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What is Peritoneal Mesothelioma?

by James F. Howell

Peritoneal mesothelioma is a disease that affects the lining of the abdomen, or peritoneum. Like the other types of mesothelioma, it is caused by exposure to asbestos, which has been widely used in many industrial products, such as cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is a relatively uncommon form of mesothelioma cancer that accounts for less than a quarter of all mesothelioma cases. Peritoneal mesothelioma, like other forms of mesothelioma, is inconspicuous until decades after asbestos exposure.
While peritoneal mesotheliomas are less common than pleural mesotheliomas, they tend to be more invasive, and thus often result in a shorter life expectancy for the patient. An early diagnosis of the disease is important. The relief and treatment of people with peritoneal mesothelioma improves dramatically the earlier it is detected. Unfortunately, it often goes undiagnosed until it is quite advanced.

The first step towards detecting peritoneal mesothelioma involves X-rays and CT scans, but a definitive diagnosis is only achieved through a biopsy, which usually involves removing a tiny piece of tissue for analysis. At this time, even though there are various treatment options available, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, there is no known cure for peritoneal mesothelioma.

Typical symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include abdominal pains, weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal swelling. Because these symptoms are so common, and may be attributed to numerous ailments other than mesothelioma, diagnosis is often delayed until it is too late for treatment to do much more than help the patient feel more comfortable.

About the Author
James Howell is a freelance writer and researcher. Find out more about Peritoneal Mesothelioma. Or learn more about Mesothelioma.

Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos exposure is the only known cause for malignant mesothelioma and asbestosis. Asbestos has been mined, processed and used to manufacture goods for over 6000 years. However, the more recent heavy use of asbestos, from the late 1880s to the 1960s, caused laborers to be exposed to it in such quantities that asbestos exposure became a deadly curse.

Thousands of cases of mesothelioma and asbestosis have occurred since the 1930s, and medical specialists expect this epidemic to continue for 20 years. The lag time between initial asbestos exposure and the onset of these deadly diseases is typically 30 to 40 years and has been as long as 60 years.
Inhalation of Asbestos
Inhalation of asbestos dust poses the highest risk during asbestos exposure. The asbestos fibers are so tiny that they are able to bypass the natural filtration system of the human lungs. Once inside the most sensitive areas of the lungs, these fibers become embedded in the lung tissue. The durability and tensile strength of these fibers are why asbestos was so widely used as a fire retardant and as a construction component. However, these same characteristics allow asbestos fibers to stay embedded in lung tissue for many years without being destroyed by the body’s natural defense mechanisms. When mesothelioma erupts in the lung tissue, it is called pleural mesothelioma. Asbestosis also occurs due to the embedding of asbestos fibers in the lungs.

Pleural Mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma, and it has occurred in a wide range of different laborers exposed to asbestos. Laborers in the Navy shipyards during and after World War II received heavy doses of asbestos exposure while they used asbestos to insulate piping, boiler rooms and other areas of high heat. In many cases the air was filled with asbestos dust and without proper respiration systems, these workers inhaled the asbestos particles day after day.
Those who mined asbestos were exposed to heavy doses during the mining process. In mining towns, such as Libby, Montana, asbestos dust filled the air in not only the mines and processing facilities, but also in the town square. This asbestos exposure has lead many laborers and towns people to develop asbestos lung cancer.
Construction workers who installed asbestos insulation were also exposed. Asbestos was widely used in car brake linings; therefore, laborers involved in the automotive manufacturing process were placed in work environments where asbestos fibers were inhaled, potentially leading to pleural mesothelioma.
Other Asbestos Exposure
Pericardial and peritoneal mesothelioma are also thought to be caused by asbestos exposure. Pericardial mesothelioma occurs in the lining of the heart and peritoneal mesothelioma occurs in the lining of the abdomen. How the asbestos fibers become imbedded in the lining of these other organs is not well understood. For those laborers who contracted these diseases, food could have become contaminated due to asbestos exposure, leading to asbestos fibers invading the abdominal lining. Asbestos fibers could also have gotten into the blood stream, either through food or inhalation, due to asbestos exposure. Once in the blood stream, these fibers could become lodged virtually anywhere in the body.
Asbestos Removal
The use of asbestos has mainly been halted, and the potential for exposure to asbestos has fallen dramatically. However, a number of older buildings still include insulation and floor/ceiling tiles that contain asbestos. Great care should be taken to limit exposure to asbestos during demolition work in older buildings. Respirators should be used to filter the air, and the demolition areas should be sealed so that asbestos dust is not released from the demolition area. For construction sites, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has established extensive guidelines to protect construction workers involved in the demolition of buildings containing asbestos.
It is also common for floor tile in older homes to contain asbestos. When remodeling, it is recommended that these asbestos floor coverings not be disturbed and the new floor coverings be placed on top of the older ones. For homeowners, several websites provide information outlining safe removal procedures in order to limit asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma - early to prevent big trouble

The Mesothelioma is a relatively rare form of cancer, where the cancer cells grow in the mésothélium - a bag protection, the majority of the organs of the body. As with most cancers, early detection of Mesothelioms increases the chances for the disease to beat.

