Pericardial Mesothelioma Resources and Research Information

By H. Boyander

Precisely what is pericardial mesothelioma?

This mesothelioma is a dangerous heart condition which comes from cancerous cells accumulating on the lining of the heart. Comparable to pleura and peritoneal mesothelioma, this is a deadly health problem due to the significance of the area on which it develops.

So what leads to the mesothelioma and who are most vulnerable?

The main cause of pericardial mesothelioma is contact to asbestos particles and fibres.For this reason those at risk are those particular who are most probably to have inhaled these life-threatening fibres such as building workers and asbestos manufacturers. People who are in contact with these people also have a risk of getting this type of mesothelioma due to the reason that this group of people may have asbestos fibres stuck to their clothing or hair.

What exactly are the indications of pericardial mesothelioma?

The indications of the mesothelioma may vary from individual to individual. Usual warning signs and symptoms include continuous coughing, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain and heart rhythm disorder. Other symptoms affected individuals may encounter are nausea, losing weight, throwing up and loss of the appetite.

Now what are the treatment options existing for pericardial mesothelioma?

There are a range of individual treatment options for pericardial mesothelioma however none of them have a high level of success. Chemo therapy, radiation therapy, dual therapy and surgery are the treatment methods made available. Chemo therapy also includes using drugs to destroy cancerous cells and radiation therapy makes use dosages of radiation to destroy cancer cells despite the fact this is very challenging in the instance of pericardial mesothelioma due to the surrounding important and vital organs which include the heart and lungs. Dual therapy is a treatment procedure joining radiation therapy with chemo therapy. Surgery comes in two shapes; aggressive surgery and palliative surgeries.

Aggressive surgery is a extremely challenging course of treatment and involves removing large pieces of cancerous cells in an attempt to win long term control over the cancer. Palliative procedures simply strives to minimize the symptoms for the patient.

Just how much exposure to asbestos is needed for there to be a risk of getting the mesothelioma?

This depends on how robust and resistant the individual is to disease and on the amount of asbestos in the environment around him. It is possible to get the mesothelioma from as little as a few of months of exposure to asbestos in spite of the fact that on average it would take a couple of years for sufficient asbestos fibres to build up to cause cancer.

What is the diagnosis for pericardial mesothelioma?

This is greatly dependent on how early and how dramatically the cancer is treated. If pericardial mesothelioma is treated when it has completely formed and matured then the odds of a patient's survival is minimal. The prognosis could be just a couple of months.

Is there any kind of encouraging research into curing mesothelioma?

Research into cures of pericardial mesothelioma and every other type of mesothelioma is being done in several research labs all over the USA. Many pharmaceutical corporations and organizations are also working intensely to research new drugs for chemotherapy. So far, research has |for the most part been unsuccessful.

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Pericardial Mesothelioma Treatment and Information

Pericardial mesothelioma is the cancer that affects the pericardium of the heart. The disease is mostly associated with those that are exposed to asbestos-related environment. It is not known exactly how the asbestos particles get embedded on the membranous lining of heart. But believed that asbestos particles mostly travel from lungs through the bloodstream into the heart. Once these particles get embedded, it becomes difficult to remove them from body. These particles affect changes inside the pericardium eventually causing uncontrolled cell growth. With the growth of cancerous cells inside the pericardial membrane, the membrane gets filled with excess fluid exerting pressure on the heart and creating various symptoms and also intervenes with the function of heart.

Common warning symptoms of a pericardial mesothelioma:

* Intense chest pain

* Irregular heartbeat and palpitations

* Difficulty in breathing

* Continuous coughing

* Fatigue with little exertion

However, the symptoms vary with patients as well as with the stages of this disease. A thorough history of the patient is essential to arrive at the correct diagnosis.

Tests and Diagnoses:

It is difficult to have correct diagnosis of the pericardial mesothelioma as the symptoms coincide with other conditions as well. Apart from medical history, some examinations need to be undertaken such as series of imaging tests to determine the exact location and nature of the pericardial mesothelioma. However, the final stage of this cancer is only determined by a biopsy. Either fluid is removed from the pericardium or some tissue is taken and studied under lens.

