mesothelioma adenocarcinoma
70% to 80% of cases of mesothelioma occur in people with a traceable history of exposure to asbestos. These figures come from epidemiological studies. The most likely, the rest of mesothelioma cases are also caused by asbestos, but the patient can not identify exactly where or when the exposure to asbestos fibers occurred.
Mesothelioma is a cancer very difficult. Most patients are treated with surgery and chemotherapy. Sometimes
Radiation therapy is used for treatment. Radiation therapy is applied with innovative techniques such as Tomotherapy and intensity modulated radiation therapy. Radiation therapy brachytherapy can be applied for the treatment of radiation directed at the tumor.
Chemotherapy, which generally involves the use of the antifolate drug pemetrexed (ALIMTA) in combination with cisplatin has been adopted by many specialists in mesothelioma. Median survival time, even with good medical care is very low with most of patients die within one or two years after diagnosis and few live up to five years after diagnosis.
One of the Common symptoms of mesothelioma is the accumulation of excess fluid in body cavities known as strokes. Spills may be in the pleural space, pleural effusion () Or peritoneal space in the abdomen, ascites (), depending on the location and shape of the tumor. Mesothelioma can be classified as pleural (the most common) or peritoneal depending on the location of the disease.
(There are other types, but pleural and peritoneal are the most common.)
To make a definitive diagnosis of mesothelioma, the doctor takes a sample of the tumor or pleural fluid, and a biopsy performed in a laboratory. Immunohistochemical markers are used in the biopsy to differentiate mesothelioma from adenocarcinoma. These markers are generally glycoproteins.
Other markers can be detected in the blood to help identify mesothelioma. Soluble mesothelin related
(SMR) proteins released by cells of mesothelioma are distinctive enough to prove in the blood, if the
adequate evidence takes place. However, definitive diagnosis still requires a biopsy lab.
Tests and trials with gene therapy and immunotherapy are sometimes used to treat cases of mesothelioma, but the standard treatment modalities for cancer surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy being more modes used in the treatment of mesothelioma.
About the Author:
Bello kamorudeen is an author of several mesothelioma articles . For more comprehensive information on mesothelioma visit http://www.mesotheliomacorner.blogspot.com
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Mesothelioma Facts-A brief overview
