Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a cancer of the cells that make up the pleura or lining around the outside of the lungs and the inside of your ribs. The known cause in the United States is previous exposure to asbestos fibers, that includes chrysotile, amosite or crocidolite. The disease is not evident for twenty or more years because of a slow incubation process, but It is the most common type of mesothelioma and accounts for almost 75% of all diagnosed cases.
Tumors that have been discovered through routine chest x-rays sometimes show signs of mesothelioma purely by coincidence. However, when symptoms occur, they may include shortness of breath, weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite, chest pains, lower back pains, persistent coughing, difficulty in swallowing, alone or in combination. Usually, initial medical examination shows a pleural effusion, which means an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space - the area between the lungs and the chest wall.
Fluid build-up from the pleural effusion usually is seen on a chest x-ray and can be heard during physical examinations, but only through a biopsy and pathological testing can a true diagnosis of mesothelioma be made. This is important because there are also benign pleural effusions and other tumors that have a similar appearance to mesothelioma. Diagnosing mesothelioma can be quite difficult because it requires special lab stains and experience in understanding and recognizing them.
A person with mesothelioma may first be breathless only when he or she exercises, but as the lung function becomes worse, he or she may have shortness of breath even while resting and not engaging in any physical activity. The tumor spreads by directly invading the surrounding tissue. As it spreads inward, it compresses the lungsand as the tumor spreads outward, it will invade the chest wall and ribs causing extreme pain.
Currently, there are no serum markers available for the diagnosis of mesothelioma. The detection of elevated serum levels of hyaluronic acid may be useful in differentiating mesothelioma from other tumors, or to follow the effect of treatment. Median survival rate is about 17 months from the beginning of symptoms. The 3-year survival has a rate of 10% the 5-year survival is approximately 5%.
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