An Overview of Pleural Mesothelioma
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An Overview of Pleural Mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma, found in 70 percent of the 2,000 to 3,000 cases of mesothelioma that are diagnosed every year in the United States.
The details regarding mesothelioma symptoms and staging is provided for educational and reference purposes only.
Pleural Mesothelioma attorney targets the delicate membranes that protect the thoracic cavity, causing the proliferation of aggressive tumors on the lining of the lungs, the esophagus, the diaphragm and the pericardial sac that contains the heart. Medical scientists have conclusively linked pleural mesothelioma to asbestos exposure, but the interval between that exposure and diagnosis of the disease is typically very long: As many as 20 to 50 years may elapse before an asbestos-exposed individual is diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma.
Typically, patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma were exposed to asbestos through working at a jobsite where one of hundreds of commercial asbestos-containing products was used. In the late 1970s, federal agencies began regulating the occupational use of asbestos and the manufacture of these products was discontinued.
Pleural Mesothelioma Staging
Like other cancers, pleural mesothelioma is typically staged at diagnosis as a convenient way to enable patients to review viable treatment options. The stage of the disease represents the extent to which mesothelioma has spread throughout the patient's body prior to diagnosis:
Stage 1 Pleural Mesothelioma: In Stage 1 pleural mesothelioma, the cancer is localized at one primary site and has not metastasized to other parts of the body. Patients may be asymptomatic as this stage: Upon examination, pleura may appear normal or only slightly inflamed. Treatment options include potentially curative, multimodal therapies such as surgery in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The median survival rate for patients diagnosed with Stage 1 pleural mesothelioma is three years.
Stage 2 Pleural Mesothelioma: Stage 2 pleural mesothelioma is characterized by cancerous cell proliferation away from the primary tumor site. Mesothelioma cells may have begun to spread to the adjacent lymph nodes and chest wall, the diaphragm and even the pericardium. Symptoms are still vague: Patients may experience unusual shortness of breath, particularly upon exertion, as well as mild chest pain. The median life expectancy for Stage 2 pleural mesothelioma patients is 16 months. More information can be found on this site.
Curative treatments are still an option although they are more limited than they might have been had mesothelioma been detected at Stage 1. A surgical procedure called an extrapleural pneumonectomy which involves the removal of the affected lung, chest wall, diaphragm and pericardial tissues, may be a viable treatment; alternatively, pleurectomy/decortication involving the removal of all or part of the affected lung may be effective. Surgical procedures will be performed in conjunction with chemotherapeutic and radiation therapies.
Stage 3 & 4 Pleural Mesothelioma: Stage 3 and Stage 4 pleural mesothelioma represent the end stages of this disease. In Stage 3 pleural mesothelioma, multiple tumors begin to invade the chest walls and the disease has metastasized to distant loci throughout the body; in Stage 4 mesothelioma, tumors have completely invaded the chest walls, the pericardium and the diaphragm, and metastasis is widespread.
The symptoms of Stage 3 and Stage 4 mesothelioma are similar: Patients experience extreme shortness of breath; dry, hacking coughs that frequently bring up blood; and severe chest pain. Treatments at these stages of Asbestos lawyer focus on the relief of symptoms rather than the cure of the disease. Stage 3 and Stage 4 pleural mesothelioma patients typically have life expectancies of a few months to a year.
Goldberg & Osborne, a personal injury law firm, has provided this article for informational purposes only, written by an independent author, and has not reviewed or edited this article and is not responsible for its content or accuracy.
Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma, found in 70 percent of the 2,000 to 3,000 cases of mesothelioma that are diagnosed every year in the United States.
The details regarding mesothelioma symptoms and staging is provided for educational and reference purposes only.
Pleural Mesothelioma attorney targets the delicate membranes that protect the thoracic cavity, causing the proliferation of aggressive tumors on the lining of the lungs, the esophagus, the diaphragm and the pericardial sac that contains the heart. Medical scientists have conclusively linked pleural mesothelioma to asbestos exposure, but the interval between that exposure and diagnosis of the disease is typically very long: As many as 20 to 50 years may elapse before an asbestos-exposed individual is diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma.
Typically, patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma were exposed to asbestos through working at a jobsite where one of hundreds of commercial asbestos-containing products was used. In the late 1970s, federal agencies began regulating the occupational use of asbestos and the manufacture of these products was discontinued.
Pleural Mesothelioma Staging
Like other cancers, pleural mesothelioma is typically staged at diagnosis as a convenient way to enable patients to review viable treatment options. The stage of the disease represents the extent to which mesothelioma has spread throughout the patient's body prior to diagnosis:
Stage 1 Pleural Mesothelioma: In Stage 1 pleural mesothelioma, the cancer is localized at one primary site and has not metastasized to other parts of the body. Patients may be asymptomatic as this stage: Upon examination, pleura may appear normal or only slightly inflamed. Treatment options include potentially curative, multimodal therapies such as surgery in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The median survival rate for patients diagnosed with Stage 1 pleural mesothelioma is three years.
Stage 2 Pleural Mesothelioma: Stage 2 pleural mesothelioma is characterized by cancerous cell proliferation away from the primary tumor site. Mesothelioma cells may have begun to spread to the adjacent lymph nodes and chest wall, the diaphragm and even the pericardium. Symptoms are still vague: Patients may experience unusual shortness of breath, particularly upon exertion, as well as mild chest pain. The median life expectancy for Stage 2 pleural mesothelioma patients is 16 months. More information can be found on this site.
Curative treatments are still an option although they are more limited than they might have been had mesothelioma been detected at Stage 1. A surgical procedure called an extrapleural pneumonectomy which involves the removal of the affected lung, chest wall, diaphragm and pericardial tissues, may be a viable treatment; alternatively, pleurectomy/decortication involving the removal of all or part of the affected lung may be effective. Surgical procedures will be performed in conjunction with chemotherapeutic and radiation therapies.
Stage 3 & 4 Pleural Mesothelioma: Stage 3 and Stage 4 pleural mesothelioma represent the end stages of this disease. In Stage 3 pleural mesothelioma, multiple tumors begin to invade the chest walls and the disease has metastasized to distant loci throughout the body; in Stage 4 mesothelioma, tumors have completely invaded the chest walls, the pericardium and the diaphragm, and metastasis is widespread.
The symptoms of Stage 3 and Stage 4 mesothelioma are similar: Patients experience extreme shortness of breath; dry, hacking coughs that frequently bring up blood; and severe chest pain. Treatments at these stages of Asbestos lawyer focus on the relief of symptoms rather than the cure of the disease. Stage 3 and Stage 4 pleural mesothelioma patients typically have life expectancies of a few months to a year.
Goldberg & Osborne, a personal injury law firm, has provided this article for informational purposes only, written by an independent author, and has not reviewed or edited this article and is not responsible for its content or accuracy.
