Mesothelioma Treatment – An Overview
People that contract the disease called mesothelioma are at high risk for the development of additional cancers of the lung, spine and abdominal organs. If the cancer is not treated in a timely fashion, it will continue to spread and will eventually claim their lives. There are several different types of treatment for mesothelioma.
The treatments available for mesothelioma depend on the stage that the disease has developed. Stage I mesothelioma is the least dangerous and can be treated with surgery or chemotherapy. However, patients with this stage of the disease often have a shorter life span than those with a more advanced stage. Stage II and III mesotheliomas require the use of a more aggressive form of treatment and can even lead to death if not diagnosed and treated quickly enough. The longer the patient has been diagnosed with this disease the worse the prognosis can become.
Mesothelioma can have many different causes. A recent study identified the Vibration Syndrome as one of the main causes of mesothelioma. Vibration syndrome is when fluid builds up in the tissues around the heart. This leads to fluid building up in the lungs, which then causes the mesothelioma pain that has been so debilitating. Once this occurs, doctors can use several different mesothelioma treatment options to attack the tumor. Some of these options include:
The earlier you are diagnosed the better your mesothelioma prognosis will be. Unfortunately, most people who have been diagnosed with this disease are not even aware that they have it. It is estimated that around 80 percent of those who are exposed to asbestos by some way are unaware of the risk of developing mesothelioma. Once you are informed about the symptoms of mesothelioma, it is important that you discuss them with your doctor or dentist. They will be able to determine whether or not you have these symptoms, and if you do they will be able to determine which of the many mesothelioma treatments that are available will be best for you.
Because there are so many different treatments available for those diagnosed with this disease, it is necessary to understand their different stages. The first stage of this disease is quite simple; it is simply pleural mesothelioma. This stage is not considered to be particularly severe because it does not cause any pain and typically does not affect overall health at all. The second stage of this disease is usually marked by symptoms such as persistent coughing, shortness of breath, and pain that tend to worsen with exertion. The final stage of this disease is marked by pain that can affect both the chest and abdominal area, as well as a persistent cough that refuse to go away.
Although it may be tempting to seek treatment options that are deemed to be more effective by your doctor, it is important to realize that these treatments carry a high risk of side effects and often result in a low survival rate. While chemotherapy is very successful in fighting malignant mesothelioma cells, it also tends to have very negative side effects on other parts of the body. In addition to this, the drugs used in chemotherapy often have very adverse, long term effects on the heart, lungs, and other parts of the body. Most mesothelioma patients are also advised to lose weight, quit smoking, and cut back on other harmful habits such as drinking.
