What Is Peritoneal Mesothelioma?

By Heidi Wingrain

Peritoneal Mesothelioma affects the lining of abdominal cavity and accounts to about one-fifth of all reported cases of mesothelioma cancer. It is more common in men than women and mostly caused by exposure to asbestos. The symptoms start showing only after twenty to thirty years after such exposure and can assume life-threatening proportions if not treated immediately. Effective diagnosis of the disease can be made by a tissue biopsy, but other methods like CT scan may yield confusing results.

Clinical symptoms of the cancer normally are pain in abdomen, formation of lumps in abdomen, collection of fluid in the abdomen, fever, fatigue, inexplicable weight loss, malfunctioning of digestive systems and anemia. Some patients may feel uncomfortable many months before the actual symptoms materialize. In many cases, Peritoneal Mesothelioma is detected while the patient is on a check up for problems like hernia, pelvic mass, gall bladder etc.

It is possible to identify the various stages of this cancer in the lymph nodes, tumor and metastases system (TNM), used to determine general cancers. Localized abrasions are visible in the first level and they can be removed easily. Strong therapies are used in the second stage to cure the disease which affects the abdominal cavity on peritoneal and organ surfaces. The infection stays within the abdominal cavity in the third stage, but spreads inside important organs like liver and colon. In the fourth stage, it spreads to the adjacent areas from the abdominal cavity.

In many peritoneal mesothelioma cases, strong medication and other treatment procedures are found to be effective. Innumerable side effects are associated with chemotherapy and other medications. Sufficient intake of nutrients and other vital minerals will help the body to manage the side effects to some extent.

The success of treatment also depends on the age and physical conditions of the patients. The common multimodality treatment followed by the physicians is debulking surgery combined with intra-peritoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy (IPHC), intraperitoneal chemotherapy and radiation. This procedure helps to destroy the entire tumor which is visible. The process of treatment can be lengthy and difficult for the patients to undergo. Diagnosis of the disease at the right time along with starting the treatment process at the earnest will help to cure the disease. - 31397

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