Mesothelioma - A Type of Cancer

Mesothelioma is considered to be the most deadly type of cancer that is caused by inhaling the asbestos particles that float in the air. Mostly people who are directly or sometimes indirectly exposed to asbestos contact this disease. It affects the mesothelium which is the protective lining of most the internal organs in the body. Malignant cells develop on the mesothelium of the heart, lungs or the stomach. The mesothelium of the chest cavity and the lungs is known as pleura, the stomach lining is called peritoneum and pericardium is the lining of the heart. There is provision in the law for the compensation of Mesothelioma patients and special lawyers called asbestos lawyers help the patients in their legal pursuit.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma
The symptoms of Mesothelioma occur at the last stage of the disease so curing it becomes very difficult. The symptoms can be seen after a long time of exposure to asbestos which may be a long gap of twenty to fifty years. The main symptoms are breathlessness due to accumulation of fluid in the chest, coughing, pain in the chest; blood may also appear with the cough or the spit. These symptoms can be seen if the pleura or the pericardium is affected. If the peritoneum is affected the patient will develop loss of appetite, pain in the stomach, loss of weight, problem in the bowel, anemia and fatigue. The patient may also suffer from frequent fever.
Treatment of Mesothelioma
An effective treatment of this disease depends on several factors like, in which stage the cancer has been detected, what is the age of the patient, how much the cancerous cells have circulated and the general health condition of the patient, that is whether he is suffering from some other disease or not. It has been observed that chemotherapy is the only treatment available for these patients. It uses medicines, chemicals or drugs in a systematic manner to eradicate the cancerous cells. The medicine is either injected directly in the body or administered in pill forms.
The other forms of treatment are immunotherapy, surgery and radiation by which the malignant cells are destroyed so that they do not spread to the other parts of the body. In severe cases many tumors may be detected on the affected area for this the doctors first remove the tumors by surgery and then the other forms of treatment follow. The patient has to decide whether he will undergo the painful treatment or survive for six to twelve months without treatment.