Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment

Pleural Mesothelioma is the most common form of malignant mesothelioma and its shape is a consequence of prolonged direct epunerii to asbestos fibers. There are benign form of mesothelioma but most often the tumor is malignant. Inhalation of asbestos fibers shall be subject to a very high risk of disease as those working in unprotected environments, this risk is increased by the combination of smoking.

Pleural mesothelioma attacks the lungs and lung cells and pathways affected respiratorii.Sunt pleura. Symptoms, as in other forms of mesothelioma, occurring in 20 to 30 years of exposure to asbestos, sometimes being even more impossible for patients to realize that they are affected only when it is too late.
Symptoms may be nonspecific and interpreted as other diseases and make diagnosis difficult to establish treatment is delayed.
Often these patients are treated for other illnesses such as pneumonia for example. Therefore, to prevent the delay of the diagnosis, you should be very careful in all their symptoms and the physician, but chose to tell that you worked with asbestos in the environment.

Clinical manifestations occur most frequently are: persistent cough, difficulty swallowing, sweating of the face, weight loss, fever, bloody sputum. Some patients may present with dyspnea on effort and even at rest because of pleural thickening due to tumor spread. The thickened pleura with louder it will be less possible for them to expansionarea lungs function normally.
Some patients may experience chest pain and strong ribs, this sign is the dissemination of tumor cells and tumor extension.



Diagnosing mesothelioma requires imaging and biopsy. Pulmonary radiography, CT and MRI are indicated to highlight the disease and whether it is present, then a biopsy is recommended. Pleural fluid analysis is made and where it is present but not always support the diagnosis. In these circumstances it is advisable to make pleural biopsy. This can be accomplished by thoracoscopy, or by making a small incision in the chest wall with the help of cameras placed in the chest to view the structures affected. This may take a tissue to be examined by a pathologist.
After the diagnosis is that investigations to determine extent of the disease and according to her, setting treatment.
It is very important to tell your doctor about treating the environment that you worked with asbestos!
Treatment of mesothelioma depends on many factors: age, history of the patient's pathological (disease related), general condition and even body weight. Other factors are: the expansion stage of the tumor and its location.

Treatment includes:
Surgery: The surgery can remove a large proportion of lung affected, even if it is necessary but also lung and surrounding structures that are attached to the tumor. Extension of surgery will depend on the extent of the tumor.
Chemotherapy: for this procedure using drugs to kill cancer cells. These may be administered per pedicamente orally or intravenously. The substances administered blood will reach the cancer cells and destroy them.
Radiation therapy: This procedure is used for X-rays that can be applied outside the body (external radiation) or inside (internal radiation). Internal radiation therapy is performed using a plastic tube through which the doctor can administer medication and treatment.