Peritoneal mesothelioma is a type of mesothelioma cancer that occurs in the cells of the abdominal lining. These cells are known as peritoneum, which supports and protects organs in the abdomen. There are many factors upon which the peritoneal mesothelioma treatment depends.
These factors are as follows:
1. The size and stage of cancer cells,
2. Patient’s general condition and health,
3. Past medical history of the patient and the patient’s age.
Peritoneal mesothelioma is the cancer of the membrane in the abdomen. Like all other cancer diseases, premature detection and treatment provides the best possible result for peritoneal mesothelioma treatment.
There are two types of peritoneal mesothelioma treatments are found. One of the two treatments is Systemic treatment. By Systemic treatment the whole body can get the proper treatments using chemotherapy. Another one is Localized treatment by which surgery and radiotherapy can be done. It is not a good practice that the surgical treatment would implement in the case of peritoneal mesothelioma. However, it may be possible to remove the tumor by operation if the growth of cancer cell is found very early. The peritoneal mesothelioma surgery involves in cutting out the peritoneum, the lining of the abdomen where the mesothelioma has started growing. This type of surgery is known as peritonectomy. During this surgery, sometimes it is needed to remove a lung or part of the diaphragm in removing the affected cell.
In peritoneal mesothelioma treatment, chemotherapy controls the symptoms and tries to slow the cancer down. Mesothelioma cells can be removed by giving injecting anti-cancer drugs to the patient’s vein. There are two parts involved in the peritoneal mesothelioma, one is visceral peritoneum that covers the internal organs and the other is parietal peritoneum that covers the abdominal cavity. It is obvious factor that the risk factor associated with peritoneal mesothelioma is asbestos.
The early signs of Peritoneal Mesothelioma include:
- Increased weight loss due to low intake of food
- Night sweats often accompanied with fever
- Increased abdominal girth coupled with bouts of abdominal pain and indigestion
- Extreme fatigue, fever and anemic condition
Peritoneal mesothelioma treatment Methods:
The disease is very difficult to identify at early stages. Intra-peritoneal chemotherapy is one of such methods that can be applied. In this method of treatment, following surgery, drugs are induced directly into the abdomen. In some cases, radiation therapy is done to shrink the tumors before surgery is done.
Symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a very late onset form of cancer. After initial asbestos exposure has occurred, it is common for two or three decades to elapse before symptoms begin to appear. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include the following:
- Weight loss
- Fever or night sweats
- Pain or swelling in the abdominal area
- Obstruction of the small or large intestine
- Anemia
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Diagnosis
Diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma is based on the results of diagnostic procedures such as x-rays, CT scans and MRI scans. These are used to discover how far it has advanced as well as diagnose the peritoneal mesothelioma. These procedures will help to determine the best course of peritoneal mesothelioma treatment. Biopsy is also required to confirm a diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma. There are two types of biopsy involved, these are needle biopsy or tissue biopsy, although in some cases both may be required. A needle biopsy involves using a long needle to remove fluid from the abdominal cavity, while a tissue biopsy requires minor surgery to remove tissue from the area.
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