More Of Benign Cystic Mesothelioma

Cystic mesothelioma (CM) of the peritoneum is a rare and benign neoplasm that develops predominantly in women of reproductive age and tends to persist locally. This kind of mesothelioma produces cysts within the abdominal cavity. Surgical removal of the mesothelioma cysts is pretty effective in treating the symptoms; however, the recurring of cysts development is very high.

Due to that fact in some isolated cases hormonal therapy is used in an attempt to relieve local symptoms and control the cyst size. Although cystic mesothelioma is benign (not cancerous) it requires a long term treatment and monitoring, that may include extensive lab analysis and complicated immunohistochemical studies, that include estrogen receptor (ER) and porgesteron receptor (PR) status of benign cystic mesothelioma.

Benign cystic mesothelioma is not directly life threatening since its tissue is non-cancerous; however it can still pose a threat to health if left untreated. Benign cystic mesothelioma does reveal significant asbestos exposure. To discover if a patient has any other asbestos-related conditions doctors often use the appearance of benign cystic mesothelioma as the initiation point for an investigation. Other serious asbestos conditions, such as asbestosis or benign pleural diseases, still pose serious threats to health and well being.

Benign Cystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma: What Is It?

The well defined but rare entity of benign cystic mesothelioma is reported. The aetiology of this neoplasm remains obscure. The presenting features make a precise preoperative diagnosis difficult; information provided by computed tomography and cytology may help. A firm diagnosis can only come from electron microscopic or immunohistochemical examination of the tumour. Diagnostic accuracy and diligent follow up are essential because, although the tumour is considered benign, it does tend towards local recurrence.

Benign cystic mesothelioma (BCM) is an uncommon lesion of the peritoneum occurring predominantly in women of reproductive age. Although most patients are managed by surgical resection, a reported high incidence of cyst recurrence has led to the use of hormonal therapy in isolated cases in an attempt to control cyst size and relieve local symptoms. To date, the estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status of BCM has not been evaluated.

Benign cystic mesothelioma is a neoplasm composed of mutiple small flluid-filled cysts. In terms of malignant potential it lies between two other neoplasms of mesthelial origin: adenomatoid tumour and malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. The most common peritoneal adenomatoid tumour is usually an incidental finding at laparotomy and rarely causes symtoms. In contrast, the malignant mesothelioma, which is known to develop after exposure to asbestos, frequently metastasises and is fatal.

Pericardial Mesothelioma: The Treatment Method

There are a number of methods for medically treating pericardial mesothelioma. Some even resemble treatments for other ailments of the body. Radiation and chemotherapy are the most widely used and effective forms of treatment for this type of mesothelioma.

Radiation is the number one used method for this type of rare cancer because it has proved to be most effective in many patients. Both treatments, however, run the risk of damaging healthy cells as well as cancerous cells, so it is best to monitor both of these procedures. Some doctors choose to use surgery in order to remove the cancerous cells in order to create more comfort for the patient. This is not a "cure" or 100% removal of cancerous cells and there could still be contaminated areas left untreated. The retained fluid in the pericardial cavity can cause inflammation to the tissue around the heart and great discomfort to the patient.

Unfortunately for most people who are diagnosed with pericardial mesothelioma, by the time symptoms of the disease appear, the cancer has progressed to a stage where conventional treatments are largely ineffective for anything other than providing temporary relief of symptoms. The difficulty of diagnosing pericardial mesothelioma at an early stage means that the long-term prognosis for most people with the disease is very poor. The average patient survives just six months post-diagnosis.

Most people diagnosed with this form of mesothelioma are not good candidates for cancer surgery. However, there are rare cases where the cancer is diagnosed early, and surgery can be carried out to remove small, localized pericardial tumors. This type of surgery carries great risk, simply due to the proximity of the heart.

Pericardial Mesothelioma: The Symptoms

Pericardial mesothelioma is a relatively rare form of cancer. For this reason, it has been difficult for mesothelioma specialists to develop a set of recognizable symptoms that can be used to help diagnose the disease. An additional problem is that the symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma resemble symptoms of other heart conditions, and this makes the cancer relatively difficult to diagnose quickly. A pericardial mesothelioma diagnosis may require a variety of tests to confirm the presence of cancer.

The symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma, as with other types of mesothelioma, can take decades to manifest. If a person worked with asbestos twenty or thirty years ago and shows no symptoms, that does not mean that they have the all clear. The symptoms typically take around twenty or thirty years to manifest anyway, sometimes even longer.

