Mesothelioma cancer is categorized into three according to the area in which the infection occurs. It is caused by over exposure to asbestos. The three types of mesothelioma are the pleural mesothelioma, which affects the mesothelium around the lung cavities; the peritoneal, found in the lining of the abdomen; and the pericardial, which attacks the heart cavities. The former one which attacks the lining of the lungs is also called asbestos lung mesothelioma because it infects the cavities of the lung and is caused by asbestos.
The pleural mesothelioma is surely a life threatening disease. It may also happen that the infection spreads all long the lung and it has to be removed. The fine fibers of asbestos settle down in the pleural linings. It triggers some chemical reactions resulting in harmful cell division. As a consequence pleural effusion and thickening of the layer happens obstructing the easy motion of the lungs causing breathing problems. The infection may take years and decades to reach this advanced stage.
Diagnosing pleural mesothelioma becomes sometimes extremely difficult, especially if the doctor is nor skillful in the field. Many symptoms of this cancer are similar to the symptoms of other diseases like pneumonia. Sometimes mesothelioma diagnosis takes place when the patient goes to the doctor for some other treatment. An expert physician would ask the health and medical history of such patients before conducting imaging tests, lung tests or biopsy.
Chronic cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of body weight, night sweat, fever etc are the most common symptoms of asbestos lung mesothelioma. Some patients may show some of the symptoms, but others might not develop any symptom at all. This trait of the cancer has often created confusions resulting in failure to detect the cancer or wrong diagnosis.
Traditional treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are preferred by the doctors if the cancer is in the initial stages. Chemotherapy checks the spread of cancer and radiation therapy removes the remnants of cancer through high energy or particle beams. Palliative treatment is done, if it reaches the advanced stages. Here the treatment of the symptoms rather than causes is done.
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