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Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma that exists, and its malignant form is the direct result of exposure to asbestos fibers. You can get mesothelioma benign, but malignant form is by far the most common. Inhalation of asbestos fibers is what makes people who work unprotected with asbestos risk, and the risk may be higher by smoking and exposure to this dangerous fiber.
This form of mesothelioma affects the lungs and respiratory areas of the body. Cancer cells and attacks the lining (known as the pleura) of the lungs and ribs. As with other forms of mesothelioma, symptoms may take twenty or thirty years (sometimes more) to appear after exposure to asbestos, which makes it impossible for people to realize that they have been touched up that it is too late.
There are several symptoms of pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma, as they may be precisely the non-specific and can be put to a number of common illnesses or diseases. long latency period associated with mesothelioma has already caused a lot of late, but the type of symptoms associated with this disease may cause further delays, although the early start.
Without prior knowledge that you worked with asbestos and is therefore a great risk to the patient when mesothelioma is affected, your doctor may end up testing for a wide range of other diseases such as pneumonia. This amount of waste need time and it is therefore crucial that you not only keep your eyes open for one of the symptoms, but also tell your doctor about your work history with asbestos. Armed with this information, the physician may then start to run appropriate tests symptoms manifest.
Some of the symptoms normally associated with pleural mesothelioma include persistent cough, difficulty swallowing, loss of weight facial swelling, fever, barking cough and blood. Some patients may also experience shortness of breath, whether active or at rest. This may be caused by a thickening of the pleura due to the spread of the tumor. The pleura becomes thicker, more space in the lungs are functioning properly, and thus the breathing begins to be affected.
Some patients may experience severe pain in the chest or ribs, and this is caused by the spread of cancer cells and tumors. If the tumor begins to spread outward, it will affect the chest and lungs.
Treatment of pleural mesothelioma depends on many things and he is the doctor normally suggests the recommended course of treatment based on his knowledge and the results of diagnostic tests. Factors such as patient age, medical history, general well-being and even weight to be taken into account. Other factors to consider are: how far the cancer has spread and where the cancer is.
Treatments for various types of mesothelioma are more or less the same in most cases, but obviously that target different parts of the body depending on the region has been affected by cancer.
These treatments include:
Surgery: This may involve the movement of all or part of a lung and some surrounding tissue to kill tumor cells and cancer. It may also be necessary to empty the lungs of fluid, just make the patient feel better. The extent of surgery depends largely on the extent to which the cancer has spread.
Chemotherapy: For this procedure, drugs used to fight cancer cells and kill them, and shrink the tumor. These drugs can be swallowed by mouth if they are in the form of tablets or a doctor can administer the needle directly into a vein or muscle. The drugs are then able to travel throughout the body via the bloodstream and kill cancer cells they encounter.
Radiation therapy: This high-energy X-rays are used either outside the body (external radiation) or internal source to target (internal radiation therapy) to shrink the tumor and kill cancer cells. Internal radiation is preformed by the use of plastic pipes in which the doctor can also administer medications.