There are several main symptoms to look out for with pericardial mesothelioma. These include:

1) persistent coughing
2) shortness of breath
3) chest pain
4) palpitations

Anyone that has worked with asbestos and experiences any or all of these symptoms should seek medical advice immediately.

Pericardial Mesothelioma: An Overview

Pericardial mesothelioma is the rarest form of this asbestos-related cancer. This form of cancer affects the lining that surrounds the heart, and is associated with long term exposure to asbestos fibres.

Pericardial mesothelioma is also known as mesothelioma of the pericardium or cancer of the sac that holds the heart. Patients who develop excessive fluid around the heart, called an effusion, may have a sample of the fluid taken to diagnose pericardial mesothelioma. Fluid might also be drained to relieve symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma. The procedure for drawing out this fluid is called “pericardiocentesis.”

Pericardial mesothelioma can take several decades to develop from the time of exposure, with the average latency period being between twenty and forty years. This means that those people who may have contracted this form of cancer while working with asbestos in the 1970s, may not even be aware that they have the cancer, as symptoms may not yet have developed.

Pericardial mesothelioma is where the lining that surrounds the heart and provides protection and lubrication is attacked by cancer cells. There are a number of symptoms associated with pericardial mesothelioma, including persistent coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, and palpitations. These are symptoms that you should look out for if you have worked with asbestos in the past, and should you experience any of these symptoms, it is important to seek medical assistance as early as possible.

Pericardial mesothelioma develops in the pericardium, a membrane made up of mesothelial cells that surrounds the heart and provides protection and support to this organ. The membrane is composed of two different layers - an outer layer called the parietal layer (called the heart sac or theca cordis), and an inner layer known as the visceral layer (called the epicardium). The parietal layer is part of a larger membrane that lines the entire chest cavity, while the visceral layer is the pericardial membrane that lines the heart.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Treatments

In recent years, multimodality treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma has become more common for a select patient population, since surgery alone and/or intraperitoneal chemotherapy alone have proven to be similarly ineffective. Cytoreductive (debulking) surgery involves the removal of all or nearly all visible tumor, and, depending on the physician’s choice, may be combined with Intra-Peritoneal Hyperthermic Chemotherapy (IPHC), intraperitoneal chemotherapy and/or radiation. Since it is not always possible to remove all tumors, the prognosis for long-term survival may be based on the completeness of cytoreduction as established by the following criteria: (1) Complete Cytoreduction; and (2) Imcomplete cytoreduction.

Due to a lack of symptoms early in the natural history of peritoneal mesothelioma, a large majority of patients are first diagnosed with a large volume of disease diffusely spread throughout the abdomen and pelvis. The disease accumulates in largest volume at sites of peritoneal fluid reabsorption and at dependent sites by gravity. The small bowel surfaces and mesenteries are not spared of mesothelioma implants as in the mucinous appendiceal neoplasms.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Causes And Sypmtoms

Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare disease. Because of the frequent dissemination of pleural mesothelioma to the peritoneal cavity, one must rule out spread from a primary pleural malignancy as the cause of peritoneal disease.

The widespread progression of malignant cells on peritoneal surfaces results in copious fluid production. The fluid production can be attributed to the retention of a functional property of normal mesothelial cells. In these patients the peritoneal space becomes a free conduit for mesothelioma cells to migrate from place to place. In the production of ascites fluid, the cancer cells provide themselves with a carrier solution to disseminate throughout the abdominal and pelvic spaces.

Clinical symptoms at the time of presentation may include abdominal pain, abdominal mass, increased abdominal girth, distention of the abdomen, ascites (fluid in the abdomen), fever, weight loss, fatigue, anemia and digestive disturbances. Some patients complain of more non-specific symptoms for a number of months prior to a confirmed diagnosis. In a percentage of cases, peritoneal mesothelioma is found incidentally when the patient has sought help for another health problem such as gallbladder, hernia or pelvic mass.

Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma (mesothelioma of the lining of the lung, known as the pleura) may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1) shortness of breath (dyspnea) - hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, and/or coughing up of blood.

2) pleural effusion - a build up of too much fluid between the pleura (linings of the lungs and chest); a pleural effusion may cause chest pain and difficulty breathing (dyspnea), however, many cause no symptoms and are first discovered during the physical examination or seen on a chest x-ray.

3) pain in the chest - may sometimes be felt in upper abdomen, shoulder, or arm.