Archive for July, 2008
Mesothelioma Information managed and written by: elan@moneylizard.com
This is a blog created to provide the public with Mesothelioma Information. It will be updated regularly and will provide in depth and quality mesothelioma information. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at elan@moneylizard.com. This mesothelioma information is very accurate and the articles are all unique and won’t be found elsewhere.
Mesothelioma Information Content Index:
Causes of Mesothelioma
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Stages of Mesothelioma
3 Types of Mesothelioma
Treatment of Mesothelioma
What Exactly Causes Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma, a rare cancer, is most often caused due to the exposure of asbestos, mainly those who’ve worked in the asbestos field for a long period of time. However, roughly 20% of people that develop Mesothelioma have had no prior exposure to asbestos, and the cause sometimes goes unknown. Some claim that Mesothelioma can form in individuals that have had prior contact with spouses or other loved ones that worked in the asbestos industry, though it’s not quite certain why this happens.
Asbestos is actually a name for a group of naturally occurring minerals that are made up of large masses of very flexible and strong fibers. These fibers can then be taken and separated into threads and be woven. Companies have used asbestos in many products, such as:
- Insulation (most common)
- Concrete products
- Cement
- Brake linings
- Flooring materials
- Many types of textiles
- Roof shingles
A lot of times, people that work with those products, or more specifically, people that worked in the factories that produce those products, were often at risk of swallowing or inhaling tiny asbestos particles, which then lead to Mesothelioma cancer. Not only did asbestos cause Mesothelioma, but it is also tied to an increase in other illnesses, such as lung cancer, asbestosis, and cancers of the kidney and other vital organs.
I’ve compiled a list of questions and answers about Mesothelioma and put them on this page here. Take a look!
Types of Mesothelioma Treatments
There are many different factors to take into consideration when a doctor plans out a course of Mesothelioma treatment for patients. Some of these factors include:
- Location of the cancer
- Age and condition of the patient
- Stage that the cancer is in
Mesothelioma treatment options range fairly greatly, especially with the advanced techniques of modern medicine, but there are three options that are most effective when dealing with Mesothelioma treatment – Surgery, Chemotherapy, and Radiation Therapy. These three may be used separately, or combined, depending on the plan of treatment the doctors recommend.
Continue Reading »
Types of Treatment for Malignant Mesothelioma
Types of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma, which is a rare type of cancer that really started to rear its ugly face in recent years, actually could show up in three different varieties, all equally serious in nature. Mesothelioma usually appears in malignant form (that’s the bad one), and normally results in various tumors around vital organs of the body. Mesothelioma is an actual cancer of the sac that protects and lines the vital organs, which is called the Mesothelioma – hence the name Mesothelioma (oma means cancer). The three different forms of Mesothelioma are:
- Peritoneal Mesothelioma
- Pericardial Mesothelioma
- Pleural Mesothelioma
Symptoms and Diagnosis of Mesothelioma
The strange thing about Mesothelioma symptoms is the fact that they may not show up in an individual until 30+ years have gone by after being exposed to asbestos. This means that a lot of the factory workers that worked with asbestos, along with anyone else in the industry, may have been exposed a long time ago, but are just now starting to experience the symptoms of Mesothelioma, a rare and deadly form of cancer.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma are sometimes hard to differentiate from other illnesses, and there are actually many different forms of Mesothelioma. Here are some tell tale signs that may indicate Mesothelioma (especially if you’ve worked with or knew someone who worked with asbestos years ago):
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Weight loss
- Abdominal pain
- Abdominal swelling
- Bowel obstruction
- Anemia
- Fever
- Swelling of the neck and/or face
Stages of Mesothelioma
When a patient is diagnosed with any form of Mesothelioma, they go through a “staging” process, which basically is where the doctor finds out how far the cancer has spread out. A lot of the staging process involves CT scans, multiple x-rays, and even MRI’s of the patient’s body. The doctor needs to go through this critical stage in order to form an effective treatment plan for the patient. Pleural Mesothelioma is the most common type, so therefore it is studied the most, and is the only form in which staging classifications exist. Not only are there different types of Mesothelioma, but there are also different staging types that a doctor may reference in the staging process. The most common and most often used is the Butchart Staging System. This system focuses on the extent of the primary mass (tumor), and it divides the Mesothelioma into 4 stages. Continue Reading »
The Stages of Mesothelioma
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