WHY WOMEN FALL VICTIMS OF MESOTHELIOMA

    Malignant mesothelioma is a form of asbestos cancer that that affects more men than women. This is not because women are less genetically pre-dispose to the disease, but historically, it is due to the fact that men were more prone to asbestos at place of work, which put them in contact with dangerous asbestos that might cause harm to the body. Thus, mesothelioma diseases are also diagnosed in women.

     Several research and studies has stated that women who likely develop mesothelioma are more likely to have peritoneal mesothelioma, the abdominal form of the disease.

                                   HOW WOMEN DEVELOP MESOTHELIOMA

During the era of the world war two, many women were part of the work force which led to direct exposure to asbestos in factories, shipyards and other areas where they contributed to the war efforts. Many of these women who develop mesothelioma were said to be victims of second-hand mesothelioma, maybe because there was no direct exposure to asbestos, but were subject to exposure by an indirect means. Scientist also stated that most of these women developed mesothelioma often from their husbands or fathers whom works in areas where asbestos are been used, it could be by inhaling it on his work clothes, or washing the clothes of men exposed to asbestos.

In treating of mesothelioma in women, there are three methods which are highly recommended, they are: radiation, chemotherapy and sugery. For more on treating of mesothelioma it can be found on our blog.

3 ways to treat mesothelioma experimentally

Mesothelioma is a serious disease and it diagnose should be taken very serious. In this report I will be explaining on how to experimentally treat mesothelioma in three different ways.

      Immunotherapy: makes use of the body natural defenses to fight cancer. It involves a patient stimulating his or her own immune system to work harder, or making use of man-made immune system protein. One of the vital facts about immunotherapy is that it is usually used in conjunction with other type of therapy.

      Photodynamic Therapy: This is an experimental treatment which combines a drug activated by light with a light cell to destroy cancerous cells. The theory is that the photosensitizing agent (a drug activated by light) collects more readily in cancer cells than in normal cells. When these agents are been exposed to light, chemicals are been created through the reaction with oxygen to kill cancer cells.

       Gene Therapy: This is also an experimental treatment method in which a patient’s genetic material of living cells is being altered to fight or prevent disease. In this treatment method, a modified gene is being injected into the patient’s chest cavity. The gene therapy treatment is used mainly to supply cells with healthy copies of missing or altered genes.

RISK FACTORS FOR MALIGNANT MESOTHELIOMA

                                    

          Different cancers have different risk factors, some risk factors, such as smoking, can be changed. Others like a person’s age can’t be changed. Researchers have found some risk factors that increases a person’s risk of mesothelioma.

*Asbestos: The main risk for mesothelioma is contact with asbestos. In fact, most cases of mesothelioma have been linked to asbestos in workplace. Asbestos is a group of minerals that occurs natural as bundles of fibres in soil and rocks in many parts of the world. When asbestos fibers are breath in, some can travel to the end of the small airways and reach the lining of lungs. They can damage the cell lining the lungs and with time leading to pleural mesothelioma , if coughed up and swallowed these fibers can also reach the abdomen where they play a part in causing peritoneal mesothelioma. Asbestos resists fire and heat. In the past, it was used in the insulation of floors and door gaskets and more. Most asbestos use in the United States stopped after 1989, but it is still used in some products. Many workers have already been exposed to asbestos at work includes some miners, factory workers, ship builders and more. Family members of people exposed to asbestos at work have a greater risk of mesothelioma too, because asbestos fibers are carried on the clothes from work. The risk of getting mesothelioma depends on how much asbestos the person is exposed to and how long. Mesothelioma takes a longer time to develop, the time between the first exposures and finding the disease is often 20 years to 50 years. Other risk factors are; radiation, age, gender.

HOW TO IMPROVE MESOTHELIOMA SURVIVAL RATES

       The statistics of mesothelioma survival rates gives vital information to patients about their prognosis. There is an improvement in the survival rates of mesothelioma due to new treatments. When I mean survival rates, they are the statistics that helps explain a cancer patient prognosis. These statistics may determine how long a patient can expect to live. However, there might be some slight errors in survival rates, patients should never expect a total assurance in the statistics used in explaining their prognosis, this is due to the fact that there are several errors that affects the way survival rates are been explained.

                                        Factors that can affect survival rates

*Survival rates cannot account f or new treatment options.

*Survival rates don’t always reflect current data.

*Survival rates include cancer patient who did not receive treatment from mesothelioma specialist.

       While the survival rates of mesothelioma patients tends to be low, the overall survival rates area improving due to enhanced treatment option. Patients should note that survival rates are not a guarantee of an individual patient’s life expectancy. Many patients are lucky to have outlived their prognosis because survival rates did not catch up with them.

       There are several factors through which mesothelioma survival rates are conveyed, they include; location of tumor, cancer stage, histology or cell type, age, gender. Most of these factors have been explained in my previous posts.

       In conclusion, survival rates present the patients an approximation of how long othe people with similar diagnosis survived.

CHEMOTHERAPY AS A TREATMENT FOR MESOTHELIOMA

       Chemotherapy is a treatment which involves the use of anti-cancer drugs. Chemotherapy is given to a patient in two different ways, they are; the systemic therapy and the use of surgery. To explain much further, the systemic therapy is when the anti-cancer drugs is injected down the bloodstream and moves throughout the human body to destroy cancerous cells wherever they might be hiding.

