Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is an extremely rare cancer. Only 100 to 500 cases are diagnosed in the US each year, making up less than 30% of all mesothelioma cases. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a cancer affecting the abdominal lining, or peritoneum (paira-tin-e-um), which is why is is sometimes referred to as abdominal mesothelioma. This membrane supports and covers the organs of the abdomen.

The peritoneum is made of two parts, the visceral and parietal peritoneum. The visceral peritoneum covers the internal organs and makes up most of the outer layer of the intestinal tract. Covering the abdominal cavity is the parietal peritoneum. Cells in these linings secrete a fluid which allows organs to move against one another. For instance, as the intestines move food through the body. The cells of the mesothelium are designed to create fluid, but the cancer can cause them to overproduce, creating a build up of excess fluid in the abdominal cavity…..

Because pleural mesothelioma is more common and often spreads to the peritoneal cavity, it is important to etermine if pleural mesothelioma is the primary cancer.

Although there’s no definitive explanation, it is widely believed that asbestos causes peritoneal mesothelioma in one of two ways. First, asbestos fibers may be ingested, and when in the intestinal tract, the fibers may work themselves into the peritoneal cavity and peritoneum. Second, they may be inhaled and transported through the lymph node system to the peritoneal cavity.

If you are wondering “do I have peritoneal mesothelioma?” you should seek the guidance of your physician immediately; like many cancers, early detection is very important. Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms may not appear until 20 to 30 years after the first exposure to asbestos. Symptoms are usually not specific to peritoneal mesothelioma, and most often accompany other, less serious medical issues. This may make diagnosing peritoneal mesothelioma more difficult. If you have a history of asbestos exposure, your should have regular check ups with your doctor and an awareness of peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms.

Ascites is the abnormal collection of fluid in the abdomen; when it is caused by cancer, it is referred to as malignant ascites. A cancer diagnosis is only made in about 10% of ascites cases, and of that 10%, peritoneal mesotheioma makes up only a very small percentage. Ascites can be quite uncomfortable, causing swelling of the abdomen, weight gain, indigestion, nausia, and swelling of the feet and ankles.

Fluid retention usually causes swelling; solid tumor masses may be responsible for pain. Despite the accumulated fluid, which often increases waist size, a patient’s appetite may be aversely affected by peritoneal mesothelioma resulting in weight loss.  Bowel obstruction: A blockage in the small or large intestine is a rare, and often late-occuring, symptom of peritoneal mesothelioma. Anemia:  A reduction in the number of red blood cells to below normal; this forces the heart and other organs to work harder to get oxygen where it’s needed. Fever: Infection is the most common cause of fever in cancer patients, but tumor cells can also produce fever-causing agents. A bowel obstruction may also cause fever.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are not necessarily unique to the disease, so diagnosing peritoneal mesothelioma requires more than an observation of symptoms. Most symptoms associated with abdominal mesothelioma accompany other, often less serious, medical conditions. Most peritoneal mesothelioma diagnoses are made when the malignancy is in an advantage stage and diagnosis, alone, takes on average four months¹.

The first step in diagnosing peritoneal mesothelioma is a physical exam and patient history. If your doctor does not ask about your work history and potential mesothelioma risk factors, let him or her know about your asbestos exposure. A history of asbestos exposure is an important clue for your physician or diagnostician and neglecting to mention this could delay diagnosis.

Following a physical exam and a patient’s description of their symptoms, the next step in diagnosing peritoneal mesothelioma is usually to get some type of imaging of the abdomen. An x-ray, CT (or CAT) scan, or MRI may be performed. Although mesothelioma cannot be definitively diagnosed by visual confirmation, tumors may be visible, or an excess of serous fluid may be seen. The three primary types of peritoneal mesothelioma tumor development seen are:

In cases where fluid has accumilated in the abdomen, paracentesis may be performed; a needle is inserted into the peritoneal cavity to drain the excess fluid from the abdomen. Usually, cytologic testing on this ascetic (peritoneal) fluid (where specialists examine the fluid for abnormal cells) is not considered effective to diagnose peritoneal mesothelioma.

The next step in effectively diagnosing peritoneal mesothelioma is the collection of a biopsy. A biopsy is required so that the tissues and cells in question can be examined at a microscopic level. A fine-needle aspiration biopsy is usually performed at first because they are minorly invasive and quite safe. Immunohistochemical staining of the biopsy is regularly performed on collected samples. Sometimes referred to casually as “immunos,” these tests use special substances that color proteins and markers that indicate cancerous cells.

