Mesothelioma Peritoneal

Mesothelioma cancers that affect that Peritoneal are the least common sort of mesothelioma cancers. They generally account for only 30% of cases reported. On average there are between 100 to 500 cases reported in the US every year.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma affects the abdominal lining and thus is why it is also commonly referred too as abdominal Mesothelioma. The abdominal lining is the largest lining or sac that covers the internal organs including the liver, stomach, colon, and the large and small intestines.

The purpose of the Peritoneal lining or sac is to protect the internal organs from organs from the outside. The peritoneal lining also secretes lubricating fluid into the area that ir protects so that the organs mentioned earlier can slide around when expending and contracting for the digestion process.

As with other sorts of Mesothelioma cancers, the lack of early symptoms makes detection extremely hard and if diagnosed is also very hard to treat due to it either being very advanced or because it has spread to other associated parts of the body. Also due to its lack of symptoms, a large majority of patients are first diagnosed with a large volume of disease diffusely spread throughout the abdomen and pelvis.

Mesothelioma Peritoneal is sometimes diagnosed by coincidence, before any symptoms have appeared. For example, the tumor is sometimes seen on a routine abdominal x-ray for a check-up or before surgery. When the symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma appear, they typically include loss of appetite, abdominal pains, weight loss, weakness, nausea, and abdominal swelling. Fluid often accumulates in the peritoneal space, a condition known as ascites. Over time the wasting symptoms can become more and more severe with an increase in pain suffered by the patient.

The first course of action if the Mesothelioma Peritoneal is suspected is to consult the local doctor and explain the previous asbestos exposure circumstances so that the right tests are conducted. Generally the first steps in diagnosing the cancer is to perform X-ray scans and also CT scans which can determine the existence and the locations of the cancers. The next step is to actually have a look at the Peritoneal which involves surgery. If the cancer does indeed look plausible a biopsy is done to confirm its malignancy.

Currently, medical science doesn’t have a conclusive answer as to how asbestos fibers can enter the peritoneum. Some theories suggest that the asbestos may actually be caught in the mucus and subsequently swallowed making its way through the intestinal track, through the intestine walls and lodging into the peritoneal lining.

Unfortunately at the time of writing there isn’t any cure for Peritoneal Mesothelioma. The prognosis depends largely on many factors including the stage of the cancer, location and if it has spread to other parts of the body. Many people have survived this cancer but most of them have their cancers detected early on in the cycle and treated very aggressively.