Mesothelioma Pericardial

Pericardial Mesothelioma is the least frequent form of Mesothelioma occurance. It averages less than 10% of all Mesothelioma cases in the US. As with other types of Mesothelioma cancers, it affects that lining of organs. Pericardial Mesothelioma affects the lining that contains the heart causing cancerous tumors to grow on the lining and more often than not causing too much liquid to form inside the lining.

This type of Mesothelioma is extremely rare and thus a definite link between asbestos
Exposure and the development of Mesothelioma Pericardial hasn’t been established although strong links between asbestos and pericardial mesothelioma have been made.

Early symptoms that indicate Pericardial Mesothelioma include chest pain, Dyspnea (extreme shortness of breath), cough, and heart palpitations. X-Ray or a CT scans are normally given to patients who suffer from these symptoms and also have had previous exposure to asbestos to look for evidence of pericardial mesothelioma.

If a growth or an abnormality is detected in any of the scans the next step is to perform a biopsy on the suspected tissue to determine if it is a malignant cancer. A small piece of the affected tissue is removed and put under the microscope to look for cancer cells.

Once a thorough assessment of the situation has been made, the pericardial mesothelioma patient and the doctor will discuss possible treatment options; including whether to attempt to defeat the pericardial mesothelioma or just to improve the patients quality of life for the time remaining. Decisions on the treatment of Pericardial Mesothelioma usually involve consideration of the patient’s age, condition, circumstance, the stage to which the Pericardial Mesothelioma has advanced too, tumor size and location.

Generally when Mesothelioma Pericardial is diagnosed, most patients are already in the advanced stages of the cancer thus the majority will opt for surgery if at all possible. Most patients are in advanced stages of pericardial mesothelioma at the time of diagnosis and therefore opt for surgery to address the discomfort caused by the tumor.