Peritoneal Mesothelioma - What You Need to Know?

Peritoneal mesothelioma is one of the causes of many deaths each year. It is a form of cancer that attacks the peritoneum, the lining of the abdomen. Only one-fifth to one-third of the total number of mesothelioma cases diagnosed has a peritoneal form.

Previous asbestos exposure is the primary factor that causes this type of mesothelioma cancer. There are two reasons on how asbestos fibers can get inside the peritoneum.

How Asbestos Fibers Enter the Body

1. The first one is that the fibers that lodge in the intestinal tract move to the intestinal wall to reach the peritoneum.

2. Another way is that the fibers that lodge in the lungs go to the lymphatic system and the finally transported to the peritoneum. Peritoneal mesothelioma is highly uncommon compared to the pleural mesothelioma.

There are only 2 cases per 1 million populations recorded each year.

Diagnosing Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Diagnosing this type of this disease could be very hard and challenging because the symptoms can occur only after 20-30 years of exposure to asbestos. "Dry" or "wet" are the two terms used when peritoneal mesothelioma has been diagnosed.

A single dominant localized mass is seen in the dry type and eventually there is no ascites found. In the "wet" type, widespread small nodules are visible but there are no dominant masses.

There is also a present of ascites. A patient with a peritoneal mesothelioma has a shorter life expectancy between 4 months to 2 years.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include, abdominal pain, abdominal mass, swelling out of the abdomen and increased abdominal girth as well as fever, fatigue, and weight loss.

Ascites is also a sign of peritoneal mesothelioma. It is a fluid found in the abdomen.

Treating Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Cancer in the lining of the abdomen is a very fatal illness, mainly because there is no effective treatment. However, several methods are available in treating the cancer.

Methods in Treating the Cancer

1. Radiotherapy. Is one of the medications that a patient can suffer. In this method, the use of radiation is included.

2. Cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy are also beneficial. Patients who undergo this treatment will have a 50 percent partial response rate. Being physically fit is a blessing from god.

It is fundamental for us to take care of ourselves so that we can protect ourselves in any kind of diseases. Since peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare malignancy, doctors familiar with the disease should conduct specialized treatments perhaps to cure the cancer.

Mesothelioma is a rapidly fatal primary peritoneal malignancy with an average survival time of less than 1 year, mainly because there is no effective treatment.

In a percentage of cases, mesothelioma is found incidentally when the patient has sought help for another health problem such as gallbladder, hernia or pelvic mass.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma - What You Need to Know?

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