Skip to main content

All Pericardial Mesothelioma Information FAQ

All Pericardial Mesothelioma Information FAQ
Image: mesotheliom.com


What is pericardial mesothelioma?

Pericardial mesothelioma is a serious heart condition which consists of cancerous cells building up on the lining of the heart.  Similarly to pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, this is a terminal illness due to the importance of the area on which it grows.

 What causes pericardial mesothelioma and who are most at risk?

The primary cause of pericardial mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos dust and fibers.  Therefore those at risk are those who are most likely to have inhaled these deadly fibers such as construction workers and asbestos manufacturers.  Those in contact with these people also have a chance of getting pericardial mesothelioma because these people may have asbestos fibers stuck to their clothes or hair.

What are the symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma?

The symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma change from patient to patient.  Usual symptoms include persistent coughing, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain and palpitations.  Other symptoms patients may experience are nausea, weight loss, vomiting and loss of appetite.

 What are the treatments available for pericardial mesothelioma?

There are various different treatments for pericardial mesothelioma although none of these have a high success rate.  Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, dual therapy, and surgery are the treatment methods available.  Chemotherapy includes using drugs to kill off cancerous cells and radiation therapy uses doses of radiation to kill cancer cells although this is difficult in the case of pericardial mesothelioma due to the surrounding vital organs such as the heart and lungs.  Dual therapy is a treatment combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy. Surgery comes in two forms; aggressive surgery and palliative procedures.  Aggressive surgery is a very difficult procedure and consists of removing large chunks of cancerous cells in an attempt to gain long-term control over cancer.  Palliative procedures just attempt to lessen the symptoms for the patient.

How much is exposure to asbestos needed for there to be a possibility of getting pericardial mesothelioma?

This depends on how strong and resistant the person is to disease and on the concentration of asbestos in the environment around him.  It is possible to get pericardial mesothelioma from as little as a couple of months of exposure to asbestos although on average it would take a couple of years for enough asbestos fibers to build up to cause cancer.

What is the prognosis for pericardial mesothelioma?

This is highly dependent on how early and how aggressively the cancer is treated.  If pericardial mesothelioma is treated when it has fully developed and matured then the chances of a patient's survival is very small.  The prognosis could be only a couple of months.

Is there any promising research into cures for pericardial mesothelioma?

Research into cures of pericardial mesothelioma and all other forms of mesothelioma is being done in numerous research labs all over the USA.  Many pharmaceutical companies are also working hard to research new drugs for chemotherapy.  So far, research has been mostly unsuccessful.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Insight Into Mesothelioma Cure

Image: mesothelioma-adviser.com The doctors and researchers are looking for answers related to Mesothelioma cure but have not found any. Before we discuss mesothelioma cure, it is necessary to know about what is mesothelioma and what are its possible causes. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the lining of the lungs and abdomen. High Asbestos exposure is the only known cause of mesothelioma cancers. Asbestos is a natural fibrous mineral that was widely used in the construction process, building material and many manufacturing units. Asbestos breaks into minute particles that float into the air, can be easily inhaled and settle on the clothes of workmen, leaving them and their family members prone to many health hazards. Understanding Its Symptoms A Step towards Mesothelioma Cure: An understanding of mesothelioma symptoms can help in the process of mesothelioma cure. Some common symptoms of mesothelioma are difficulty in breathing, chest pain, and chronic cough. However, many tim...
1 comment
Read more

Mesothelioma Variants

Mesothelioma is a rare yet deadly cancer that almost always surfaces in a malignant form and results in tumors on significant organs of the body. Most people believe mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium. So what exactly is the mesothelium? The mesothelium is a film or sac that surrounds vital organs in an attempt to protect them (such organs can include the lungs and heart). Mesothelioma can almost always be attributed to asbestos. While we might think there exists only one form of mesothelioma, there actually several. We will be talking about pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma, and pericardial mesothelioma. As unfortunate as it may be, mesothelioma's symptoms don't surface until the disease has progressed, which at times can be several years following exposure to asbestos. As one might guess, this can make diagnosis a pain and treatment a near impracticality. Pleural mesothelioma is the widely known variant of mesothelioma. In this form of mesothelioma, tumo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mesothelioma Lawyers: How do I find one?

Except in localized regions with single industrial exposures, such as coal-mining or granite-quarrying regions, the most frequent inorganic dust-related chronic pulmonary diseases are associated with industries using asbestiform fibers. Asbestos is a generic term for several different mineral silicates, including chrysolite, amosite, anthophyllite, and crocidolite. Besides workers involved in the mining, milling, and manufacturing of asbestos products, workers in the building trades, including pipe fitters and boilermarkers, were exposed to asbestos, which was widely used in construction because its exceptional thermal and electric insulation properties. In addition, asbestos was used in the manufacture of fire-smothering blankets and safety garments, as filler for plastic materials, in cement and floor tiles, and in friction materials, such as brake and clutch linings. Exposure to asbestos (several mesothelioma cases), is not limited to persons who directly handle the material. Cases ...
Post a Comment
Read more