Mesothelioma Of The Pleura And Peritoneum - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Mesothelioma

Brief description of the disease

Mesothelioma is an extremely dangerous type of tumor, characterized by damage to the pulmonary pleura and peritoneum. This tumor is formed by the mesothelium - the epithelial tissue lining the surface of the body cavities.

Mesothelioma does not spare either adults or children: a tumor can appear even in a 2-year-old baby.

Moreover, men have a risk of getting sick almost 8 times higher than women. There are several reasons for this.

Mesothelioma causes

The main cause of a tumor - mesothelioma - is prolonged and intense contact with asbestos. As you know, asbestos is a building material; a mixture of fiberglass and gypsum. Inhalation of asbestos dust can directly trigger swelling. Asbestos fibers actively affect the membranes of the respiratory tract, penetrating from them deeper and deeper into the pleura. The accumulation of these fibers also causes mesothelioma - an occupational disease of builders. Smoking aggravates the situation, while not being the main cause of mesothelioma.

There are also known cases when a genetic predisposition has become the main factor in the development of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma symptoms

The early symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include: pain in the lower chest, weakness, difficulty breathing, dry cough - and many others, neglect of which will lead to irreversible consequences.

Peritoneal mesothelioma usually presents with severe abdominal pain, weakness, vomiting, and weight loss. Few people care about these symptoms: some mistake them for symptoms of poisoning, others frankly ignore. Remember that mesothelioma will not "wait" and will come to light within 2-3 months, when the symptoms begin to manifest more actively: the pain will intensify, and the general condition will worsen.

The fact is that, like any tumor, peritoneal mesothelioma has stages of development. At the first stage, the pleura of the diseased lung is affected, while the lymph nodes are still intact. Peritoneal mesothelioma of the second stage has a relatively large "field of activity": it spreads to the diaphragm. The third stage is characterized by damage to the lymph nodes and the anterior chest wall. The fourth stage - the most dangerous - involves nearby tissues in the process and even through the bloodstream is transferred to more distant organs, thus affecting the entire body.

Diagnosis of mesothelioma

Mesothelioma can be diagnosed in different ways:

X-rays will help detect thickening of the pleura and the presence of fluid in the pleural cavity

CT (computed tomography) will determine the stage of the tumor and help prescribe an effective treatment

With the help of MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), it became possible to determine if the diaphragm is affected by mesothelioma

Thoracoscopy is an endoscopic method for examining the pleural cavity. Produced with special devices, it allows you to detect a tumor at the earliest stages. As a rule, a small piece of the pleura or pleural fluid is taken for examination. A similar research method, laparoscopy, is used to examine the abdominal cavity

Mesothelioma treatment

Mesothelioma is usually treated in several ways:

Chemotherapy. The drugs prescribed for chemotherapy can be administered both intravenously and intrapleurally (or into the abdominal cavity when treating peritoneal mesothelioma). Treatment of a tumor with poisons and toxins effectively destroys cancer cells, while not causing severe harm to the human body

Radiation therapy or radiation therapy. It is characterized as a highly effective method that quickly destroys cells in mesothelioma. It also has a number of unpleasant side effects: tissue burns, shortness of breath, fatigue, hair loss

Surgical method. Treatment of mesothelioma by removing the tumor / pleura is the most effective, however, not all patients with mesothelioma are shown it. Only in the case of a satisfactory general condition of the patient and the absence of other diseases, surgical intervention is allowed. And the complete removal of the tumor is possible only if the mesothelioma is localized

Other treatments for mesothelioma are also possible. For example, removing fluid from the pleural cavity with a needle. After this procedure, there is an improvement in the general condition of the patient, a decrease in pain. However, over time, the liquid accumulates again, and the procedure is repeated. Injection of antibiotics into the pleural space also helps reduce fluid and soreness.

After the diagnosis of mesothelioma, people, on average, live no more than a year, while the average age of the sick is 65 years. Think about it and avoid any contact with the lethal substance in your youth, so that later you will not regret it in your old age.

The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!