Pleural Mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer that is found
in the sac lining of the chest, covering areas around the lungs and inside the
ribs. The only known cause to this disease is exposure to asbestos. Due to the
latency effect of this cancer, this exposure is likely to have taken place 20
or more years ago. This type of mesothelioma is the most prevalent and is found
in over 70% of the cases.
If a doctor suspects that a patient could have
pleural mesothelioma a thoracoscopy will be recommended. This is a procedure
that allows a doctor to look inside the chest cavity with a special instrument
called a thoracoscope. A cut will be made through the chest wall and the
thoracoscope will be put into the chest between two ribs. This test is usually
done in a hospital with a local anesthetic or painkiller.
If fluid has collected in your chest, your
doctor may drain the fluid out of your body by putting a needle into your chest
and use gentle suction to remove the fluid. This is called thoracentesis. If
abnormal tissue is found, the doctor will need to cut out a small piece and
have it looked at under a microscope. This is usually done during the
thoracoscopy or peritoneoscopy, but can be done during surgery.
Three types of mesothelioma treatment are:
- Surgery
(taking out the cancer)
- Radiation
therapy (using high-dose x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer
cells)
- Chemotherapy
(using drugs to fight the cancer)
Surgery is a common treatment of malignant
mesothelioma. The doctor may remove part of the lining of the chest or abdomen
and some of the tissue around it. Depending on how far the cancer has spread, a
lung also may be removed in an operation called a pneumonectomy. Sometimes part
of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing, is also
removed.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill
cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the
body (external radiation therapy) or from putting materials that produce
radiation (radioisotopes) through thin plastic tubes in the area where the
cancer cells are found (internal radiation therapy).
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells.
Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle
in the vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the
drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer
cells throughout the body. In mesothelioma, chemotherapy may be put directly
into the chest (intrapleural chemotherapy).
Intraoperative photodynamic therapy is a new
type of treatment that uses special drugs and light to kill cancer cells during
surgery. A drug that makes cancer cells more sensitive to light is injected
into a vein several days before surgery. During surgery to remove as much of
the cancer as possible, a special light is used to shine on the pleura. This
treatment is being studied for early stages of mesothelioma in the chest.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a
rare and often rapidly fatal disease with median survival of 5 to 12 months for
untreated cases and 16 months reported after multimodality treatment.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma is a type of cancer is found in the abdomen in a thin
membrane called the peritoneum. Symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma include
abdominal swelling, loss of appetite, and weakness. The only known cause to
this disease is exposure to asbestos. Due to the latency effect of this cancer,
this exposure is likely to have taken place 20 or more years ago.
To diagnose Peritoneal Mesothelioma a doctor
may look inside the abdomen with a special tool called a peritoneoscope. The
peritoneoscope is put into an opening made in the abdomen. This test is usually
done in the hospital under a local anesthetic. If fluid has collected in your
abdomen, your doctor may drain the fluid out of your body by putting a needle
into your abdomen and using gentle suction to remove the fluid.
This process is called paracentesis. If
abnormal tissue is found, the doctor will need to cut out a small piece and
have it looked at under a microscope. This is usually done during the
thoracoscopy or peritoneoscopy, but can be done during surgery. If peritoneal
mesothelioma is diagnosed there are three main treatments for peritoneal
mesothelioma:
Three types of mesothelioma treatment are:
- Surgery
(taking out the cancer)
- Radiation
therapy (using high-dose x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer
cells)
- Chemotherapy
(using drugs to fight the cancer)
Surgery is a common treatment of malignant
mesothelioma. The doctor may remove part of the lining of the chest or abdomen
and some of the tissue around it. Depending on how far the cancer has spread, a
lung also may be removed in an operation called a pneumonectomy. Sometimes part
of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing, is also
removed.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to
kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside
the body (external radiation therapy) or from putting materials that produce
radiation (radioisotopes) through thin plastic tubes in the area where the
cancer cells are found (internal radiation therapy).
Chemotherapy uses drugs to
kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the
body by a needle in the vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment
because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill
cancer cells throughout the body. In mesothelioma, chemotherapy may be put
directly into the chest (intrapleural chemotherapy).
Mesothelioma is a serious cancer that is usually caused by
exposure to asbestos. Often the latent period between exposure to asbestos and
onset of symptoms can be 20 to 40 years. Furthermore, asbestos exposure lasting
only one or two months can result in the development of mesothelioma. This
means that anyone who believes that they were exposed to asbestos at home, work
or school, even years ago, should consult a doctor if symptoms arise.
Asbestos is the name for a group of naturally occurring silicate
minerals that can be separated into fibers. The fibers are strong, durable, and
resistant to heat and fire. Because of these qualities, asbestos has been used
in thousands of consumer, industrial, maritime, automotive, scientific and
building products. During the twentieth century, some 30 million tons of
asbestos were used in industrial sites, homes, schools, shipyards and
commercial buildings in the United States.
The chest and abdomen are lined by two layers of thin membrane
(also known as mesothelium) which surround the organs in these areas. The
lining around the lung is called the pleura and in the abdomen it is known as
the peritoneum. Mesothelioma is a cancer of this lining. The function of the
pleura is to protect the lungs and allow them to move smoothly in the chest.
When a mesothelioma develops in the pleura (known as pleural
mesothelioma), the delicate lining thickens and fluid may also collect between
the two layers of the pleura. If the lining of the abdomen (peritoneum) is
affected it is called a peritoneal mesothelioma and causes thickening of the
lining and a collection of fluid in the abdomen, which is called ascites.
Mesothelioma is a serious disease that requires urgent medical
attention by superior physicians. Please explore this site to learn more about
the asbestos and mesothelioma. If you were have been diagnosed with mesothelioma,
you may be entitled to legal compensation. Click here, to have an
experienced asbestos attorney quickly review your case to help you get the
compensation you deserve.
Parker & Waichman:
Personal Injury Attorneys For the People
Personal Injury Attorneys For the People
Attorneys Jerrold S. Parker and Herbert L. Waichman are the
vanguard of the legal world, building an entire career in successfully
protecting the rights of victims in some of the most significant cases of our
time. From their numerous Asbestos related cases to their landmark AIDS case in
1984, the case that proved for the first time in a United States court that
AIDS is transmitted by a blood transfusion, to their role in supervising the
litigation in the World Trade Center Explosion, Parker & Waichman have
proved, time and again, that they are qualified to take on the most challenging
legal causes.
The Experts Advising the Experts
Their expertise in cases such as those mentioned above has given
Jerrold S. Parker and Herbert L. Waichman increased responsibility for
protecting the public. Parker & Waichman has been successfully representing
victims of Asbestos disease for over 15 years.
Additionally, they have been selected to serve on the
Plaintiffs' Steering Committees supervising the litigation in the World Trade
Center Explosion, the USAIR-Laguardia Airport airliner crash, the problems
caused by the anti-depressant drug Prozac, and most recently, they have been
named to supervise litigation in another major issue before the courts: the
firm of Parker & Waichman was appointed to the Plaintiff's Steering
Committee for New York State's Diet Drug Litigation, which includes cases concerning
the popular and controversial diet drug combination known as
"Fen-Phen."
In addition to taking on such cutting-edge legal issues as
"Fen-Phen," the law firm of Parker & Waichman is involved in
another current medical-legal arena - recently taking on cases in which
hemophiliacs became infected with the HIV virus, and many contracted AIDS from
tainted blood clotting factor. Manufacturers of the clotting agents negligently
allowed infected blood from questionable sources to be used in making their
products.
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