Every year, over 3000 individuals are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is a form of cancer that affects the mesothelium lining of the chest, heart and abdominal cavity. Malignant mesothelioma is caused from exposure to asbestos particles which are either inhaled or ingested and become lodged within the tissues of the lungs and gastric tract. Individuals most vulnerable to developing mesothelioma are those who have worked in asbestos related business during the fifties and sixties before stringent control laws were enacted on the use and distribution of asbestos products.
Symptoms of Malignant Mesothelioma
Individuals suffering with malignant mesothelioma in the abdominal lining will have symptoms of accumulation of fluid in the stomach, unexplainedweight loss and stomach pain. Those with malignant mesothelioma of the heart will experience chest pain, fatigue and persistent coughing.The symptoms felt by mesothelioma victims depend on the area that the disease has affected. 90% of malignant mesothelioma victims complain of chest pains and shortness of breath. This is due to a phenomenon known as pleural effusion, which is the collection of fluid in the pleura of the chest. In addition, the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells restricts the free movement of the lungs during breathing.
Factors affecting the Prognosis of malignant Mesothelioma
Once your doctor has made a diagnosis, they will proceed to give you a prognosis of the course the disease will take and the general expected outcome. Unfortunately,mesothelioma is normally not diagnosed until it is in its advanced stage. This makes it difficult to be reversed. In addition, doctors are usually misled during the development stage of malignant mesothelioma. This is because many of the symptoms associated with the disease are similar to many other respiratory, cardiac and abdominal diseases.
Other factors affecting the prognosis of malignant mesothelioma patients include:
- The type of mesothelioma
- Size of the tumor
- The location of the tumor
- Whether the tumor can be removed by surgery
- If the victim is a persistent smoker
Malignant mesothelioma is usually found in individuals over 55 years of age and is often complicated by other non-related medical problems. This makes the prognosis for sufferers of malignant mesothelioma very slim.
Malignant Mesothelioma Survival Rates
The general survival rate of patients of malignant mesothelioma is not very high. As a result, studies carried out on the issue usually base their findings based on a survival rate of five years, which is the standard for most malignant mesothelioma sufferers.
Based on statistics provided by the American Cancer Society, only 10% of malignant mesothelioma patients are expected to live past five years. Actually, the one-year survival rate is now at 40%. This is actually an improvement as during the 1990s, it was rare for malignant mesothelioma patients to survive more than one year.
Many success stories are now coming to the fore of how individuals have been able to cope with malignant mesothelioma and increase their life expectancy. These stories however are based in individual factors and not on any concerted medical effort. Some of the methods used to combat the disease include improved eating habits, exercise, stress management, surgery, chemotherapy, medication and counseling. The age of the individual and the development stage of the cancer, also affect the life expectancy on malignant mesothelioma patients.
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