CANCER (means mesothelioma )

Mesothelioma is a very rare type of cancer caused mainly due to exposure to asbestos. It may take about 20-40 years for the symptoms to start showing and hence this makes it difficult to diagnose since the symptoms are similar to those of other common diseases and not many people associate something that happened so long ago with the symptoms they feel at that moment.

Mesothelioma attacks the protective lining that covers the internal organs of the human body which is known as mesothelioma. Usually it attacks the protective lining around the lungs, heart and abdomen. During the disease the mesothelioma cells multiply rapidly and end up overgrowing and have a longer life span. Exposure to asbestos causes this abnormal development of mesothelioma cells. The people most prone to get this disease are those that have work in asbestos industries or lived near them

Mesothelioma is of three types: peritoneal mesothelioma attack the abdomen, pericardial mesothelioma attacks the heart and pleural mesothelioma affects the lungs. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of the disease affecting around 75% of all those who contract mesothelioma where as 20% of the cases are accounted for by peritoneal or pericardial and the remaining 5% is accounted for by rare types of mesothelioma. It must be noted, however, that these statistics only represent documented cases and there are thousands of cases that remain undiagnosed and hence undocumented.

Pleural Mesothelioma:

This accounts for almost 75% or three-fourths of all mesothelioma cases it causes fluid to accumulate between the mesothelioma lining and the chest.

Symptoms:

Shortness of breath, panting, fever, coughing up blood, loss of weight and breathing difficulties are some of the symptoms of this disease. Patients who have contracted pleural mesothelioma suffer from severe chest pains. The symptoms of this disease are akin to other common diseases, such as pneumonia and thus it is often confused to be that instead of mesothelioma. The diagnosis for this disease is difficult as well. As of now, there are no proven cures for it. Pleural mesothelioma can either be cancerous or non-cancerous. When it is non-cancerous it is called as a benign form where as when it is cancerous it is called a malignant form.

Since, mesothelioma patients don’t start showing symptoms of this disease till at least 20-50 years after exposure to asbestos not many people are able to link the symptoms to its actual cause.

Inhalation of asbestos fibers causes pleural mesothelioma. These fibers get lodged into the lungs and then travel through tissues and finally when they settle on to the mesothelioma lining, the abnormal behavior of mesothelioma cells starts showing. The disease causes tumors to be formed in mesothelioma and lungs and may also extend to other parts of the body.

Being difficult to identify they may cause a lot of harm before they are detected. In several cases of mesothelioma the diagnosis was made too late and most of the patients were already in the final stages of the cancer. Mesothelioma is a fatal disease and hence the medical fraternity music undertakes the proper tests and efforts required to detect this disease as soon as possible.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma:

Peritoneal mesothelioma only accounts for 10-20% of mesothelioma cases. Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the abdomen causing cells to behave abnormally. The disease is caused by dangerous asbestos fibers being inhaled and traveling through the digestive tract before eventually settling down in some area of the organ. This disease causes tumors to form in the abdomen and may end up spreading to other parts of the body. The main symptoms of this form of mesothelioma include chest pains, fever, constipation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, breathing difficulties and loss of weight, swollen stomach, constipation and loose motions. The disease can be diagnosed using the following: MRI, IT scans X-Rays, Thoractomy, Laparotomy, Laparoscopy and PET. The main causes of it include inhalation of asbestos fibers but some of the following factors may increase the chances of someone getting peritoneal mesothelioma

peritoneal mesothelioma

Peritoneal Mesothelioma


A thin membrane of mesothelial cells, known as the peritoneum envelops many of the organs in the abdomen. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a tumor that is on this membrane. Its only known cause is exposure to asbestos, and because it can lay dormant for many years it is not detected until the tumor has begun to grow. Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for about one-fifth of all mesothelioma cases.

Like any cancer, peritoneal mesothelioma can be either benign or malignant. Mesothelioma is sometimes diagnosed by chance, 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.

The symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma typically include abdominal pains, weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal swelling. Fluid often accumulates in the peritoneal space, a condition known as ascites. Over time the symptoms can become more and more severe.

The growing tumor can exert increasing pressure on the organs in the abdomen, leading to bowel obstruction and distention. If the tumor presses upward, it can limit breathing. The tumor may push against areas with many nerve fibers, and the bowel distends, the amount of pain can increase.

what is mesotheluim?

The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. It is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart and the expanding and contracting lungs) to glide easily against adjacent structures.

The mesothelium has different names, depending on its location in the body. The peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that covers most of the organs in the abdominal cavity. The pleura is the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity. The pericardium covers and protects the heart. The mesothelial tissue surrounding the male internal reproductive organs is called the tunica vaginalis testis. The tunica serosa uteri covers the internal reproductive organs in women.

mesothelioma diagnosis

It can be difficult to diagnose mesothelioma because many of the mesothelioma symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions, including lung cancer and other types of cancers. At the time of diagnosis, your doctor will first do a physical examination and complete a medical history, including asking about the possibility of prior exposure to asbestos.

