Mesothelioma Survival - A Difficult, But Sustainable Life
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is nearly always caused by getting exposed to asbestos. In this illness, malevolent cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers almost all of the body’s internal organs. Its commonest site is the pleura ( outer liner of the lungs and internal chest wall ), but it could also occur in the peritoneum ( the liner of the abdominal cavity ), the heart, the pericardium ( a sac that surrounds the heart ) or tunica vaginalis.
Mesothelioma survival relies upon a wide variety of factors - the level of cancer, age and general health of the patient etc. A five-year scale is used by the experienced persons in mesothelioma research and treatment to calculate survival. Mesothelioma survival is so difficult that only around ten percent of the total patients diagnosed have reached the five-year target so far.
The chances of mesothelioma survival can be enhanced by vigorous and continued treatment. Depending on the response of the patient to the treatment chances of survival also varies. The treatment success is controlled by various factors. The most important thing is that success depends upon the stage of the cancer at the time of diagnosis. If the disease is detected early, the chances of survival and cure are more. The third and fourth stages have very little chances of survival, whereas the first and the second stages can be healed through chemotherapy and surgery.
The size of the tumor, the area in which it is formed, the level of excess fluid accumulated in the abdomen or chest, the age and general health level of the patient and the cell structure and type of cancer cells are the other important aspects that determine mesothelioma survival. There are mainly three types of mesothelioma cancer. While the first type, the pleural mesothelioma, affects the membranous sac lining the abdomen, the second, peritoneal cancer attacks the abdominal cavity and accounts to about seventy five percent and twenty percent respectively. But the third one, the pericardial, which is found in the area around the heart, is much more potent as a killer than the other two.
After analyzing the mesothelioma survival rates for the last few years, the medical community has arrived at the conclusion that this asbestos cancer is highly lethal and incidents of mesothelioma cancer infection is increasing around the world. It has also been found that chemotherapy is the most effective for most cases where surgery is not advisable for some reason. However, researchers are working on new and more effective treatment strategies to counter the frightening threat of this cancer, which has already ruined the lives of thousands amongst us.
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