Life Expectancy after Mesothelioma Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy so far, is the only treatment to improve the survival rate expectancy for mesothelioma patients. This therapy has shown significant improvement from a life expectancy of 10 months to a little over 13 months. Chemotherapy along with other aggressive treatments and surgeries is showing remarkable results.

Diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma can be detected with a chest X-ray and CT scan, and can be confirmed with a biopsy and microscopic exam. Patients can undergo various aggressive treatments to extend their life-span and comfort. Despite extensive research, experiments and treatments, the disease is not curable and the life expectancy after mesothelioma chemotherapy for patients is very poor.

Symptoms of mesothelioma include:

Fluid between the lung and chest wallPain in the chest areaWeight lossAnemiaWheezing and shortness of breathConstant fatiguePain in the abdomen

Mesothelioma is usually not detected until the latest stages because patients do not show immediate signs of mesothelioma. Also, the symptoms of mesothelioma are very common and often get misdiagnosed for less severe conditions. As a result, mesothelioma treatment is delayed resulting in a poor prognosis for patients. Once the cancer has spread and reached stage three or four, treatment options decreases and the disease becomes more difficult to treat. Treatments including surgery is no longer an option and may not be effective during this critical stage increasing mortality rate among mesothelioma patients.

Mesothelioma is addressed in four stages. Stages three and four limits the options available for treatment and treatments is also less effective at this point. In addition to the different stages of mesothelioma, other factors that may affect the prognosis include:

Age of patientWhen the cancer was detectedTreatment receivedType of mesotheliomaThe location and size of the tumorOther health-related illnessesWhether or not the patient is a smokerPatient’s diet

Chemotherapy is improving the life expectancy of mesothelioma sufferers. This is wonderful news for mesothelioma patients and their families.

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Female Mesothelioma Patients Live Longer After Surgery

Mesothelioma Law Blog: Female Mesothelioma Patients Live Longer After Surgery Mesothelioma Law Blog« Test May Detect Mesothelioma |Main| Mesothelioma Treatment Improved with the Addition of Tomudex to Cisplatin Therapy »

Female Mesothelioma Patients Live Longer After Surgery

According to researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, women with malignant pleural mesothelioma may have a greater survival rate after surgery than men.

Though men tend to develop the deadly cancer more than women, women are still at risk for mesothelioma due to “second hand” asbestos. Rather than being directly exposed to asbestos fibers through industrial jobs, such as ship building or military service , women sometimes develop the cancer through asbestos fibers their husbands bring home on their clothing after work. When the wife does the laundry, sits with her husband at dinner, or even gives him a hug when he comes home, she may be exposed to the asbestos fibers on her husband’s clothing and, sadly, at risk for mesothelioma.

The Brigham and Women’s study found that women with epithelial malignant pleural mesothelioma, meaning a cancer of the epithelial tissue, a membrane that lines that lung, survive longer than men of the same age with the cancer.

Source

October 04, 2010 in Mesotheliom Research | Permalink

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What to Expect After Mesothelioma Diagnosis with MRI

Mesothelioma cancer is a difficult disease to detect. This detection becomes even more difficult when someone does not have a clear history of asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma cancer’s symptoms mimic the symptoms of many illnesses that are found in the lungs and are often mistaken for some other ailment. Doctors rely on a patient’s history to come up with a diagnosis of mesothelioma cancer. After this link is made further scanning is ordered to verify the diagnosis and the MRI is one of these scans. Doctors will know what to expect after a mesothelioma diagnosis with an MRI.

Detection of mesothelioma cancer most often begins with an x-ray; however x-rays provide only a limited view of what is going on inside a patient’s body. A clearer picture can be obtained with a scanning procedure known as an MRI.

MRI is a medical scanning procedure which gives a complete interior picture of any area of the human body. It gives a clearer image when compared to the CT Scans, and MRI imaging is a vital tool in detecting mesothelioma nowadays.

MRIs manipulate a magnetic field, to create images of the soft tissue in patient’s bodies clearly. MRI scans can distinguish between different organs and tissue in the body helping trained professionals identify abnormal tissues deep inside the body which appear in images generate on a monitor.

MRIs do not use radiation to produce these images, which makes it a safer procedure then x-rays or any other imaging procedure that employs radiation. Strong magnetic field are generated by it machinery to produce detailed imagery of the interiors of our body.

Many patients become afraid about the MRI procedure mainly because they fear the results of the MRI scan. The procedure of mesothelioma MRI is not painful or frightening. The imaging process in totally painless and can be done in around an hour and a half. If a patient knows more about the procedure before hand it may reduce anxiety. Your doctor should be fully prepared to describe the procedure for you and answer your questions.

After mesothelioma cancer diagnosis through MRI, imaging doctor will refer patient to mesothelioma cancer specialist that will evaluate treatment options.

Detection of mesothelioma cancer with MRI outweighs any possible side effects of the scanning procedure. A qualified doctor can guide patient of any post scan consequences which are minimal with this procedure. This is due to the fact that the patient will not be exposed to any radiation and MRIs contrast dye is safer than dyes used in other scanning procedures such as CT scans for example. Also MRI scanning is the most accurate of any of scanning procedures available today producing highly detail imagery of any part of the body clearly identifying abnormal tissue from anything normal.

After mesothelioma diagnosis with MRI scan, patients should expect doctor to have detailed knowledge of what is going on inside their body and this knowledge will bring peace to their mind.

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