Copyright (c) 2009 Katie Kelley
A woman who developed mesothelioma cancer simply by hugging her father each day after he returned home from working in asbestos fibers has recently found success in treating her rare and deadly condition with a new treatment offered at a single German facility. The treatment is known as chemoembolization and is said to have shrunk the woman’s tumors.
The woman’s cancer has since gone into remission with her tumor having been reduced by more than half, according to BBC news reports.
The method of chemoembolization uses chemotherapy drugs delivered into the “site of a cancer tumor” and “since the chemotherapy drugs are delivered into the tumor, stronger doses of the drugs may be used,” according to research from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. For mesothelioma cancer patients, a catheter into the lungs may potentially be used to deliver the drugs to the cancer site. Because of the success of the treatment, research is continuing, according to news reports.
Developing Pleural Mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma occurs when mesothelioma of the chest develops. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recently reported that “the pleura is the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity.” Mesothelioma occurs in general when cancer cells metastasize within the mesothelium, which is “a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body,” reports the NCI. The American Cancer Society (ACS) reported the following as symptoms of pleural mesothelioma:
* pain in the side of the chest
* pain in the lower back
* trouble swallowing
* cough
* fever
* sweating
* fatigue
* weight loss
* hoarseness
* coughing up blood
* swelling in the face, arms
* muscle weakness
* sensory loss
Often symptoms occur within two to three months prior to an initial diagnosis, according to the ACS. It is common that mesothelioma signs and symptoms remain dormant for several years, usually anywhere from 10 to 30 decades.
A number of tests are in existence to determine if a patient has lung cancer and if it is of mesothelioma type or pleural mesothelioma. Additionally, there are blood tests, fluid and tissue as well as imaging tests, which can determine a mesothelioma diagnosis, according to the ACS; they are as follows:
* chest x-rays
* computed tomography scan
* positron emission tomography scan
* magnetic resonance imaging scan
* osteopontin protein blood tests
* thoracoscopy
* tissue biopsy
* laparoscopy
* thoracotomy
* laparotomy
* bronchoscopy
* mediastinoscopy
* immunohistochemistry
* DNA microarray analysis
What to Do Following a Mesothelioma Diagnosis
Once a mesothelioma diagnosis has occurred, there are several actions that can be taken to potentially treat the deadly condition. Unfortunately, mesothelioma is often untreatable. The NCI sponsors clinical trials, which can assist individuals with their mesothelioma diagnosis by offering potentially new mesothelioma treatments that can be administered and studied.
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