Mesothelioma Information's

Malignant mesothelioma is an uncommon, but no longer rare, cancer that is difficult to diagnose and poorly responsive to therapy. Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious of all asbestos-related diseases.

Mesothelioma was recognized as a tumor of the pleura, peritoneum and pericardium in the late 1700's. However it was not until much later, in 1960, that this particular type of tumor was described in more detail and even more importantly, its association with asbestos exposure was recognized

Mesothelioma Treatment Options:

Standard treatment for all but localized mesothelioma is generally NOT curative. Although some patients will experience long-term with aggressive treatment approaches, it remains unclear if overall survival can be significantly altered by the different treatment methods or by combinations of methods. Extrapleural pneumonectomy in selected patient with very early stage disease may improve recurrence-free survival, but its impact on overall survival is unknown. Pleurectomy and Decortication can provide palliative relief from symptomatic effusions, discomfort caused by tumor burden and pain caused by invasive tumors.The use of radiation therapy in pleural mesothelioma has been shown to alleviate pain in the majority of patients treated. Unfortunately, the duration of symptom control is short-lived. Single agent and combined chemotherapy have reported higher response rates in STAGE II patients, however the toxicity reported is also higher and there is no evidence that combination treatments result in longer survival or longer control of the symptoms.