Pericardial Mesothelioma
pericardial mesothelioma cancer
Pericardial mesothelioma is a cancer that is caused by asbestos related contact. Inhalation of asbestos fibers can be very hazardous to ones health and often lead to damage in different areas in the body. In pericardial mesothelioma, the tumors form in the mesothelium that surrounds the heart, the pericardium.
The pericardium is wrapped around the heart and the origin points of all the body’s major veins and arteries. The pericardium keeps the heart in place, stops it from expanding when it is under pressure, and provides lubrication for the heart’s beating motion. There are two layers to the pericardium, the visceral layer and the parietal layer. The visceral layer is inside, next to the heart, while the parietal layer is outside. Between the two layers is a fluid layer, called pericardial fluid. The parietal layer is tougher and stronger than the visceral layer; the two layers and the liquid insulating layer provide protection for the heart from damage to the chest.
What Causes Pericardial Mesothelioma?
Pericardial mesothelioma is known only to be caused by exposure to asbestos, a naturally occurring but toxic mineral that was used in industrial capacities. Those who came in contact with asbestos in their homes or work environments over thirty years ago are most prone to developing health complications that can be potentially life threatening.
While the precise route by which microscopic asbestos fibers reaches the pericardial lining is not known, physicians surmise that inhaled asbestos fibers are absorbed into the bloodstream and become entangled in the heart’s lining as the blood processes through the heart. Mesothelioma occurring in other parts of the body, such as in the pleura or peritoneum, can also metastasize to the pericardial lining.
Symptoms
As in the lung, the rapid growth of the cancerous tumors can cause expansion of the tissue and accumulation of fluid. The fluid can interfere with the functioning of the heart and cause chest pain and irregular heartbeat. Patients are typically diagnosed when they complain of chest pain or other heart-related symptoms after even limited exertion. Shortness of breath and cough are less common symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma cancer. Unlike the lungs, it is less common for other cancers to metastasize to the heart.
Diagnosis of pericardial mesothelioma is problematic, as the nature of these symptoms is relatively non-specific, in that they can appear as a result of several other cardiac conditions. To diagnose pericardial mesothelioma, a patient’s symptoms, medical history, and current medical condition must all be assessed. The initial stages of diagnosis involve taking a medical history and undergoing a thorough physical examination.
Chest x-rays, a CT scan or an MRI scan may all be used to diagnose pericardial mesothelioma. However, to confirm the diagnosis and to determine whether the point of original of the cancer is the pericardium or another area, a biopsy must be performed.
Pericardial mesothelioma treatment may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and palliative therapy. On occasion, surgery may be indicated for those with pericardial mesothelioma.
Radiation therapy is used most often and appears to be the most affective manner of treating this type of cancer. Chemotherapy is also administered but must be closely monitored due to the drugs’ negative effects on healthy cells.
Palliative therapies are also used in treating those with pericardial mesothelioma. This mesothelioma treatment helps to relieve some of the symptoms of the disease by draining fluid from around the heart by fine needle aspiration.
Doctors and research scientists are still searching for a way to cure pericardial mesothelioma or at least extend the life of those suffering from all types of the disease. Because it is almost always diagnosed in its late stages, some patients die within weeks of learning they have the disease. Diagnostic aids that will result in earlier diagnosis of mesothelioma are currently being tested and other forms of treatment are being surveyed in clinical trials, all in hopes that the lives of mesothelioma patients can someday be prolonged.
You maybe interested in reading this too : mesothelioma prognosis and asbestos claim.