Cancer is becoming common among people, and now, even children suffer from this deadly disease. Some cancers are incurable, but people can manage them, and treatments can give patients more time. Mesothelioma is a malignant tumor that appears in the layer of tissues, which is thin and covers many internal organs. Doctors classified mesothelioma as destructive because it is an aggressive form of cancer. Asbestos is the most common reason for cancer in the mesothelium, the protective membrane covering people's hearts, abdomen, and lungs. It is a natural mineral that does not break. People coming in contact with it often end up with mesothelioma. Asbestos is a fibrous material that often lands on people's clothes and bodies, putting them and other people around them at risk.
Initial symptoms of mesothelioma are similar to common health issues. Hence, doctors often diagnose it very late. Early diagnosis can help doctors manage the condition better and increase patients' eligibility for different treatments. Most people initially go for a chest X-ray to scan for any abnormalities. Sometimes, asbestos fibers are so thin that they evade doctors' eyes, even in X-ray reports. Doctors often prescribe some other tests.
Many people want to learn more about mesothelioma symptoms, diagnostic processes, stages, types, and treatment options. Mesothelioma may get classified into four kinds. The most prevalent of which are pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. Pericardial and testicular mesothelioma are rare forms of mesothelioma.
Types of Mesotheliomas
1. Pleural Mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma is the widespread form of mesothelioma. It occurs in the membrane covering the lungs. When asbestos fibers get into thin tissue, pleura, they cause inflammation and scarring. Patients suffering from pleural mesothelioma generally live for more than a year after diagnosis.
2. Peritoneal Mesothelioma
It develops in the peritoneum, a thin membrane that covers the abdomens. Doctors often confuse its symptoms with common health problems. The signs include swelling in the abdomen, nausea, and abdominal pain. When swallowed, asbestos fibers pass through the stomach and digestive system. They can cause this type of mesothelioma.
3. Pericardial Mesothelioma
This type of mesothelioma is a rare asbestos-related disease that affects the lining of the heart. Doctors often find it hard to diagnose it as its symptoms are similar to other cardiovascular diseases. People suffering from this mesothelioma generally live up to a year after the diagnosis.
4. Testicular Mesothelioma
It is another rare form of cancer and develops on the lining around the testes. Most patients can survive with the condition for up to five years. Testicular mesothelioma can spread rapidly. Besides, it tends to recur after a few years.
Below we are giving an insight into some better ways to treat mesothelioma:
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is one of the treatment options for mesothelioma; however, it cannot eliminate it. Still, it can prolong lives, bring quality to patients' lives and alleviate their symptoms. Doctors can tailor chemotherapy according to cancer type and patients' conditions. Although doctors understand that chemotherapy cannot wholly cure mesothelioma, it is the most common treatment. Doctors can either deliver this treatment through an intravenous line into the blood or go for a heated wash after surgery. Sometimes doctors combine chemotherapy with treatments, such as radiation or surgery.
The following are the terms doctors use to describe the best times for chemotherapy:
- Intraoperative chemotherapy is a process that needs a heated pump device to warm and treat cancerous cells directly during surgery.
- Neoadjuvant chemotherapy helps in shrinking tumors as it is a systematic IV medication. Since it shrinks tumors, it enables surgeons to remove them.
- Adjuvant chemotherapy is another systematic IV treatment that doctors deliver right after surgery to avert cancer from recurring in the same region.
Intraperitoneal chemotherapy with surgery has proven to be the most effective approach to treat peritoneal mesothelioma.
Surgery
When doctors diagnose cancer early, they may suggest surgery as it is not successful for mesothelioma's late diagnoses. Surgery offers mesothelioma patients to live comparatively longer lives and bring ease to it. Most doctors combine surgeries with chemotherapy to remove visible tumors. When patients are in relatively good health, doctors may suggest potentially curative surgery. Surgeons may try to remove all cancerous cells, but some cells are still left, causing recurring cancer. In unfortunate cases, tumors spread beyond where they occurred, and doctors find it impossible to obliterate them. In such situations, doctors go for palliative surgery to ease symptoms. In severe cases, doctors perform surgery to ease the process as it becomes impossible to cure it.
Pleural mesothelioma is the common mesothelioma. And doctors can suggest palliative and potentially curative surgery according to patients' conditions. EPP, Extrapleural pneumonectomy, is major surgery and best for the removal of cancerous cells. Surgeons often conduct multiple tests before prescribing this surgery. In contrast, Pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) is a less extensive surgery where doctors remove all of the pleura lining and its coating from the lungs of the same side.
For peritoneal mesothelioma, doctors often go for cytoreductive surgery. Through this surgery, surgeons remove portions of affected organs, and that procedure is called peritonectomy. Surgeons offer cytoreductive with heated chemotherapy to treat peritoneal mesothelioma.
Radiation
Sometimes surgeons suggest radiation when cancer has spread, and surgery is no longer an option. Radiation eases chest pain, discomfort, and other symptoms. Doctors comment that the combination of radiation and surgery helps in reducing the chances of recurrence. In some cases, doctors use it as a palliative procedure. Very few testicular mesothelioma patients receive radiation after surgery. Although research on radiation's effect after surgery is ongoing, doctors comment radiation helps in preventing recurrence of testicular mesothelioma.
Conclusion
People are striving hard to modify their lifestyle to prevent cancer as it is becoming prevalent in the present age. Asbestos, a natural mineral, is the leading cause of mesothelioma. It is an incurable form of cancer. Surgeons often suggest a combination of treatments to treat mesothelioma and ease peoples' symptoms. Early diagnosis followed by proper treatment can add some years and improve mesothelioma patients' lives.