Sunday, June 5, 2011

Abdominal-Peritoneal Mesothelioma Information

Mesothelioma tumors of the peritoneum include benign, malignant and cystic.Although peritoneal mesothelioma is the most common of these, it is very rare with an annual incidence of 1-2 cases per million persons. Only 10-20 percent of all mesotheliomas arise in the peritoneum. Peritoneal malignant mesothelioma occurs more commonly in adult males but also occurs rarely in children with equal sex incidence.Malignant mesothelioma occurs mainly late in the fifth decade of life, the benign type in the fourth decade and the cystic type in the third decade. The non malignant type are common in women.Cause
The link with asbestos exposure which is well established for pleural mesothelioma is not clear for peritoneal mesothelioma.Symptoms and Signs 
-Abdominal pain which may not be limited to any specific region of the abdomen but may be migratory.
-Abdominal distention and complaints associated with partial bowel obstruction are frequent
-Ascites (fluid in the abdomen,) may be present
-Abdominal mass/swelling may be presentDiagnosis 
-CT scans frequently show tumor masses and ascites (fluid in the abdomen)
-Laparatomy and laparoscopy for multiple biopsies {the surgeon opens up the abdomen surgically to look into the peritoneum directly and take samples}Treatment of Peritoneal Mesothelioma
It is treated with combination therapy:
A. Peritoneal radioactive P32 followed by whole abdomen radiation is used often
B. Chemotherapy:Combination chemotherapy with doxorubicin is a very important secondary component.
C. Surgery:Surgical treatment is done mainly to debulk (reduce the size of the tumor by cutting of parts of the tumor,) and treatment of intestinal obstruction.Prognosis of Peritoneal Mesothelioma
The prognosis of peritoneal mesothelioma is dismal with median survival of about 1 year after presentation. Death usually results from progressive bowel obstruction.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Pictures about Mesothelioma

 

Left sided mesothelioma with mediastinal node enlargement : CT scan.


CXR demonstrating a mesothelioma


CT scan of a patient with mesothelioma,coronal section (the section follows the plane that divides the body in a front and a back half). The mesothelioma is indicated by yellow arrows, the central pleural effusion(fluid collection) is marked with a yellow star. Red numbers: (1) right lung, (2) spine, (3) left lung, (4) ribs, (5) descending part of the aorta, (6) spleen, (7) left kidney, (8) right kidney, (9) liver.


      The image shows the features of mesothelioma:

                        Nuclear membrane irregularies.
                        3-D clusters of more than 10 cells with with "knobby" borders.
                        Large NC ratio (focal).
                        Occasional gigantic cells.
                        Macronucleoli.
                        Multiple nucleoli.



Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart,[1] the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.
If cytology is positive or a plaque is regarded as suspicious, a biopsy is needed to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma. A doctor removes a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope by a pathologist. A biopsy may be done in different ways, depending on where the abnormal area is located. If the cancer is in the chest, the doctor may perform a thoracoscopy. In this procedure, the doctor makes a small cut through the chest wall and puts a thin, lighted tube called a thoracoscope into the chest between two ribs. Thoracoscopy allows the doctor to look inside the chest and obtain tissue samples.
If the cancer is in the abdomen, the doctor may perform a laparoscopy. To obtain tissue for examination, the doctor makes a small incision in the abdomen and inserts a special instrument into the abdominal cavity. If these procedures do not yield enough tissue, more extensive diagnostic surgery may be necessary.


An Introduction to Feline Granuloma and Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a very rare form cancer inflicting some people. Not all countries report cases of the disease. But did you know that there are reported cases of mesothelioma and granuloma among feline creatures? Feline granuloma and mesothelioma are much more rare than human mesothelioma. However, experts and researchers are turning more curious and interested about the subject as years go by. That is because there are too many questions and factors that must be resolved and answered about feline cases of granuloma and mesothelioma.But first, it would be better if you would have a briefer of what granuloma and mesothelioma are. For sure, your interest and curiosity would be further aroused if you find out the known causes for the disease. You might ask the question, 'How do cats acquire such ailments?'Granuloma and mesotheliomaIn medical terms, granuloma and mesothelioma are two different terms and diseases for living organisms like mammals. To make it simple, there is a clear distinction between the two. Granuloma is non-cancerous or is often described as benign, while mesothelioma in contrast is most of the time malignant, or cancerous, and would often lead to the death of the individual.While both the diseases affect tissues within the internal organs of the body, there is still basic differences. One, granuloma is considered a form of a serious infection and can easily be treated. Second, granuloma is not as severe as mesothelioma.For its part, mesothelioma is often malignant and death-causing. Although prognosis, or rate or chances of survival, is possible, most of the reported cases end up in death of the diagnosed patient.To understand mesothelioma better, try to comprehend its causes and other problems associated with it.Mesothelioma, in focusMesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that occurs in the mesothelial tissue or the sac lining in the chest. Researches have found that asbestos when exposed to air disintegrates into very miniscule fibers that can be inhaled without people being aware of it. Once the asbestos fibers reach the lungs, they enter the mesothelila tissues and accumulate. The process would not create significant adverse results overnight. Experts estimate that it should take about two months of exposure before a person accumulates sufficient asbestos fibers to develop a tumor that would eventually lead to mesothelioma.Another striking fact about mesothelioma is that it does not occur in an asbestos-exposed person until about 20 to 30 years after the exposure. That is the main reason why on the average, mesothelioma patients are aged about 50 years to 70 years.Thus, people exposed to asbestos would not abruptly feel and bear the effects of exposure to the substance until a significant amount of time. That way, in the past, people diagnosed with mesothelioma had not readily linked the disease to their possible exposure to asbestos.Mesothelioma in catsFeline mesothelioma, therefore, is another case. Is feline mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure? If that is so, then the owner of the cat is also at risk of developing mesothelioma in the future because he might also be of exposed to the substance.In cats, mesothelioma could be disgnosed of the cat is aged seven to ten years. Most common symptom is drastic and sudden loss in weight. Veterinarians are still researching on what may cause feline mesothelioma and granuloma, although some suggest that it may be caused by substances in cat litter boxes. The dusts in the litter boxes may contain little amount of asbestos, although this ideas is still to be verified.Often, cats diagnosed with feline mesothelioma or feline granuloma end up dying. That is because animals are hard to treat because of the complexity of their structures. Many vets also ask cat owners with to just let consent for biopsy so the cat could contribute well to current research about feline mesothelioma and granuloma.Euthanasia is not an issue among sick animals, although animal rights advocates could openly oppose the idea. If your cat is diagnosed with mesothelioma or granuloma and there is only less chance of prognosis, make the decision to donate the cat instead for biopsy. That way, at least the cat died for good purposes.

