Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a tumor that develops from the mesothelium. Mesothelioma can be localized in the pleura, pericardium and peritoneum. The disease is rare and often has a malignant course.

• Kinds

The disease is classified according to the type and location of the tumor. Mesothelioma can be of the following types:

• Mesothelioma of the pleura - the most common among all mesothelioma;
• mesothelioma of the peritoneum - occurs less frequently, can be in the form of a single node or diffuse;
• Mesothelioma of the pericardium - a tumor that forms on the external cardiac shell, is rare and has a malignant course.

Depending on the type, mesothelioma can be:

• fibrotic - more often it is a benign neoplasm, which is relatively rare;
• epithelial - occur most often and in most have a malignant course;
• mixed - are rare and have a malignant course.

Forms of mesothelioma:

• nodal - local lesions;
• diffuse - defeat spreads throughout the body.

Causes

The risk factors for mesothelioma development include:

• viral and infectious effects on the body;
• ionizing radiation;
• contact with silicates and paraffins;
• occupational hazards;
• long stay in the zone of ecological disasters;
• living in an ecologically unfavorable area;
• genetic predisposition;
• combination of smoking and exposure to asbestos (the risk of developing a tumor in this case increases many times);
• the harmful effects of asbestos at a young age (mesothelioma is most often diagnosed in patients who have been exposed to asbestos at a young age).
• The main reason for the development of all mesotheliomas, regardless of the location of localization, is prolonged contact with asbestos.

Symptoms

The symptomatology of mesothelioma depends on the location of the tumor. With pleural mesothelioma, patients complain of:

• dry cough not associated with colds;
• pain in the chest;
• pleurisy (initially serous, which in time can develop into a hemorrhagic);
• accumulation of exudate (fluid) in the pleural cavity;
• shortness of breath ;

fever.

In patients with peritoneal mesothelioma the following symptoms are observed in patients:

• abnormal activity of the abdominal cavity;
• heaviness in the abdomen;
• pain in the abdomen, which do not have a clear place of localization and are not associated with eating;
• nausea, vomiting ;
• diarrhea or constipation ;
• with a localized form of the disease, palpation of the tumor is possible.

With mesothelioma, the pericardium is symptomatic as follows:

• pain in the heart;
• shortness of breath;
• swelling of the extremities (especially at the end of the day);
• circulatory disturbance ;
• fainting or dizziness ;
• pulmonary insufficiency;
• arrhythmia ;

Mesothelioma of the pleura often can manifest itself symptomatically as lung cancer.
If you have suspicious symptoms and a sharp deterioration in your state of health, you should make an appointment with a dermatologist or oncologist.

Diagnostics

Mesothelioma is diagnosed by a dermatologist and oncologist . Diagnosis of mesothelioma, as a rule, is complex and includes data from objective and laboratory examinations:

• analysis of patient complaints, collection of anamnesis of life and illness, auscultation, percussion, objective examination;
• radiography of the abdominal cavity ;
• CT or MRI of the affected organ;
• biopsy;
• general and biochemical blood tests;
• blood tests for oncomarkers;
• endoscopic examinations (if possible);

Inspection and consultation of other specialists, depending on the presence of complications.
Treatment
Treatment of mesothelioma depends on the location of the tumor. The general medical measures for mesothelioma, regardless of the species, include:

• chemotherapy;
• radiation therapy;
• symptomatic medication and non-drug treatment;
• restorative and maintenance therapy;
• palliative symptomatic treatment.

Depending on the location of the tumor, the following treatment is performed:

in pleural mesothelioma, the pleura (or its fragment) is removed surgically;
at the nodal peritoneal mesothelioma, local removal of the tumor is carried out; in diffuse mesothelioma, only chemotherapy and radiotherapy are performed without the use of surgical methods of treatment;
with the nodal form of mesothelioma, the pericardium is performed by local surgical removal of the tumor, in the diffuse form - the pericardium is completely removed.
Regardless of the type and location of tumor localization, the overall disease prognosis is unfavorable. Patients from the moment of diagnosis and the beginning of treatment live from several months to several years.

Prevention

The main point in the prevention of mesothelioma is the exclusion or limitation of the effects on the body of asbestos, especially at a young age. Other prevention methods include:

limiting the effects of ionizing radiation, silicates, paraffins;
quitting smoking (especially if smoking is combined with work that has occupational hazards);
timely diagnosis and treatment of infectious and viral diseases;
change of place of residence when living in the zone of an environmental disaster or in the zone of environmental pollution;
timely consultation of a dermatologist with the appearance of suspicious symptoms.