Sunday, August 21, 2011

Peritoneal Mesothelioma - Cancer Of The Lining Of The Stomach

One of the most deadly type of mesothelioma is peritoneal mesothelioma, cancer cells attack the stomach lining, the peritoneum. The peritoneum is the thin membrane that protects the various organs of the abdomen and also provides a lubricating fluid to enable the organs to move and work properly. Peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the coating is still a relatively rare disease, accounting for about one fifth of all mesotheliomas. Its only known cause of the time till the U.S. is previous exposure to asbestos.

The main symptoms

Although mesothelioma is neither age nor sex specific, peritoneal mesothelioma is seen mainly in men who are in the age group of 50-70 years. There are a number of symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma most of which are out of 20, 30 or 50 after exposure to asbestos. These symptoms may include weight loss (however, waist line may increase), pain or bloating, weakness, loss of appetite, intestinal obstruction, anemia, nausea and fever. The fluid accumulates in the peritoneal space often leads to a condition called ascites.

The diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma

The first step towards the identification of peritoneal mesothelioma includes X-rays and CT scans. For the diagnosis, but the doctor needs to do a biopsy, in which the fabric is cut into a piece of a defective part of the body of the victim and placed under a microscope for examination. If the disease is diagnosed early, has a better chance of getting care that the state of diffuse peritoneal mesothelioma when the cancer has already spread to different parts.

Cure

It is true that peritoneal mesothelioma is fatal and leads to more deaths each year. But with continued research, several types of treatments have been initiated and in the future is a chance that the disease is completely cured. Types of treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Abdominal surgical part of the fabric is cut to remove the tumor. Sometimes the doctor may also need to remove a lung or part of the membrane as per the requirement of surgery. Radiation therapy, the second method requires the application of high energy x-rays to shrink the tumor and kill malignant cells. The rays can be applied from an external machine or by placing the radiation source directly to the affected part of the body through plastic tubes. Type of treatment is chemotherapy, which last is a combination of drugs to kill cancer cells. Medications can be administered orally in capsule form or can be applied intravenously via needle.

However, it is important to note that the cost of treating any type of cancer is extravagant and you can consult a mesothelioma lawyer to earn you a handsome compensation from the authority in charge of previous exposure to asbestos.

So learn more about peritoneal mesothelioma so that you can start treatment at an early stage and be healed.