Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Pleural Mesothelioma - The Identification On Pleural Mesothelioma

By Shan Durai

Mesothelioma of the pleura mesothelium is what is known as pleural mesothelioma. The pleura is the membrane responsible for holding the walls of our chest and our lungs. Over 60 percent of all mesothelioma instances are pleural while the two other kind make up the remaining percentage.

It is the cancer of the lung lining. It is thought that asbestos exposure is the chief cause of all varieties of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is particularly prevalent among smokers who are exposed to asbestos. Lumps around the chest area as well as chest pains could be symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Breathing might be painful and even labored. It is tough to spot this cancer based on symptoms as these symptoms can be due to other illnesses as well. A full examination including CT scans and even a biopsy is required to confirm if the patient really does have pleural mesothelioma.

As usual, the earlier the mesothelioma is detected, the bigger the possibility any treatment will have its desired effect. Surgery to eliminate the tumors will likely be performed. Chemotherapy is commenced with its chief objective of shrinking all remaining tumors that were not removed. Radiation can also be used as a means of relieving the patient of the symptoms associated with pleural mesothelioma.

All three methods might be used if the patient is in good health and is of a younger age. Probability of the cancer coming back from remission is sadly, enormously high. There is no cure for pleural mesothelioma but with new techniques and ongoing research there have been a number of improvements with increasing the lifespan of patients.

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