Pericardial mesothelioma is a sickness which impacts the lining from your heart (pericardium). It is the least common form of mesothelioma cancers. It is often mistaken as a kind of principal lung cancer but it is a cancer of serous membrane. These membranes are the lining of many organs through out the mid section from the human body, incorporating the heart.
There is another misconception that when the pericardial mesothelioma spreads to the lungs it is known as secondary lung cancer. Scientifically, this can be wrong, because it doesn’t develop inside the lung area..
Pericardial is located in as low as 10 % involving mesothelioma cancer affected individuals.. That is also the reason for the little research done on this subject. Approximately 2,000 cases of mesothelioma appear each year and less than 200 are of pericardial mesothelioma.
It is not as well understood as the more common pleural mesothelioma. The doctors and experts are not sure the way the asbestos fibers end up located inside the heart’s serous lining, or pericardium. One hypothesis supports that asbestos fibers tend to be shattered into little parts inside the lung area then transported directly into the circulatory system. After that, advocates of this concept hypothesize, the fibers are injected with the heart,, they might become lodged to the lining of the heart. Once the asbestos are lodged they cause inflammation and over time the cancer develops.
Symptoms:
The presence of tumors causes the expansion of the tissues and accumulating of fluids. These fluids conflict with the performing of the heart and trigger chest area discomfort as well as abnormal heart rate. Less frequent signs of pericardial mesothelioma
are breathlessness, fever, night sweats and coughing.
Pericardial mesothelioma sufferers may demonstrate the 3 types of mesothelioma cancer cells:
Epithelioid mesothelioma, Sarcomatoid mesothelioma and Biphasic mesothelioma. The sort of cancer cells may affect the mesothelioma prognosis. It’s considered that individuals with biphasic mesothelioma cancer cells possess a reduced life-span.
Diagnosis:
The first step in the process of diagnosing mesothelioma is traditional X-ray, which allows a brief glance at your heart. For a better look the doctor will order a more sophisticated test such as MRI or CT scan. If these tests show presence of mesothelioma, the doctor will most likely order a tissue biopsy. In a biopsy, thin needle is used to remove a piece of tissue from the affected area to be studied under a microscope. This may sound frightening and it is an uncomfortable process but the doctor will make sure to do everything possible to avoid discomfort. Biopsy takes only a few minutes but the results may take up to a week or more.
Treatment:
Prognosis of pericardial mesothelioma is very poor. But several treatments options are available to manage the disease.
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are the most common treatments for mesothelioma patients. In case of pericardial mesothelioma surgery is not an advisable option because of the location of the tumor. There is a great risk of damage to the tumor area. In rare cases surgery may be used to remove fluids around the heart.
Sadly, there is no cure for this or any type of mesothelioma. Treatments can be used to lessen the pain and improve the life quality of the patients. Because it is diagnosed in its last stages, patients usually die with in weeks of finding out they have pericardial mesothelioma others may live up to over a year. Scientists are trying to search treatments to expand the life of mesothelioma patients.