• Pleura - Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer that develops on the lining of the lungs.
• mesotelioma pleural - It is very common asbestos mesothelioma cancer.
• Specialists use the latest therapies to treat it.
• lung cancer treatment - Clinical trials offer access to new treatments such as immunotherapy, genetherapy etc.

• mesothelioma causes - It is a malignant mesothelioma cancer caused by asbestos.
• mesothelioma life expectancy - The life expectancy of patients with pleural mesothelioma is less than 18 months, but some live little longer.

facts on pleural mesothelioma

• The pleural mesothelioma accounts for about 75 percent of mesothelioma cases diagnosed annually in U.S.
• More than 2,000 people are diagnosed with this pleural cancer each year.
• mesothelioma treatment - For this lung cancer, mesothelioma treatments include
• extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery,
• pleurectomy/decortication surgery,
• chemotherapy and
• radiation.

• Most treatment plans combined the three, which is called multimodal therapy.
• Depending on how far your cancer has progressed, these therapies can be
• cytoreductive - to control the cancer (or)
• palliative - to improve quality of life.

• Persistent dry or raspy cough
• Coughing blood
• Shortness of breath
• Pain in the lower back or rib area
• Painful breathing

• Lumps under the skin on the chest
• Difficulty swallowing
• Night sweats or fever
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue

• The only known major cause of any mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos fibers.
• Occupational asbestos exposure is the most common cause and there are only few cases due to exposure at home.
• Inhaled sharp asbestos particles get stuck in both the visceral (inner) or the parietal (outer) pleura.

• The body cannot eject all of the asbestos fibers.
• These asbestos exposure will cause irritation, swelling, harmful genetic damage that turn cells cancerous.
• These cancerous cells grow fast and uncontrollably, forming asbestos disease - tumors around the lungs.
• It takes anywhere from 10 to 50 years after asbestos exposure for asbestos cancer to develop in the pleura.

What is pleural mesothelioma

1. It is located in the linings of the lungs and the chest wall, known as the pleura.

• The major symptom is damage of the respiratory system in hand with shortness of breath.
• Others include spoiling the thoracic cavity combined with a chest paint.

• The mesothelioma diagnostic process begins with initial symptoms such as chest pain and breathing impairment
• A chest X-ray which shows fluid or tumors around the lungs needs advice from pulmonologist/oncologist.
• Further imaging, blood tests and tissue biopsies confirms a pleural mesothelioma diagnosis.
• The most reliable tool to diagnose the disease is a thoracoscopy.

• This invasive procedure allows doctors to view the patient's chest through a small camera.
• A tissue sample is collected, known as a biopsy.
• A pathologist will evaluate the biopsy, distinguish the cancer’s cell type and confirm the diagnosis.

plueral mesothelioma treatment

• Surgery – Cytoreduction surgery (“debulking”) to remove as much cancer cells possible.
• Chemotherapy – A combination of chemotherapy drugs to kill remaining tumor cells.

• Radiation – A blast of radiation to shrink tumors in the body.

• Surgery to remove the parietal pleura (the outer membrane)
• Removal includes nearby organs and tissue, such as the mediastinum, diaphragm, and pericardium.
• It is not considered a curative operation.
• It is listed as a palliative treatment as it is less harmful and less painful.

Extrapleural Pneumonectomy (EPP):

• Patients with better physical condition undergo EPP.
• This is a curative treatment that removes the affected pleura.
• Removal includes a portion of the lung, nearby lymph nodes, and adjacent tissue.
• It is the only type of surgery associated with long-term survival.

pleural mesothelioma stages

• Staging systems for malignant pleural mesothelioma defines four stages.
• These are labeled I, II, III and IV.
• The first two stages indicate localized tumors.
• The last two stages classify spreading tumors.

• The International Mesothelioma Interest Group created the most widely used staging system.
• It applies the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) approach.
• Two others with less usage are
• the Brigham and Women’s staging system and
• the Butchart staging system.