Sometimes further testing is required to make a definitive diagnosis, whether because the initial biopsy testing was inconclusive or a fine-needle biopsy could not be taken because of the location of the tumor and/or fluid pockets. If this is the case, the next step performed is often a peritoneoscopy. During this procedure, a local anesthetic is administered and a small incision allows the doctor looks inside the abdomen with a special tool called a peritoneoscope.

During the peritoneoscopy, a larger biopsy sample may be collected for testing. Finally, if more tissue is required for testing, diagnositic surgery or “open” biopsy may be required.

Diagnosing peritoneal mesothelioma is very difficult, and cases of peritoneal mesothelioma misdiagnosed or undiagnosed are unfortunately not uncommon. It is important to share your case history of work experience (especially in shipyards and at construction sites) and asbestos exposure potential with your physicians if you feel mesothelioma is a risk. Asbestos fibres can also be carried into the home on clothing, inadvertently exposing the deadly fibres, and the risk of mesothelioma, to family members.

In addition to determing a diagnosis, many diagnostic test also help determine the stage the cancer is in, providing a better idea of a patient’s prognosis. The chance of recovery depends on the size of the cancer, where the cancer is, how far the cancer has spread, how the cancer cells look under the microscope, how the cancer responds to treatment, and the patient’s age. Peritoneal mesothelioma is usually diagnosed when it has had time to advance; as with most types of cancer, early diagnosis is an excellent first step in fighting the disease.

A gene therapy approach is designed to treat mesothelioma by correcting the genes that allow a cancerous tumor to grow, potentially controlling tumor size and spread. Like immunotherapy, gene therapy clinical trials are currently underway. While a relatively new treatment, and still very much in the experimental stages, it is showing great promise and effectiveness in tests and clinical trials.

The goal of gene therapy is to get at the root cause of a disease. Because genes hold the instructions for making proteins and other building blocks necessary for cell function, if a gene’s instructions are incorrect or missing, the “ingredients” for a healthy cell and person may be lacking. Instead of dealing with the errant effects of faulty genes after the fact, gene therapy attempts to deliver the proper instructions to your cells, avoiding the negative affects altogether…..

The initial goals of gene therapy were, quite obviously, to address hereditary genetic disorders; diseases specifically tied to our genes. Initially, it was thought that our genes were “fixed blueprints” for our bodies that remained unchanged throughout our life. As it turns out, genes are more complicated and changing than that. The sun, smoking, chemicals and other factors can all damage our DNA and result in mutations that cause faulty genetic behavior. Because of this, many diseases not originally seen as candidates for gene therapy are, indeed, potential targets, including malignant mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a multifactorial disorder, a disorder that is the result of both inherited genetic mutations and mutations gained through environmental causes. In the case of mesothelioma, the environmental cause is usually exposure to asbestos. Cigarette smoking may compound the likelihood of developing mesothelioma, further revealing the complex nature of mulitfactorial diseases. Along with mesothelioma and other cancers, heart disease and diabetes are also multifactorial disorders. The multiple genetic mutations that cause these multifactorial disorders make them difficult to study and treat.

Combatting cancer with gene therapy is being researched in a variety of ways. Missing or altered genes linked to cancer development may be replaced with functional genes in an effort to prevent cancer.

Another method is to improve a patients immune response to cancer, stimulating the body’s natural ability to fend off cancer. This “cancer vaccine,” as it’s called, is a form of immunotherapy (sometimes called biologic therapy). Clinical trials have already had promising results in fighting non small cell lung cancer and other cancers.

Yet another approach involves making cancer cells more susceptible to the chemotherapy and radiation therapy techniques already in practice. Going a step further than just increasing sensitivity, some researchers are using “suicide genes” to tag cancer cells and then treating the patient with a benign compound or prodrug. The prodrug interacts with the “suicide gene” creating a toxic reaction within the cell, killing it.

Finally, anti-angiogenesis gene therapy involves the introduction of genes that inhibit blood vessel development (angiogenesis) or altering the genes that cause angiogenesis so they are “turned off.” Preventing the development of new blood vessels which feed the tumor keeps them from growing much larger than the head of a pin.

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) applauds both Senator Gloria Romero for authoring SB 624 and the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources for passing this legislation to remove serpentine, the host rock of asbestos, as California’s official state rock, supporting the eradication of asbestos to promote public health.

