What Is Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous) tumor affecting the mesothelium, which is a type of protective sac that covers internal organs. Most cases begin in the pleura (lining around the lungs) or peritoneum (the lining around the abdomen).

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a type of mesothelioma in which cancer cells begin to grow in the pleura. Most people who develop this condition have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare disease in which cancer cells develop in the protective sac covering the lungs. The main risk factor for this condition is exposure to asbestos. Possible signs include shortness of breath and pain under the rib cage. It can be difficult to distinguish between malignant pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer, so it may be necessary to examine the inside of the chest to confirm the diagnosis.

malignant mesothelioma research

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is associated with a history of asbestos exposure in about 70 to 80 percent of all cases and there is no approved or very effective chemotherapy for the disease. Researchers hypothesized that pemetrexed might prove effective in treating this disease because it targets key enzymes thought to play a role in allowing the rapid growth of this tumor.

Early Phase I trial results in 11 patients tested with pemetrexed and cisplatin were promising and a definitive randomized Phase III trial was developed. Since there are no established therapies for this condition, a standard chemotherapy agent called cisplatin that has shown efficacy in treating other diseases, was used as the control arm. The Phase III study initially planned to enroll 456 patients from April 1999 to March 2001. However, after enrolling 150 patients, a high rate of severe toxicity and death was associated with the pemetrexed and cisplatin arm of the trial. Elevated levels of homocysteine, a chemical byproduct that results when proteins are broken down in the blood, were found, which provided a basis for redesign of the trial to reduce the dangerous drug side effects.

Two hundred and eighty patients were enrolled to the revised protocol. Using a strategy to reduce drug side effects that has been successful in the past, this new protocol added folic acid to the regimen because pemetrexed as an antifolate agent reduces levels of this important vitamin. Folic acid was given prior to and during the trial, and vitamin B12 was given only during the trial. Both vitamins should boost folic acid levels, reduce homocysteine formation, and hence reduce toxicity to pemetrexed. "We now have a significantly less toxic regimen than the one we started with," said Vogelzang.

Because of the presumed importance of the vitamins to the study, the researchers examined not only the combination therapy versus the single drug therapy, but also looked at the results of patients on the vitamin supplements versus those early enrollees who had not initially received vitamins.

Standard treatment for malignant mesothelioma has been surgery. Surgical treatment rarely results in cure and long-term survival is unusual. Use of radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy following surgery has not improved survival for patients but radiation treatments may alleviate some pain associated with the disease.

pleural mesothelioma diagnosed

Pleural Mesothelioma / Peritoneal Mesothelioma

The most common place for mesothelioma to develop is in the mesothelial membrane, also called the pleural lining, surrounding the lungs. About two thirds of all mesothelioma cases develop in the pleural mesothelium or lung lining. Pleural mesothelioma is also known as cancer of the lung lining.

The remaining cases, about one third, develop in the peritoneal mesothelium in the abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma). Rarely, mesothlioma occurs in other mesothelial tissue, such as around the heart or in the reproductive organs (pericardial mesothelioma).

Like pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma can be either benign or malignant. This discussion is only about malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.

When the symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma appear, they typically include abdominal pains, weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal swelling. Fluid often accumulates in the peritoneal space, a condition known as ascites. Over time the wasting symptoms can become more and more severe.

The growing tumor can exert increasing pressure on the organs in the abdomen, leading to bowel obstruction and distention. If the tumor presses upward, it can impair breathing capacity. If the tumor pushes against areas with many nerve fibers, and the bowel distends, the amount of pain can increase.

X-rays and CT scans are, typically, the first step towards detecting peritoneal mesothelioma. The actual diagnosis is typically achieved by obtaining a piece of tissue. The medical procedure of looking at the peritoneum is known as a peritoneoscopy. It is a hospital procedure and requires anesthesia. If an abnormality is seen, the doctor will attempt to obtain a tissue sample - this is known as a biopsy. The tissue sample will be examined by a pathologist who makes a diagnosis using microscopic analysis of specialized stains.

There are at least two explanations for how asbestos fibers can get into the peritoneum. The first is that fibers caught by the mucus of the trachea and bronchi end up being swallowed. Some of them lodge in the intestinal tract and from there they can move through the intestinal wall into the peritoneum. The second explanation is that fibers that lodge in the lungs can move into the lymphatic system and be transported to the peritoneum.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment Options

Its said that each year over 2000 to 3000 of malignant pleural Mesothelioma cases are reported and this number is double what was there in the previous years. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is caused due to prolonged exposure to Asbestos. Asbestos was discovered to be a health hazard back in the 1960' and is said to be the main cause of plural mesothelioma. This is a rare type of cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs the (plural membrane) or mesothelium for the scientifically inclined.

Pleural mesothelioma can be cured but it all depends on the stage of the cancer, age and overall health. When the disease is detected in the early stages it can be contained through surgery. But over the past rarely have there been any mesothelioma survival cases. The disease is said to lower the prognosis of the patient to the point that being able to live for even a year is conisdered a a miracle.

Its such a dangerous disease and hardly do many people get the chance to detect it early and control it in time. the symptoms are very similar to many other lung related diseases. There are various treatment options for mesothelioma and that includes. Surgery: surgery is a a very effective option because the doctors can remove the parts which are infected but when it comes to malignant cancers surgery is hardly a treatment but more of a control

Chemotherapy: chemo is the most common this is where the doctors get to treat the disease chemically through the use of medicine to counteract the tumor or the cancer. Radiotherapy is also a viable and a widely used treatment option, using ultraviolet rays to burn off the cancerous cells can be applied in this situation. Malignant mesothelioma is said to take 30 to 40 years to develop full and that's why its important that if you have even worked in close contact with Asbestos its important that you keep you health in check, watch out for the symptoms, visit the website to check out the symptoms exhibited by people who have contracted the disease.