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A type of cancer called malignant mesothelioma develops in the thin layer of tissue that covers most of your internal organs (mesothelium). It is an aggressive and fatal form. There are mesothelioma treatments available, but for many mesothelioma patients, a cure is not feasible.
Depending on whatever portion of the mesothelium is compromised, doctors classify mesothelioma into various types. Most frequently, mesothelioma attacks the tissue around the lungs (pleura). Pleural mesothelioma is the name given to this kind. The tissue in the abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma), the heart, and the testicles are affected by other, more uncommon kinds of mesothelioma.
Symptoms
Depending on where the cancer develops, mesothelioma has different signs and symptoms. The signs and symptoms of pleural mesothelioma, which affects the tissue surrounding the lungs, may include:
- Painful coughing
- Breathing difficulty
- Chest pain
- Unexplained weight loss
- Unusual tissue lumps beneath the skin of your chest
The signs and symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects tissue in the abdomen, may include:
- Abdominal distention
- Pain in the abdomen
- Unexplained weight loss
- Nausea
Other forms of mesothelioma
Since these varieties of mesothelioma are very uncommon, it is unclear what the signs and symptoms of other types are.
Chest aches and breathing difficulties are only a couple of the signs and symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the tissue surrounding the heart.
Testicular edema or a tumor may be the earliest signs of mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis, which affects the tissue around the testicles.
If you experience any symptoms or signs that worry you, consult a doctor. Because mesothelioma is a rare disease, the signs and symptoms aren’t unique to it and are more likely to be linked to other illnesses. Ask your doctor to evaluate any persistent symptoms or signs if they appear out of the ordinary or unpleasant. If you’ve been exposed to asbestos, let your doctor know.
Causes
Cancer often starts as a succession of DNA alterations (mutations) in a cell. The instructions that inform a cell what to do are encoded in its DNA. The cell is instructed to grow and multiply uncontrollably by the mutations. The aberrant cells gather and develop into a tumor.
Although studies have identified factors that may raise the risk, it remains unclear what triggers the initial genetic abnormalities that result in mesothelioma. It’s possible that a variety of factors, including genetic problems, your environment, your health conditions, and your lifestyle choices, interact to create cancer.
Risk factors
Asbestos exposure:
It is believed that asbestos exposure causes the majority of mesotheliomas. A mineral called asbestos occurs naturally in the environment. Because asbestos fibers are robust and heat-resistant, they can be used in a wide range of products, including insulation, brakes, shingles, flooring, and many others.
Dust may be produced when asbestos is broken up, such as during mining or after removing asbestos insulation. If the dust is swallowed or inhaled, asbestos fibers will congregate in the stomach and lungs, where they can irritate tissues and possibly develop mesothelioma. Following asbestos exposure, mesothelioma development might take anywhere between 20 and 60 years or longer.
Most persons who are exposed to asbestos do not go on to acquire mesothelioma. This suggests that there may be other factors that affect a person’s risk of developing mesothelioma. For instance, you might have a hereditary propensity for cancer or another illness that raises your risk.
Mesothelioma risk factors include the following:
- Exposure of asbestos. Your risk of developing mesothelioma is considerably raised if you have ever been in close contact with asbestos fibers, whether at work or at home.
- Living with someone who works with asbestos. Asbestos exposure can cause people to bring the fibers home on their skin and clothing. Others in the home may get mesothelioma after years of exposure to these stray fibers. By taking a shower and changing out of their work clothing before leaving, people who deal with high levels of asbestos can lessen the chance of transporting asbestos fibers home.
- Mesothelioma history. You may have a higher risk of developing mesothelioma if your parent, sibling, or kid does.
- Radiation. Mesothelioma risk may be higher if you underwent radiation therapy for chest cancer.
Diagnosis
Your doctor will perform a physical examination on you if you exhibit symptoms or signs that could point to mesothelioma in order to look for lumps or other unusual symptoms.
To check for anomalies, your doctor may request imaging tests such as a chest X-ray and a Computed Tomography (CT) scan of your chest or abdomen.
Biopsy
The only way to know if you have mesothelioma is to have a biopsy, a technique to remove a small part of tissue for laboratory analysis. Your doctor chooses the best biopsy procedure for you based on the damaged area of your body. These procedures include:
- Need insertion of your chest or abdomen by the doctor may be used to remove fluid or a piece of tissue.
