Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer, affects the protective lining of the body's internal organs. It develops in the outer lining of the lungs and the internal chest wall. However, it is not limited to this organ. It can in the lining of the abdominal cavity, heart, the SAC around the heart and the tunic of vaginalis (cover of the testicles) develop. Mesothelioma is caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos. Although rare cases where the cancer in a person has developed, which has no known exposure to the material, have taken place.
Treating mesothelioma depends on many factors. Important factors in determining the affective treatment for the disease are part of the body which is affected by cancer and how far it has spread. Other factors include the patient age, the cancer stage and the appearance of cancer cells under the microscope. Once these factors have been taken into account, then a treatment plan can be developed.
There are several types of treatment for mesothelioma. The most common of these are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Operation actually implies the dismantling of cancer caused by surgery. Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer using chemotherapy drugs, which generally enzymes necessary for DNA to copy and block cell division. Radiation therapy, penetrating beams of high energy are used to attack the microscopic cancer cells in the body. These three traditional treatments for mesothelioma can be used alone or together, depending on the treatment plan prepared by the cancer team.
The prognosis for mesothelioma is not very promising; only eight to twelve months is expected with survival. This forecast improved however much progress that occur every day in the fight against cancer with.
