining of the chest wall, as well as pleurectomy that includes decortication, in which only the affected pleura is removed. In certain cases doctors may recommend an alternative procedure that is less invasive, referred to as a "thoracoscopic" pneumonectomy. A surgeon uses a camera to drain the chest cavity and a needle to remove a small part of the pleura.

Mesothelioma treatment is done with chemotherapy. It is a systemic treatment which works by reducing the growth of cancerous cells, and stopping their multiplication. The most common chemotherapy drugs to treat mesothelioma are doxorubicin, vinblastine. These drugs can cause side effects that can include kidney damage anemia and low blood counts, numbness in the fingers and toes, hair loss and nausea and vomiting.

Prognosis

Early detection of pleural Mesothelioma is generally associated with the best prognosis. They are treated with surgery and chemotherapy. This can extend life expectancy considerably. The outlook is more dire when mesothelioma has mutated, or metastasized, to other organs of the body.

The mesothelioma cell type and stage at diagnosis and overall patient health all play a role in the mesothelioma prognosis of a patient. The doctors divide malignant mesothelioma into three groups, based upon the type of cells that comprise cancerous tissue. These cell types include epithelial cells as well as sarcomatoid cells and biphasic/mixed type.

The best chance of success is for people with asbestosis pleural if they are diagnosed at the stage 1 or 2. This is because their tumors aren't spreading and are easier treated than those that are in later stages. People with peritoneal mesothelioma and other mesothelioma types have less favorable outlooks.

Health and race are also factors that could affect a patient's mesothelioma prognosis. People with lighter skin tones tend to have a better chance of surviving than those with darker. Also, fitter people tend to be better able to deal with mesothelioma treatment as well as other cancer treatments. Doctors assign a score to people based on how well they can perform their daily tasks. Higher scores indicate an active lifestyle, while lower ones indicate a person who is more restricted. Doctors also examine a patient's bloodwork and check their haemoglobin levels as well as platelet and white counts to determine how healthy they are.