Although there is no early detection test for mesothelioma, there are several tests that can be used to help in making the diagnosis of mesothelioma, including a chest x-ray, a CT scan, or an MRI scan. A chest x-ray yields an image of the lungs that will show many types of abnormal changes. A CT scan (computed tomography) is a type of x-ray, but it uses a computer rather than film to create detailed images.

An MRI scan (magnetic resonance imaging) uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer but does not utilize radiation to create a clear image. These tests help your doctor differentiate mesothelioma from other lung tumors as well as determine where the tumor is and its size.

Your doctor may need to remove a tissue sample from the tumor (a biopsy) or draw fluid (aspirate) from it to confirm it to confirm the diagnosis. This can be done in several ways.

The simplest way to obtain tissue samples involving making a small incision and placing a flexible tube in the area of the tumor. This is called a thoracoscopy if it is done in the chest area. A laparoscopy is the same procedure, but done in the abdominal cavity. A tube that is that is attached to a video camera is placed so that the doctor can look inside the body. A tissue sample may be taken at the same time. Sometimes, however, a more extensive surgical procedure may be advisable. A thoracotomy can be done to open the chest to take a tissue sample and, if feasible,

Kidney cancer

Kidney cancer is a type of cancer that effects your kidneys, which are located behind your stomach, in your lower back just below your ribs. There are two of them and they are each about the size of your fist. They are important organs and you can exist with only one kidney but if you lose them both, that is not the case. Your kidneys are part of the urinary system and serve an important part in the process of waste removal in your body.

They are also part of the process of red blood cell production and work to control blood pressure. Each kidney is a package of many small filtering units, called "nephrons". Kidney transplants are a fairly common operation now and it is possible for a person to donate one of their kidneys and live the rest of their lives, using the one remaining kidney. Just like any other organ in your body, your kidneys can develop cancer.

In its early stages, kidney cancer very rarely shows any symptoms, so unless it is detected by a doctor, by a urinalysis test, the chances of a person noticing anything unusual, or out of the ordinary, relating to the cancer, are very slim. Children and adults tend to develop two different types of kidney cancer. The type that adults are most likely to develop is called (renal adenocarcinoma) and the type of kidney cancer that children are most likely to develop is called (Wilm's tumor).

In its later stages, when it generally does start to show some physical symptoms, these symptoms will tend to be as follows. Noticeable blood in the urine. It is possible to have blood in your urine in such small quantity that it is not noticeable to the naked eye. Small amounts of blood can be detected by a doctor by testing the urine for blood. Another symptom of kidney cancer is a loss in weight.

Some people can tend to see weight loss as a blessing. Particularly weight loss that has occurred through no effort. Sudden unaccounted for weight loss however is a symptom of many types of cancer and diseases. So unless a person has made an effort to lose weight, it is wise to view unaccounted for weight loss, particularly large weight loss that occurs suddenly, with some measure of concern. Another symptom of kidney cancer is back pain that doesn't seem to go away.

Like so many other cancers, an early detection is a key to a full recovery. The longer a cancer, like kidney cancer, remains undetected the better the chance it has to spread to other parts of your body. When a cancer spreads to another part of your body it is said to "metastasize". If detected early though, the chances for a full recovery are very good. There are several forms of treatment for kidney cancer and what stage the cancer is in, can be a major determinating factor in what type of treatment is used to attack the cancer.

In the past, surgery for kidney cancer involved the removal of the entire kidney. Research has led to a change of procedure in recent years. It was determined that by removing only the tumor and leaving the kidney intact, when it was possible, the patient faced a lesser chance of kidney failure and an increased quality of life after the treatment.

Another type of treatment for kidney cancer is referred to as "arterial embolization". This is a procedure where the vessel that supplies blood to the cancerous kidney is blocked. Other treatments include radiation therapy and chemo therapy and immunotherapy, which uses your bodies own immune system to fight the cancer.

Breast Cancer - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) growth that begins in the tissues of the breast. Over the course of a lifetime, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is a cancer of the breast tissue, which can occur in both women and men. Breast cancer may be one of the oldest known forms of cancer tumors in humans.Worldwide, breast cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death (after lung cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, and colon cancer). Breast cancer kills more women in the United States than any cancer except lung cancer. Today, breast cancer, like other forms of cancer, is considered to be a result of damage to DNA. How this mechanism may occur comes from several known or hypothesized factors (such as exposure to ionizing radiation, or viral mutagenesis). Some factors lead to an increased rate of mutation (exposure to estrogens) and decreased repair (the BRCA1, BRCA2 and p53) genes. Alcohol generally appears to increase the risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer can also occur in men, although it rarely does. Experts predict 178,000 women and 2,000 men will develop breast cancer in the United States. There are several different types of breast cancer. First is Ductal carcinoma begins in the cells lining the ducts that bring milk to the nipple and accounts for more than 75% of breast cancers. Second is Lobular carcinoma begins in the milk-secreting glands of the breast but is otherwise fairly similar in its behavior to ductal carcinoma. Other varieties of breast cancer can arise from the skin, fat, connective tissues, and other cells present in the breast. Some women have what is known as HER2-positive breast cancer. HER2, short for human epidermal growth factor receptor-2, is a gene that helps control cell growth, division, and repair. When cells have too many copies of this gene, cell growth speeds up.