        Chemo drugs can also be placed directly into the chest or abdomen depending on the affected parts. Whichever ways the chemo drugs is given it moves directly into the bloodstream looking for cancer cells to kill. For mesotheliomas that can be treated with surgery, the patient receives chemotherapy before surgery to risk the cancerous cells from spreading. This is also termed neoadjuvant therapy. Chemotherapy can also come after surgery to kill any cancer cells left behind during surgery. Some examples of chemo drugs includes; carboplatin, methotrexate, mitomycin, vinorelbine, ifosfamide the lists continues, to cut it short there are many of chemo drugs out there in pharmaceutical stores for purchase. They might be a dosage of 2drugs, depending on the conditions of the patient.

       Chemo drugs seen widely as a tool to tackle mesothelioma, but has its own side effects. Chemo drugs attacks cells in the body that are dividing quickly, but the bad part is that the bone marrows, the lining of the mouth and small intestine might or can also be affected. For me I think the side effects of chemotherapy depends on the dosage of drugs been given to a cancer patient and how long they are used for. Side effects may include; mouth sores, loss of appetite, vomiting, fatigue and even hair loss.  

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT MESOTHELIOMA

Mesothelioma is a disease in which cancer cells forms in the lining of the abdomen or chest, which is also known as malignant mesothelioma. It is occurs when malignant (cancer) cells are found in the pleura (the thin layer of tissues that lines the chest cavity and cover the lungs) or the peritoneum (the thin layer of tissues that lines the abdomen and covers most of the organs in the abdomen).

*Exposure to asbestos can affect the risk of malignant  mesothelioma

Anything that increases your chances of having a disease is known as a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean one would get cancer; not having risk factors doesn’t mean one wouldn’t get cancer. Talk to a specialized doctor if you know you are at risk. Many people with malignant mesothelioma have worked or lived in a place where they inhaled or swallowed asbestos, after been exposed to asbestos it takes a lot of time for these asbestos to form. Other risk factors are:

*Living with a person who works near asbestos       

*Being exposed to certain virus.

Possible signs of malignant  mesothelioma include shortness of breath and pains under the rib cage.

Sometimes the cancer causes fluid to collect around the lung or in the abdomen. These symptoms may be caused by the fluid or malignant mesothelioma. Other conditions may cause the same symptoms. Check with your doctor if you have any of the following problems:

*Trouble breathing.

*Pain under the rib cage.

*Pain or swelling in the abdomen.

*Lumps in the abdomen.

*Weight loss for no known reason.

            Tests that examine the inside of the chest and abdomen are used to detect (find) and diagnose malignant mesothelioma.

Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer. The following tests and procedures may be used:

*Physical exam and history: An exam of the body to check general signs of health, including checking for signs of disease, such as lumps or anything else that seems unusual. A history of the patient’s health habits, exposure to asbestos, past illnesses and treatments will also be taken.

*Chest x-ray: An x-ray of the organs and bones inside the chest. An x-ray is a type of energy beam that can go through the body and onto film, making a picture of areas inside the body.

*Theracoscopy: An incision (cut) is made between two ribs and a theracoscope (a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing) is inserted into the chest.

*Peritoneoscopy: An incision (cut) is made in the abdominal wall and a peritoneoscope (a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing) is inserted into the abdomen.

*Laparotomy: An incision (cut) is made in the wall of the abdomen to check the inside of the abdomen for signs of disease.

*Thoracomy: An incision (cut) is made between two ribs to check inside the chest for signs of disease.

*Bronchoscopy: A procedure to look inside the trachea and large airways in the lung for abnormal areas. A bronchoscope is inserted through the nose or mouth into the trachea and lungs. A bronchoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing. It may also have a tool to remove tissue samples, which are checked under a microscope for signs of cancer.

*cytologic exam: An exam of cells under a microscope (by pathologist) to check for anything abnormal. For mesothelioma, fluid is taken from around the lungs or from the abdomen. A pathologist a checks the cells in the fluid.

Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options.

The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options depend on the following:

*   The stage of the cancer.

*   The size of the tumor.

*    Whether the tumor can be removed completely by sugery.

*    The amount of fluid in the chest or abdomen.

*    The patient's age and general health, including lung and heart health.

*    The type of mesothelioma cancer cells and how they look under a microscope.

                                                      Mesothelioma Treatments

Because of mesothelioma’s great latency period, treating mesothelioma is difficult, but there is hope in recent research and clinical trials. Current medical treatment options include chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, and most patients choose to undergo a combination of these processes in order to increase their life expectancy. But survivors of mesothelioma have shown that treatment goes beyond hospitals, and that prognosis can be better for patients through healthy dieting, regular exercise and a variety of alternative therapies. Additionally, experimental treatments are available to individual patients depending on their stage progression.                                                                                                                                                                            

*Prognosis

The prognosis for malignant mesothelioma is rarely favorable, which is why early diagnosis is so incredibly important. Yet as mentioned above, there are great strides being taken in the medical and scientific communities to ensure that life expectancy and survival rates continue to climb for patients as researchers continue to find a cure.