But early detection is difficult, with mesothelioma because it is a long period of rest of 30 or 40 years ago, in which the cancer is relatively inactive and barely caused symptoms. If the disease is in its active phase, it can rapidly in the inner organs such as the lung, heart and abdominal organs. In its active phase, it is very difficult to deal with success, because it is growing and so fast.

The causes of Mesothelioms

Mesothelioma was hardly in the public eye, until a few years ago. She has a very accurate - the asbestos exposure. And the dangers of asbestos exposure can not do much in the years 1970 and 80, when the severe impact on health no longer be ignored.

How often this happens in cases where commercial products with harmful side effects, there was great resistance to the recognition of its dangers. In the case of asbestos, it is a product that is very important properties that are an ideal tool for applications in isolation.

In the first half of the last century until the middle of 1970, asbestos was used as standard material to delays in the transfer of heat in buildings, machinery and heavy equipment, and a wide range of commercial applications. There was abundant and cheap to my, asbestos was often used in building materials such as the House of insulation, flooring, ceilings and tiles. He was also often used in commercial products such as brake linings and insulation of pipes.

This meant that millions of people have been in contact with asbestos on a daily basis. And because the effects of exposure to asbestos fibers often not shown for 30 or 40 years after a long, it often seems there is not the immediate threat to health.

It was particularly important for the workers who are out of the treaty and asbestos. Although the workers regularly sick and had often premature, painful death, the long period of calm mesothelioma, it was difficult to connect with asbestos.

Even short-term, the exposure to asbestos causes mesothelioma

In general, the probability of developing this type of cancer is directly related to the length of time that the asbestos. The danger for the health also increases with the intensity of exposure to asbestos.

However, an exhibition of only one or two months, a mesothelioma 30 or 40 years later. At the age of 48 years, a member of the Canadian Parliament, Chuck Beam, recently received a diagnosis of mesothelioma and up to the tracks back in the development of the pad on the hardware forestry companies after his Secondary. Ray, the case is a good example that the mesothelioma has a latency period of 20 to 50 years. Like thousands of others, he has the disease of time after exposure to asbestos.

The symptoms of Mesothelioms

Because of its long dormancy, the mesothelioma is often not detected until it from his active aggressive. Mesothelioma pleural mesothelioma - cancer in the mucosal pulmonary - because of chronic cough or breathlessness. Unfortunately, these symptoms can easily be confused with a cold or allergies.

Indeed pleural mesothelioma is often discovered by chance, when the patients who believe that more than one of these diseases. The other symptoms of pleural mesothelioma can be pain in the chest, chronic cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, shortness of breath, hoarseness, weight loss, or blood in the lungs of cough with phlegm.

Mesothelioma peritoneal influenced the wall to the stomach and intestinal complaints, and is usually just as dangerous. Mesothelioma peritoneal symptoms of pain or swelling in the abdomen, weight loss, bowel obstruction, anemia and fever.

Treatment of Mesothelioms

Unfortunately, at the moment, where most of those infected are aware that mesothelioma, he no longer sleep and is very aggressive. Once it is no longer sleeping in this type of cancer can quickly move, and it is almost impossible to stop.

Although there are treatments that are available for the convenience of patients, there is currently no solution for mesothelioma, and not less than 75% of those who lose their lives disease in a year. The rest can be up to six months.

Among the treatments that are used to reduce the effects of the disease are oxygen, drainage and analgesics. A wide range of approaches to treatment are being tested for the attempt to strengthen the body of the natural immune system in gene therapy, which attempts to address the problem at the level of DNA. Homeopathy, acupuncture and herbs are also used. But it was still a very effective when the disease reaches the stage, aggressive.

Given the poor prognosis for people who do not like it, the disease in time, early detection is the best defence against mesothelioma. If you worked in an industry such as construction or suspect that you could have been, the asbestos to be vigilant and the symptoms, contact your doctor. Like all other forms of cancer, mesothelioma detect as early as possible, it increases your chances to survive.