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Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma. It affects the pleura or the linings of a person’s lungs. It is caused by inhaling asbestos particles. Once inhaled, these particles stick to the pleural surface area and create chronic inflammation. Eventually cancer cells and tumors develop.
As the disease advances with time, the lungs fill with tumors to the extent that tumors will cover all surface area. This cancer is aggressive and will quickly move on to organs that are close by. Once it invades the blood and/or lymph glands it spreads uncontrollably. On average, a patient with this type of cancer survives for 242 days from diagnosis. The problem is that the cancer can’t be diagnosed early because the symptoms don’t show up early on in the condition.
The first symptom that a patient would notice is chest pain due to the tumors and fluid in the lungs from inflammation. Over half of the patients have pain in the lower back or at the side of the chest. At this point, chances are the cancer has already moved onto its next organ. The other symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are:
There have been odd cases where pleural mesothelioma was discovered accidentally during a check for something else, possibly through x-rays or CT scan. When something shows up, a biopsy should be scheduled to confirm the nature of the abnormality. The patient’s life expectancy could be extended with early detection. It depends on the region where the tumor is located, its size, and the type of cancer cell involved as well as the general response of these cancer cells to treatment.
It’s important to note that there is no cure for pleural mesothelioma. Some treatments can combat the disease to extend life expectancy and quality of life. These could include: chemotherapy, surgery, drug therapies, radiation therapy and intra-operative photodynamic therapy.