Facts About Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Peritoneal mesothelioma is another term used to define the cancer of the lining that protects and covers several organs of the abdomen from the other parts of the stomach. The thin lining protects the organs from substances that are naturally within the body but do not have to be mixed with these internal organs.
An example of the substance that is not normally inside the stomach is blood. Blood is not included or a part of the digestive system. The particular type of cancer is caused by asbestos. The cancer cells generated by the harmful substance attacks the thin cover that wraps several organs in the abdomen. This type of cancer in the lining that protects and covers the organ is minimal compared to the other type of the same disease but attacks another organ.
Most of the cases regarding this particular cancer attacks the lungs and destroys the respiratory track since the fibers of asbestos are having a high probability of being inhaled than swallowed and proceeds to the stomach. This type of disease in the abdomen have lower mortality rate compared to the same kind of cancer that attacks the respiratory system.
The symptoms of this cancer are common that it can be misinterpreted as a simple discomfort until the disease is already on a severe stage. There are even symptoms of the disease that only manifest several years after the development of the harmful cells. Some of the indications are weight loss, abdominal pain swelling since fluid would be produced in some cases. These indicators are also signs of the existence of other diseases.
However, another set of symptoms can be obvious when the disease is already severe. There are different sets of these signs depending on the stage of the cancer. When the harmful cells are already affecting or have spread to the other parts of the body, an alarming manifestation is obviously visible. The patient's esophagus would be so painful most of the time. Even when drinking, the patient is having hard time to swallow the fluid. There is swelling of the neck or face of the patient.
There are two classifications of peritoneal mesothelioma, the wet and the dry. The wet type has the existence of fluid. When there is fluid involved, the cancer is malignant. Even if the medications are followed religiously, there is still the possibility of lethal cancer cells to be developed.
The other classification that is dry have localized characteristic which can be extracted surgically. Most of the patients of this kind of disease are the asbestos factory workers. These employees of the company are most likely to be exposed to the hazardous material since even the raw materials are in contact with them.
The particles of the material could penetrate through the masks and protective clothing they wear at work. The worst thing is that their families at home are also susceptible to the disease through the clothing the employees wear from work to their homes. The particles that stick to the things they bring from the worksite.