Treatment Of Pericardial Mesothelioma

If the Pericardial Mesothelioma is in its early stages, then surgical removal of localized tumors is opted. However, it is associated with greater risk because of its proximity with heart. However, not all cases can be treated with surgery. In most cases, due to advanced stages of this disease, palliative treatment remains the only option. This approach helps to improve the quality of living of those enduring pericardial mesothelioma. Chemotherapy is not a viable option in this case.

Latest Treatment

Research is still underway to find cure for this deadly disease. Several studies and clinical trials are in progress to find ways to increase the lifespan of the cancer patients. Alternative therapies such as yoga, massage, acupuncture, nutritional supplements and meditation coupled with either gene therapy or immunotherapy can be beneficial.

I am a health care professional who writes about mesothelioma at Mesothelioma Straight [http://mesotheliomastraight.net/asbestos]. My latest post is here: Mesothelioma Details and Findings [http://mesotheliomastraight.net/asbestos/2008/causes-of-mesothelioma/]

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Learn About Pericardial Mesothelioma

We know that mesothelioma is dangerous and often painful cancer that takes place when asbestos fibers gather in the chest cavity for more time and start to damage the mesothelium which is a shield cover that covers the heart, lungs and abdomen. Pericardial mesothelioma accounts for concerning half of all pericardial tumors and it is extremely rare.

Pericardial mesothelioma influences the pericardium a membrane, which is made up of mesothelial cells that surrounds as well as protects the heart. This membrane has two layers, one is an outer layer called parietal pericardium and the second is an inner layer called the visceral pericardium {epicardium}. Pericardial mesothelioma builds up when asbestos particles become trapped between the two layers of the membrane. Mesothelioma has a long dormancy period and it can be decades among when a patient is first exposed to asbestos and when he/she first exhibits symptoms of the disease.

While pericardial mesothelioma continues to be a threat and many people speciously assume that the United States' ban on most commercial uses of asbestos has largely reduced new mesothelioma cases but this cannot be further from the truth.

Following are the symptoms:
- Irregular heartbeat
- Chronic chest pain
- Heart palpitations
- Difficulty breathing
- Heart murmurs
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Chronic coughing
- Night sweats

In case of pericardial mesothelioma doctors generally examine a person's medical record prior to run imaging tests. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most effective methods for pericardial mesothelioma analysis and if cancer comes into view as present then a biopsy will confirm or deny the suspicion. Biopsy, Chest x-ray and Chest CT scan are also ways to diagnosis the pericardial mesothelioma. Biopsy help to removal pericardium tissue or fluid for laboratory test to confirm the presence of mesothelioma cells. Chest x-ray helps to recognize the tumor which has a characteristic shape of the heart on the x-ray film when there is a tumor of the pericardium. Chest CT scan also helps to detect the tumor.

Treatments:
Unlike the pleural and peritoneal forms of mesothelioma, surgery is not an effective option for treating pericardial mesothelioma, due to the delicateness of the heart.

Radiation therapy: It helps to slow the spread of the cancer; however is often not adequate to kill the cancerous cells. This treatment is useful when it is used with chemotherapy because this treatment blend helps to increase the effectiveness of the radiation therapy. However, radiation as well as chemotherapy comes with the risk of killing healthy cells and cancerous cells that causes a number of serious health-related side effects.

Fine needle aspiration: It involves in elimination of excess fluid that gathers in the pericardium. As it does not necessarily conflict the cancer itself so can just help relieve some of the painful symptoms associated with mesothelioma.

This cancer accounts for about 6% of all the total mesothelioma cases, but this is still just 180 cases in the United States. However, pericardial mesothelioma is detected early enough then surgery may be used to remove parts of the affected area.

The Mesothelioma Law Firm, offers law services for people suffering with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses - Houston, Texas.

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Williams Kherkher, the Mesothelioma Law Firm, offers law services for people suffering with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses - Houston, Texas.

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