All About Mesothelioma rare Cancer

Mesothelioma is a fatal disease that can seriously impact the health conditions of a person. This is a severe type of cancer. A person has to find out the status of malignant Mesothelioma for the proper treatment of this disease. One has to believe this cancer according to the place of the infection. Some cases pertaining to this particular disease are highly complex, when one relates the disease to the age of the particular person. The cancer may or may not be severe depending upon the intensity of Mesothelioma in that person. In simple words, this disease depends on the extent of contraction in the body of the person. Cancer cells vary highly. Thus, the detection of the cancer cells including malignant Mesothelioma is difficult. In most cases, one may not detect Mesothelioma cancer in the early stages resulting in its highly improbable treatment. 
The behavior of these cancer cells is quite different in different cases. In Mesothelioma cancer, the person's lung and abdomen has a higher liability for the initial attack. The cancer cells multiplication may result in significant changes in the chest cavity. Thus, it may prove to be the most dangerous for the respiratory system. In simple words, Mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer caused due to exposure to Asbestos. 
The name 'Mesothelioma' is significant of Mesothelial cells, which are am essential aspect of the body system. These cells are extremely important for the immune system of the body. Thus, Mesothelioma cancer generally affects the immunity in the body. Mesothelioma shows late symptoms.Therefore, most of Mesothelioma cases go undetected. One can understand the seriousness of this particular disease only when he/she comes to know about the life expectancy of the person suffering from this particular disease. The life expectancy of Mesothelioma cancer patients is quite alarming for a normal person. The probability of this disease is high in people ageing more than 40. Malignant Mesothelioma condition reduces the life period of a normal person. Patients suffering from Malignant Mesothelioma live an average period of only less than two years. There are even researches that prove that the number of people suffering from Mesothelioma cancer is going to rise rapidly in the near future. This cancer only affects the Mesothelial tissue in the delicate lining of lungs and other respiratory organs. This type of Mesothelioma is the malignant Mesothelioma. 
Another kind of Mesothelioma cancer affects the pleura, which is the part between the lungs and chest. This kind of cancer is a pleural mesothelioma. However, the reason for this cancer isn't always compulsorily, asbestos. Scientific preparation is necessary to achieve compensation that is legal financial help in terms of cancer analysis. If the disease has occurred from asbestos exposure, then asbestos may spread from the person, who initially inhaled asbestos to the healthy person he/she may come in contact. The last type of Mesothelioma cancer is the pericardial Mesothelioma, which affects the heart lining.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

About Cancer

One of the most common diseases that are making headlines today is cancer. In the last few years the numbers of patients have raised and at the same time cure too has been advanced and assuring. You will notice that presently people are much more knowledgeable about this disease, which once was known to be fatal and so tend to discover it at the early stages. This resulting in patients not pressing the panic button and instead look forward in getting a treatment done to have it removed from the body.
There are many types of cancers, which are basically cells that form a tumor by prying the human body to devastate tissues and spread to various parts of the body. One such form of cancer is Mesothelioma which is medically known to be instigated by exposure to asbestos that tends to destroy the membrane which wraps the crucial organs of the human body. This membrane plays a vital part by oozing greasy types of solutions in order to facilitate the smooth movement of the organs in our body.Asbestos as we all known happens to be a constructional material that has been used for ages due to its strength, heat resistance and basically absorbs sound easily. The product is made up of six natural minerals combined with fibers and cement to fight heat and fire. It is widely acknowledged that people who come into contact with asbestos fibers have chances of catching the deadly disease, and for this reason some countries have totally ban the use of asbestos.
Now about Mesothelioma, this name is derived from the actual name of the membrane that is referred to as mesothelium, and come in different forms. You will find pleural when the lung is infected, peritoneal for the stomach and pericardial that affect the heart and so on. One should not worry about these big names that have been attached to the disease, but to the cure. As mentioned above today with the latest technology there is a reason to be glad that methods of controlling and possible cure is available.Whenever a person senses the ailment they initially have to consult physicians who will determine the stage of the disease after certain test have been undergone by the patient. These tests will determine what type of treatment would be necessary for mesothelioma which in general will have patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, whilst at times surgery to remove the effected part. There are also other treatments which are available and even some that are being clinically tested.The cost plays a vital part in the healing process that is why there are some companies out there that assist with patients that have the said disease. They will educate you about mesothelioma and get your medical expenses reimbursed for such cases from companies that have had you in contact with asbestos the main cause for your disease.