Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that occurs in the tissue of your internal organs. Because the nature of this cancer occurs on the thin layers of tissue that surround your internal organs, it makes Mesothelioma very dangerous and aggressive. Most cases end up without any success of treatment; however, there are some steps you can take to hinder the spread.
Symptoms and Types of Mesothelioma
In order to distinguish the symptoms of this disease, we have to take a look first at the type of Mesothelioma that exists.
Source: Morgan & Morgan
• Pleural Mesothelioma
Pleural Mesothelioma is the most common type with more than 75% of all Mesothelioma cases. In the United States alone, more than 3,000 people are diagnosed with Pleural Mesothelioma. This type inhibits the thin layers of the tissue surrounding your lungs. Symptoms of this type include chest pain whenever you cough, shortness of breath, unexplained sudden weight loss, and lumps that appear under your skin around the chest area. This type of Mesothelioma is mostly caused by asbestos, which is a very common type of mineral fibers that were once used to build houses and various other household products.
Treatment of pleural Mesothelioma depends on how advanced the cancer is. If you happen to be diagnosed with this cancer, then doctors need to first determine in what stage the cancer is before any treatment is done. However, it goes without saying that the higher the stage the fewer chances you have of survival. Stage 4 pleural Mesothelioma usually results in death, according to GPWLaw MI.
Source: Mesothelioma Lawyer Center
• Peritoneal Mesothelioma
The second most common type of Mesothelioma is one that inhibits the thin layer of tissue surrounding your abdomen. This type of cancer accounts for 15-20% of all Mesothelioma cancers. Peritoneal cancer is just as dangerous as the before-mentioned plural as it affects all the organs in the abdomen and abdominal cavity.
Symptoms of this cancer include swelling, belly pain, lumps, and sudden weight loss. Again, asbestos fibers are the main culprit for Peritoneal Mesothelioma, but genetics also play a huge role too. All types that we will mention on this list are equally dangerous; the only difference is that some are more common than others. Image testing is required to discover this cancer, followed by a biopsy, and further testing to determine the stage.
Treatment of this type of cancer usually consists of multiple combinations, but it all depends on the stage. Usually, but not always, you will need surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. If your cancer is in a late-stage, then surgery is not an option. If this is the case, then doctors can only recommend treatment to numb the symptoms.
Source: Mesothelioma Help
• Pericardial Mesothelioma
The third type of Mesothelioma cancer accounts for only 1% of all cases. This type of cancer surrounds the sac and tissue of your heart, which makes it the most dangerous.
Doctors haven’t found clear proof of what causes pericardial cancer, and treatment includes the same as the two above-mentioned. We should point out that if this type is in an advanced stage, then all doctors can do is to control the symptoms.
• Testicular Mesothelioma
This is the rarest type of cancer, and only a few hundred cases have been reported. Since this type of cancer is far too rare, doctors aren’t sure of what causes it, what its symptoms are, and how to treat you.
Source: Pulmonology Advisor
