Asbestos Related Mesothelioma Cancer :: Blood Test

Asbestos Cancer Mesothelioma is a malignant disease to take a lot of lifes each year, many people concentrate their effort in to know o find out a cure for this disease, and in other economic aspect of the asbestos, such as money compensation.

However, last researches to point out that a blood test could help screen for pleural mesothelioma by checking the blood for high levels of a protein called osteopontin, because blood esteopontin levels rise dramatically in the early stages of pleural mesothelioma, this kind of cancer is a deadly asbestos related illness.

The pleural mesothelioma is a rare disease of the lining of the lung and chest cavity that is usually cancerous, the cause is asbestos exposure and it could take 15 to 35 years to develop the disease, from the time of asbestos exposure.

The above exposure can be direct with the substance or second-hand with a family member whose clothing or skin carried the asbestos into the home. Obviously in the last case the development of the disease could take more than 35 years.

To say, the pleural mesothelioma was so difficult to detect its in early, high mortality rate and a life expectancy of few months, but with the new blood test there are higher percentage of probabilities to detect this kind of cancer, moreover its can detect or determine other kinds of asbestos related cancer. But in the letter case the findings need further study, other kind of cancer to could be early detected for osteopontin blood test is for instance "Ovarian Cancer".

So, the earlier to pleural mesothelioma cancer is detected, the better and if you want to know how to do it, a blood test could be very useful in this case, and don?t forget it, "Osteopontin".

Author: Hector Milla

:: Peritoneal Mesothelioma ? The cancer of abdominal lining ::

One of the fatal types of mesothelioma is Peritoneal Mesothelioma in which the cancerous cells attack the lining of the abdomen called Peritoneum. Peritoneum is the thin membrane, which shields various organs of the abdomen and also provides a lubricating fluid to enable the organs to move and work properly. Peritoneal Mesothelioma, which affects this lining, is yet now a relatively rare disease that accounts for about 1/5 of all mesotheliomas. Its only known cause in the U.S. till date is previous exposure to asbestos.

Major symptoms
Though Mesothelioma is neither age nor sex specific, peritoneal Mesothelioma is mostly seen in men who are in the age group of 50-70 years. There are a number of symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma most of which start appearing after 20, 30 or 50 years after the exposure to asbestos. These symptoms may include weight loss (however, waist line may increase), pain or swelling in the abdomen, weakness, loss of appetite, bowel obstruction, anemia, nausea and fever. Also, fluid often accumulates in the peritoneal space leading to a condition called Ascites.

Diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma
The initial step towards detection of peritoneal mesothelioma includes X-rays and CT scans. For confirmed diagnosis, however the doctor needs to do biopsy whereby a piece of tissue is cut from the affected part of the victim's body and is placed under microscope for examination. If the disease is detected at an early stage it stands better chance of getting cured than the state of diffuse peritoneal mesothelioma, where the cancer has already spread to various parts.


The cure
It's true that peritoneal mesothelioma is fatal and leads to several deaths every year. However, with continued researches, several modes of treatments have been embarked upon and in the future there is a fair chance of the disease becoming absolutely curable. The types of treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

In surgery a part of the abdominal tissue is cut out to remove the tumor. At times the doctor may also need to remove a lung or a portion of the diaphragm as per the requirement of the surgery. Radiation therapy, the second method, requires the application of high energy X-rays to shrink the tumor and kill the malignant cells. The rays may be applied from an external machine or by placing the radiation source directly to the affected part of the body, by means of plastic tubes. Last treatment type is the chemotherapy whereby a combination of drugs is applied to kill the cancer cells. The drugs may be administered by mouth in the capsule form or may be applied intravenously via needle.

However, it is essential to mention that cost of treating any form of cancer is extravagant and you may consult a mesothelioma lawyer to earn you a handsome compensation from the authority who was responsible for your prior exposure to asbestos.

So learn more about peritoneal mesothelioma so that you can initiate the treatment at the very early stage and get cured.

Author: Fred Lindell