Causes of Breast Cancer

Simply being a woman is the main risk for breast cancer. While men can also get the disease, it is about 100 times more common in women than in men. The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older. Nearly 8 out of 10 breast cancers are found in women age 50 or older. About 5% to 10% of breast cancers are linked to changes (mutations) in certain genes. The most common gene changes are those of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Breast cancer risk is higher among women whose close blood relatives have this disease. The relatives can be from either the mother’s or father’s side of the family. Woman with cancer in one breast has a greater chance of getting a new cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast. This is different from the first cancer coming back Many experts now believe that the main reason for this is because they have faster growing tumors. Asian, Hispanic, and American Indian women have a lower risk of getting breast cancer. Certain types of abnormal biopsy results can be linked to a slightly higher risk of breast cancer.Women who have had radiation treatment to the chest area (as treatment for another cancer) earlier in life have a greatly increased risk of breast cancer

Some pregnant women were given the drug DES (diethylstilbestrol) because it was thought to lower their chances of losing the baby. Recent studies have shown that these women (and their daughters who were exposed to DES while in the uterus), have a slightly increased risk of getting breast cancer. Use of alcohol is clearly linked to a slightly increased risk of getting breast cancer. Women who have 1 drink a day have a very small increased risk. Those who have 2 to 5 drinks daily have about 1½ times the risk of women who drink no alcohol. The American Cancer Society suggests limiting the amount you drink.Being overweight is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, especially for women after change of life and if the weight gain took place during adulthood. Also, the risk seems to be higher if the extra fat is in the waist area. Breast-feeding and pregnancy: Some studies have shown that breast-feeding slightly lowers breast cancer risk, especially if the breast-feeding lasts 1½ to 2 years. This could be because breast-feeding lowers a woman’s total number of menstrual periods, as does pregnancy. Women who began having periods early (before 12 years of age) or who went through the change of life (menopause) after the age of 55 have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer.

Symptoms of Breast Cancer

1.Lumps.

2.Rash.

3.Breast Pain.

4.Cysts.

5.Nipple Discharge.

6.Inverted Nipple.

Treatment of Breast Cancer

1.Hormonal therapy (with tamoxifen).

2.Chemotherapy.

3.Radiotherapy.

4.Surgery.

Why the opposite breast should be evaluated with MRI?

Breast cancer is a worldwide problem with which causes 502,000 deaths per year worldwide. In the United States breast cancer is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in women. Every year more than 40,000 women in the United States die of breast cancer. It is estimated the a woman living in the United States have one in eight chance of developing breast cancer and one in thirty three chance of dying from the disease.


Incidence of breast cancer shows a dramatically increasing trend since 1970s and this increased incidence is thought to be related to the changes in life style. Compared to 1970s more women are now delaying their first pregnancy and have relatively smaller families. These factors have an effect on the level of hormonal exposure during life time and this is considered to be a major factor in the increasing breast cancer incidence in the western world.

With breast cancer being so much of a prevalent disease everything should be done to prevent the occurrence of the breast cancer and to detect the breast cancer early once it develops.

Mammogram is a technique that is very commonly used to screen women for early detection of breast cancer. Mammogram helps to detect breast cancer at a very early stage when it is more likely to be cured by surgery with or without chemotherapy and radiation therapy. MRI is a better technique to detect breast cancer early and it is proven to be more sensitive and effective in detecting breast cancer early. However this technique is not very widely available and is much more expensive compared to mammogram. Because of this reason MRI is not routinely recommended for the purpose of screening for breast cancer. However MRI is widely used in cases where the women in question are high risk for the development of breast cancer or when the mammogram result is inconclusive.

A recent study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine has shown that women who are diagnosed with breast cancer on one breast have high risk of having breast cancer on the other breast at the time of diagnosis. This study showed that more than 3% of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer had another cancer in the other breast. These were not detected by mammograms and if mammogram alone was used these 3% of women would not have found out that they have cancer in the other breast. Because of this finding it would be best if every woman with diagnosis of a breast cancer try to obtain an MRI of the opposite breast to evaluate for small breast cancer that may be present in the opposite breast. Mammogram is not enough in this setting.