- Tissue sample collection to view within your chest or abdomen, the surgeon may create a tiny incision and insert a tube with a video camera. To acquire a tissue sample, specialized tools can be inserted via the tube.
The tissue sample is examined under a microscope to determine the types of cells present and to determine whether the aberrant tissue is mesothelioma. Your treatment strategy is determined on the type of mesothelioma you have.
Determining the extent of the cancer
Your doctor may suggest additional testing after mesothelioma has been identified in order to determine whether the cancer has progressed to your lymph nodes or to other parts of your body.
These tests may be performed:
- CT scans of the chest and abdomen
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
Your cancer is given a stage by your doctor using the results of these tests. There are four phases of pleural mesothelioma, denoted by Roman numerals I through IV. The likelihood of the cancer being localized to the area around the lungs increases with a lower number, and it increases with a higher number if the disease has spread to other parts of the body.
As doctors develop cancer diagnosis and therapy, the cancer staging system keeps changing and getting more sophisticated. Your doctor chooses the best treatments for you based on the stage of your cancer.
Other kinds of mesothelioma do not have formal stages.
Treatment
The course of your mesothelioma treatment will depend on your overall health as well as the stage and location of your malignancy.
Unfortunately, mesothelioma is frequently an aggressive disease, and there is no cure for mesothelioma. Typically, mesothelioma is discovered when it has spread to an advanced stage and cannot be surgically removed.
With your doctor, go over your treatment objectives. Some people will go to any lengths to treat their cancer, even if it means putting up with side effects in exchange for a small possibility of recovery. Others want treatments that allow them to live out their remaining days symptom-free as much as possible.
Surgery
When mesothelioma is discovered early, surgeons strive to remove it. This might even treat cancer in some circumstances, but usually the cancer cannot be completely removed. In this case, surgery might be able to lessen the mesothelioma spread-related signs and symptoms.
These surgical techniques may be performed:
- Surgery to decrease fluid buildup. Your chest may fill with fluid from pleural mesothelioma, making breathing difficult. To drain the fluid, surgeons place a tube or catheter into your chest. Medications may also be injected into your chest by doctors to stop the fluid from returning (pleurodesis).
- Surgery for tissue removal at lungs. The tissue lining the ribs and lungs may be removed by surgeons (pleurectomy). While not a cure for mesothelioma, this surgery might ease the symptoms.
- Surgery for lung removal with surrounding tissue. Pleural mesothelioma symptoms and signs may be reduced by removing the afflicted lung and the tissue surrounding it. This method also enables medical professionals to provide higher doses of radiation therapy to the chest as they won’t have to worry about shielding your lungs from harmful radiation.
- Peritoneal mesothelioma surgery. Surgery is sometimes used to remove as much of the peritoneal mesothelioma as possible. Surgery can be performed either before or after chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy kills cancer cells by using chemicals. A mesothelioma that cannot be surgically removed may shrink or develop more slowly with systemic chemotherapy, which circulates throughout the body. Additionally, chemotherapy may be administered either immediately following surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy) to lower the risk of cancer recurrence or prior to surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) to facilitate an operation.
In the event of peritoneal mesothelioma, chemotherapy medications may also be heated and injected directly into the abdominal cavity (intraperitoneal chemotherapy).
Radiation therapy
With radiation therapy, a specific area of your body is targeted with high-energy beams from sources like X-rays and protons. After surgery, radiation may be used to eradicate any cancer cells that remained. In cases where surgery is not an option, it may also aid in reducing the symptoms and signs of advanced cancer.
Other treatments
Other treatments may be used to treat mesothelioma in some circumstances. Other therapies comprise:
- Immunotherapy. Your immune system is used in immunotherapy to combat cancer. Because cancer cells create proteins that make immune system cells blind, your body’s immune system may fail to combat your cancer. Immunotherapy affects that process in order to work. If other therapies don’t work, this one might be a possibility.
- Targeted therapy. Drugs used in targeted therapy target particular weaknesses seen in cancer cells. Although targeted therapy may be suggested by your doctor depending on the results of tumor DNA testing, these medications aren’t frequently utilized to treat mesothelioma.
