Archive for the tag 'intestines'

Mesothelioma Cancer Treatment and Prevention

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer. It caused by previous exposure to asbestos. An exposure of as little as one or two months can result in mesothelioma 30 or 40 years later. Simian virus 40 (SV40) may act as a cofactor in the development of mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious of all asbestos-related diseases. The two major types of malignant mesothelioma are pleural mesothelioma, which concerns the mesothelium membrane that surrounds the lungs, and peritoneal mesothelioma which concerns the mesothelium layer that covers the organs in the abdominal cavity. The people most at risk from being carriers of this cancer are those have worked with asbestos over the past thirty to fifty years. Because of this, the disease is most common in men between the ages of sixty and seventy as this is the group that commonly worked with asbestos during those years. Because of the lack of protection and regulations in those days, these workers were constantly exposed to the dust and fibres from the asbestos, which caused the cells of the mesothelium to become abnormal. Many building materials used in both public and domestic premises prior to the banning of asbestos may contain asbestos. Those performing renovation works or diy activities may expose themselves to asbestos dust.

Mesothelium helps protect the organs by producing a special lubricating fluid that allows organs to move around. Mesothelioma is an extremely malignant and incurable cancer that infects the membrane that surrounds most of the internal organs. Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Affecting the mesothelial cells that make up the mesothelium – the outer lining that protects the body’s major organs such as the heart, stomach and lungs. Pleural mesothelioma represents 75% of mesothelioma cases - but it is far from the only type of this deadly cancer. Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the lining around the stomach and intestines, and is just as dangerous and deadly. Treatment of MM using conventional therapies has not proved successful and patients have a median survival time of 6 - 12 months after presentation. The clinical behaviour of the malignancy is affected by several factors including the continuous mesothelial surface of the pleural cavity

Mesothelioma Cancer Treatment and Prevention Tips

1. Health-care workers who specialize in part control are employing state-of-the art techniques to successfully fight pain.

2. During the initial stages of mesothelioma, pain can be relieved with over-the-counter analgesics, such as aspirin, Tylenol or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin).

3. Drug therapy is the primary method for treating mesothelioma pain.

4. Non-Opoids are pain-relieving medicines such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and NSAIDs, such as ibuprofin, which can be purchases over-the-counter and taken orally.

5. Opoids are the strongest medicines available to treat pain. Opoids, such as codeine, morphine, oxcodone, fentany, and hydromorphone, are very effective in relieving mesothelioma pain.

6. Adjuvant analgesics are medicines intended for purposes other than pain relief. A number of these are used to alleviate pain associated with mesothelioma, such as antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and steroids.

7. Emotional Support to Help Relieve Pain.As with all aspects of mesothelioma, emotional support from family or professional counseling can play a key role in pain management

8. For patients with localized disease, and who can tolerate a radical surgery, radiation is often given post-operatively as a consolidative treatment.

9. Chrysotile has been used more frequently, hence many mesotheliomas are caused by chrysotile.

10. Removal is taking place in schools and other public buildings throughout the U.S. The hope is that these measures will greatly reduce the occurrence of this cancer.
Author: Juliet Cohen


Juliet Cohen writes articles for http://www.healthatoz.info/ and http://www.health-disease.org/


Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_185414_17.html

Mesothelioma Treatment: An Introduction

The Mesothelioma is a rare, but very complicated form of cancer. It is usually in front of people, in the mines of asbestos and other industries associated with asbestos, where the air is very pronounced, minute, that the particles of asbestos dust inhaled, while the process of breathing. These particles are so minute they are only under the microscope. This penetration of dust particles in the lungs, intestines, heart and other vital organs of the human body. The symptoms of the disease are not immediate, they have a very long incubation period. But as soon as they occur, they are a danger of death and by a low survival rate.

The irony of the situation is that in most cases is not possible, the person to interpret, if the symptoms show. The reason is that the symptoms, such as cough, fever, shortness of breath, chest pains, etc., can be considered only for the inconvenience. The incubation period of symptoms is usually very long, sometimes many years. This is exacerbated by the problem of how both the patient and the doctor is not possible, as a rule, the origin of the problem to its actual cause, namely the breathing of asbestos dust.

It is normal when treatment is not good for the patients who need to draw up a detailed history of the patient in the past in the years of living and working conditions. The search begins with the family doctor referred the matter to the mesothelioma specialists for consultation and examination.

It is obvious that the first step, as in any other medical problem, the preparation begins work in the history of the patient and conducting a review of diagnosis to confirm the suspicion of it. The physical examination included, the X-ray images of the heart, lungs and abdomen, MRI, CT and biopsies, etc., which can also confirm or refute the initial assumptions. Once the diagnosis on the extent, diversity and the age of the disease is confirmed, doctors multispeciality board meets for the planning of treatment. The treatment of Mesothelioms is coordinated with the new, which is regularly in clinical trials of the procedure. But the general treatment of the disease means that the surgery to remove or tissue, the organ. Apart from treatments for radiation therapy and chemotherapy are also for cancer cells.