Mesolthelioma Information You Won\'t Find Elsewhere

About 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the United States of America. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer and is an effect after exposure to asbestos. Affect cancer cells and destroy the mesothelium, a protective sac that keeps the body's internal organs. Initially, pleura or peritoneum are affected and then spreads to other body parts. This is a fatal disease and most victims do not survive beyond about one year after diagnosis, depending on the treatment and other contributing factors.

Mesothelioma What is the prognosis?

The prognosis for mesothelioma depends on the speed of diagnosis and treatment offered to the victim. The sooner treatment is started better patient prognosis.

Also other factors determining prognosis are the type of treatment, cell histologic type () type of mesothelioma, as the patient's condition general health and morale. The stage of disease at diagnosis is another crucial factor that determines prognosis and the minimum survival expectancy of the victim.

Staging systems among the oldest of them all is the Butchart system, based on the extent of the body, secreting primary tumor and cancer in four stages. The TNM system is a more recent, while Brigham System is the latest. Use resectability and lymph node involvement for Staging of mesothelioma. In general, the higher the cancer stage the worse the prognosis of the victim. Unfortunately however most of the time diagnosis is done when cancer is already in its advanced stages and the latter, which is attributed to the long incubation period and the non-specificity of symptoms.

The traditional types of treatments are also common in cases of malignant mesothelioma include radiation therapy that uses high energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells and chemotherapy to try to destroy cancer cells with the use of anticancer drugs. Other forms of new treatment options include immunotherapy, which helps strengthen the immune system and photodynamic therapy that uses light energy while gene therapy raises the patient's genetic defects inherent to combat the disease.

Surgery is also one of the traditional modes of treatment. There are different types of surgeries used: the process of removing fluid from the chest is called thoracentesis, while the reduction of fluid from the abdomen is called paracentesis. The surgical removal of part of the lining of the chest or abdomen is called pleurectomy and if the lung is removed, then the operation is called pneumonectomy.

When these treatments are properly combined modalities in the treatment of mesothelioma, especially in cases detected early, can increase their 5 year life of up to 10%.

About the Author:

Bello kamorudeen is the author of several mesothelioma articles.For complete information on mesothelioma visit http://www.mesotheliomacorner.blogspot.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Mesothelioma Life Expectancy-What are your chances of survival?