Pleural Mesothelioma - New Treatments and Info

Pleural Mesothelioma is the most prevalent form of the various aggressive lung cancers and this cancer invades the lung cavities. 'Pleura' is the sac that houses the lungs within a thin membrane called mesothelium. This mesothelium secretes fluid and assists the lungs to contract and expand during breathing.
Pleural mesothelioma is the cancer of the mesothelium of the lung cavities and it is associated with individuals who live in surroundings where asbestos-related dust is major air pollutant. Prolonged inhalation of the air-borne asbestos-related particles leads to inflammation of the lungs and eventually the asbestos particles and fibers get settled on the lung surfaces and thereby making the tissues carcinogenic.
The cancer cells remains dormant for long, but symptoms slowly begin with a normal chest pain coupled with some warning signals such as:
* Difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath * Loss of appetite and weight loss * Excessive coughing and wheezing * Tendency to vomit often
Tests and Diagnoses:
It is extremely difficult to diagnose pleural mesothelioma as it is often confused with common illnesses as cold and/or flu, whooping cough or pneumonia due to almost similar symptoms. However, thanks to many diagnostic procedures the disease can be confirmed.
Chest x-ray and MRI: These are painless imaging studies and along with CT scan and ultrasound the radiologist gets a detailed picture of the lungs that reveal pleural effusion.
Biopsy: A radiological scan is followed by a needle biopsy (also called an aspiration biopsy) to confirm the cancer cells by taking out fluid from the lungs.
It is then a pleuroscopy and thoracotomy done to confirm the presence of pleural mesothelioma.
Treatment Methods:
Complete cure for this silent killer disease is still a far cry. An expert treats with multi-modality approach and it is most likely to be a palliative form of treatment. The approach includes combination of surgery, radiation, photodynamic therapy and systemic chemotherapy with cancer drugs (often times Cisplatin and gemcitabine).
Some of the advancements in the field of pleural mesothelioma therapy include:
Administering pemetrexed, an antimetabolite along with Cisplatin and this adjuvant therapy is found to give a higher survival rate than using Cisplatin alone.
Using the dynamics of light is also used as a principle to kill carcinogenic cells. However, this can be a method when mesothelioma is in the early stages.
Immunotherapy is another approach that aims to enhance the body immune system but as of now still being researched to use as an alternative to treat a pleural mesothelioma patient.
Brachytherapy is another newborn approach, and it is a kind of radiation therapy applied from within the body as opposed to application from outside. This helps to prevent damage of healthy cells due to exposure to high radiation.