Mesothelioma

Short characteristic of a disease

Mesothelioma is the extremely dangerous type of a tumor which is characterized by damage of a pulmonary pleura and a peritoneum. This tumor is formed by a mesothelium – the epithelial fabric covering a surface of perigastriums.

Mesothelioma does not spare either adults, or children: the tumor can develop even at the 2-year-old kid.

And at men risk to ache nearly 8 times above, than at women. It is caused by some reasons.

Mesothelioma reasons

The main reason for developing of a tumor - mesothelioma is a long and intensive engagement with asbestos. It is known that asbestos is a construction material; mix of fiber glass and gypsum. Inhalation of asbestos dust can provoke a tumor directly. Asbestos fibers actively influence covers of respiratory tracts, getting from them is deeper and deeper, in a pleura. Accumulation of these fibers also causes mesothelioma – an occupational disease of builders. Smoking aggravates situation, at the same time, without being the main reason for developing of mesothelioma.

Also cases when genetic predisposition became the main factor of development of mesothelioma are known.

Mesothelioma symptoms

 Treat early symptoms of mesothelioma of a pleura: pain in the bottom of a thorax, weakness, a breath zatrudnennost, dry cough – and many others, neglect which will lead to irreversible effects.

Mesothelioma of a peritoneum is, as a rule, shown by severe pain in a stomach, weakness, vomiting, loss of weight. Very few people are concerned by these symptoms: one mistakenly take them for poisoning symptoms, others frankly ignore. Remember that mesothelioma will not "wait" and will come to light in 2-3 months when symptoms begin to be shown more actively: pain will amplify, and the general state will worsen.

The matter is that as well as any tumor, at mesothelioma of a peritoneum has development stages. At the first stage the pleura of a sore lung is surprised, at the same time lymph nodes are still whole and safe. Mesothelioma of a peritoneum of the second stage has already relatively big "field of activity": it extends to a diaphragm. The third stage is characterized by damage of lymph nodes and a front chest wall. The fourth stage – the most dangerous – involves nearby fabrics in process and even through a blood stream is transferred to more remote bodies, thus, striking all organism.

Diagnosis of mesothelioma

Diagnosis of mesothelioma can be made in various ways:

• X-ray will help to reveal a thickening of a pleura and availability of liquid in a pleural cavity

• CT (computer tomography) will define a stage of development of a tumor and will help to appoint effective treatment.

• By means of MRT (magnetic and resonant tomography) it became possible to define whether the diaphragm is struck with mesothelioma.

• Torakoskopiya – an endoscopic method of a research of a pleural cavity. It is made special by devices, allows to reveal a tumor at the earliest stages. As a rule, for a research the small piece of a pleura or pleural liquid undertakes. The similar method of a research – a laparoscopy – is applied to survey of an abdominal cavity.

Treatment of mesothelioma

Treatment of mesothelioma is, as a rule, performed in several ways:

• Chemotherapy. The drugs appointed at chemotherapy can be entered both intravenously, and vnutriplevralno (or into an abdominal cavity at treatment of mesothelioma of a peritoneum). Treatment of a tumor by means of poisons and toxins effectively destroys cancer cells, at the same time, without doing strong harm to a human body.

• Radiation therapy or treatment by radiation. It is characterized as the highly effective method which is quickly destroying cells as a part of mesothelioma. It has and a row unpleasant collateral actions: a burn of fabrics, the complicated breath, fatigue, a hair loss.

• Surgical method. Treatment of mesothelioma by removal of a tumor/pleura is the most efficient, however, not all patient with mesothelioma he is shown. Only in case of a satisfactory general condition of the patient and absence of other diseases surgical intervention is authorized. And the full oncotomy is possible only if the mesothelioma localized.

Also other ways of treatment of mesothelioma are possible. For example, removal of liquid from a pleural cavity by means of a needle. After this procedure improvement of the general condition of the patient, reduction of pain is observed. However eventually liquid collects again, and the procedure is repeated. Introduction of antibiotics to a pleural cavity helps to reduce amount of liquid and painful feelings too.

After diagnosis of mesothelioma, people, on average, live no more than a year, at the same time, that average age of the diseased – 65 years. Think of it and avoid any contact with deadly substance in youth then not to regret about it in old age.