“ADAO dedicates our efforts on this campaign to Army Archerd, prolific Daily Variety journalist who died from mesothelioma in September 2009”

“California has the highest rate of mesothelioma deaths in the nation,” said Senator Gloria Romero (D-East Los Angeles). “This bill is about raising awareness to protect the health of our citizens. Serpentine contains asbestos, a known carcinogen. Toxic materials have no place serving as emblems for the State.”…..

Asbestos causes cancers and respiratory diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer that claim 10,000 people every year in the United States and nearly 100,000 people worldwide. In 1965, serpentine was designated as the state rock of California in order to promote the then-lucrative asbestos mining industry. A practically indestructible lethal fiber, asbestos has been used for decades in numerous industries throughout California including building construction and naval shipyards, as well as in common household products ranging from crayons to blow dryers. Though asbestos is banned in 52 countries, it is not banned in the United States.

“ADAO dedicates our efforts on this campaign to Army Archerd, prolific Daily Variety journalist who died from mesothelioma in September 2009,” said Linda Reinstein, CEO and Co-Founder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization. “A longtime fixture on the red carpet, Army’s death is unfortunately not unique and the death toll will continue until the United States Congress passes legislation banning asbestos. More than 7,000 Californians have died from asbestos-related diseases.”

On behalf of asbestos victims and their families, the John McNamara Foundation, and The Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, ADAO applauds our political leaders as this legislation moves forward to repeal serpentine as the state rock.

About Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded by asbestos victims and their families in 2004. ADAO seeks to give asbestos victims and concerned citizens a united voice to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure. ADAO is the largest independent organization dedicated to preventing asbestos-related diseases through education and legislation. ADAO’s mission includes supporting global advocacy and advancing asbestos awareness, prevention, early detection, treatment, and resources for asbestos-related disease. For more information visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org.

Houston TX (Vocus/PRWEB ) July 2, 2010 — Mesothelioma lecture series is now available online. Current lectures include: Vikki Devitto on Chemotherapy, Veronica Garza of on “Radiation Therapy Options For Patients Suffering From Mesothelioma”, Dr. David Rice, on Surgical options and Sharon Myers introduction on various speakers. Lectures were held at the International Rotary House on the MD Anderson main campus in Houston, Texas……..
Other meetings in progress are on Radical Radiation Therapy and Historical Applications of Asbestos Use. For those that can not attend in person, the lecture will be made available online and DVD shortly following the live presentation. For additional information call (800) 877-6000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (800) 877-6000      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. MesoCare.org is an advocacy group focused on assisting in the treatment and prevention of mesothelioma patients, their family members and health care providers.

via:Mesothelioma

The British Lung Foundation and other asbestos support groups have campaigned for the day since 2006. In addition to creating awareness about the effects of asbestos exposure, the day is meant to support those who have been affected with malignant mesothelioma as well as bring notice to the importance of improving treatment options.

A cure for this cancer has yet to be found, but researchers around the world continue to perform clinical trials with the hope of finding one. Current treatment methods are more or less designed to relieve symptoms and prolong life. The average mesothelioma life expectancy for patients ranges between four and 18 months……..

Similar to Action Mesothelioma Day, the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation recognizes Mesothelioma Awareness Day each year on September 26. The United States has also recognized National Asbestos Awareness Day on April 1 since 2005. The first week of April is actually considered National Asbestos Awareness Week, thanks to the efforts of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization.

Action Mesothelioma Day provides an opportunity to raise money for organizations conducting research on mesothelioma. Funding this type of research can be very expensive and clinical trials can last for many months.

This year’s Action Mesothelioma Day is focusing on “Do It Yourself” projects and raising awareness about the hazards of disturbing asbestos-containing materials around the home. The campaign is also placing emphasis on the importance of properly disposing asbestos-laden materials once they have been removed.

Additional information on mesothelioma and asbestos exposure may be found through the Mesothelioma Center.

via:asbestos

asbestos lung mesothelioma

Lung cancer information about Asbestos.

Mesothelioma doctor
Its very useful video.must watch it.

Mesothelioma Risk Factors
This video is about mesothelioma factors.

Learn about Asbestos and Mesothelioma lawsuits, San Diego area residents, and how their experience and knowledge can help you. Get the info on Mesothelioma lawsuits, Asbestos product news, and legal help you need, all from our law firm. Learn more in this video, San Diego. As pioneers in this area, our law firm has the resources and time to dedicate to you. Call 877.622.5246 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 877.622.5246