Pleural Cancer

cancer pleura

Pleural cancer is a disease that affects the lining of the lungs, or lung pleura. Sometimes doctors refer to this disease as mesothelioma of the pleura. It is a common misconception that mesothelioma is a type of primary lung cancer; it is not.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the serous membranes that enclose a number of organs throughout the midsection of the body, including the lungs. The pleural cancer, affects the serous membranes of the lungs. Pleural cancer occurs in the layer of tissue covering the lungs and lining the interior wall of the chest cavity that protects and cushions the lungs.

Pleural Cancer Symptoms

Pleural cancer is difficult to detect early on because its initial symptoms tend to be somewhat generic. Some symptoms of pleural cancer are weight loss, dyspnoea,  haemoptysis, shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing, and in some cases there are no initial symptoms. As the disease develops, however, symptoms become more acute. In some cases, pain develops in the abdomen, in others, a severe cough is developed or breathing becomes restrictive.

Pleural Cancer Diagnosis

A pleural cancer diagnosis is made partly on the basis of symptoms but additional diagnostic tests are needed to confirm the presence of cancer.Only with a CT scan or an X-ray will a doctor be able to detect the possible presence of mesothelioma. If possible tumors are detected generally the doctor will perform a procedure called a Thoracoscopy . A patient must also usually endure fluid and tissue tests, also known as biopsies, to confirm the type of cancer involved.

Diagnosis is confirmed with a needle biopsy, tissue biopsy, or both. During a needle biopsy, fluid is drawn from the area and is then tested for the presence of cancer cells. A tissue biopsy usually involves a relatively non-invasive surgical procedure called laparoscopy, in which a small piece of tissue is removed from the affected area, to be tested for the presence of malignant cells.

Pleural Cancer Treatment

The treatment options of pleural cancer can be on of the following methods, the first method is the surgery option. Here surgeon will make a test by cutting a small part from the pleural tissue to discover if there any abnormal thing. Then surgeon will make a decision, first decision is to remove another larger part from the pleura and some parts of surrounded tissue. The second decision in the dangerous cases is to remove larger part and in some cases surgeon may remove one of the two lungs.

The chemotherapy option is another effective method to kill the cancer cells, by using a very special chemical materials which have the ability to spread throughout the body. This option may be combined with the surgery option.

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