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Information for a Mesothelioma Patient

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Mesothelioma is a kind of cancer which happens due to inhaling of asbestos particles. The mesothelioma patient is not even aware that he is suffering from this disease initially. This form of cancer is developed inside tissues of cells that line up the lungs, heart and stomach of the patient. These cells are called mesothelial cells and once infected they start to dry up the surrounding areas and damage the vital organs of the body. Tumors start forming in various parts of the body.

There are basically 3 kinds of mesothelioma. They are

Pleural Mesothelioma

Peritorial Mesothelioma

Pericardial Mesothelioma

Out of these, pleural mesothelioma is the most common one and counts for 75% of total cases of mesothelioma patients. The other two types are less common.

Symptoms of mesothelioma

Unlike any other disease, the symptoms of mesothelioma don't show up easily. It can take up to several years before a mesothelioma patient can be diagnosed of this disease. And by that time, the damage has been done inside the body. It is almost not possible to detect this disease in early stages. Some of the common symptoms for this disease are:

Person coughing for long duration
Recurring episodes of bronchitis and pneumonia
Chest pain along with deep breathing
Fever with unknown reason
Blood in spit
Loss of appetite and weight loss
Hoarseness
Shortness of breath

Since most of the above symptoms are common with many other diseases, it makes it all the more difficult for doctors to diagnose this in mesothelioma patients.

How to diagnose mesothelioma in patients?

The doctor will need to know the medical history of the patient since the symptoms start showing up very late. A few steps which the doctors would take while diagnosing this disease are:

Check patient's medical history along with any relation with asbestos related work

Comprehensive medical test and full body check-up

X-Rays, MRI and CT Scans

Biopsies may be done to confirm the diagnosis

Cytology may be performed depending upon the location and amount of fluids

Depending upon the location, laparoscopy can be done in abdomen and thoracoscopy can be done on the lungs.

Treatment of Mesothelioma

There are a few ways in which mesothelioma can be treated. The type of treatment prescribed for the mesothelioma patient depends on the age, sex, location and stage of the disease.

Surgery – In this method, the malignant mesothelioma is removed surgically from the patient's body.
Radiation – In this method, high energy x-rays are used to kill mesothelioma cells. It is also used to reduce tumor size.
Chemotherapy – In this method, drugs are taken orally or through injections to kill malignant cells. These drugs get dissolved and circulated with blood inside mesothelioma patient to destroy the malignant cells.