Mesothelioma life expectancy

Mesothelioma is a tumor of the pleura. Those tumors can be benign and malign. Benign is most commonly localized, while malign has several locations. Men get affected more, and the age group that is affected the most is that of 50 to 60 years of age. Mesothelioma of pleura is usually caused by the exposure to asbestos with a long period of exposure (for about 30 years). Benign mesothelioma can originate from external and internal pleura wall. Symptoms are not present for long, and at start, there are coughing and pain that comes later and this is a result induced by the growth of hormone and pressure made on the surrounding organs. Diagnosis is set with biopsy, while treatment is usually done with the help of surgery.

Malign form

Malign mesothelioma happens rarely, but its main difference when it comes to benign type is increased and invasive growth. Malign form infiltrates pleura and creates some sort of shielding layer around it. Pleural space gets closed in time, which leads to compression of alveoli in lungs and that can end tragically. In terminal phase of this illness, systemic metastasis occurs. Main phase of this illness is characterized by the symptoms of pleural drainage, dyspnea and pain. Later on, symptoms like sharp pain are present, which occurs when tumor breaches pleura and spreads to other tissues and organs. There are also coughing, weakness, feeling of tightness in chest, increased temperature etc.

Diagnose methods and treatment

Diagnosis is done with the help of biopsy and CT examination. Only when mesothelioma is discovered early, the prognosis is well. As with all other cancer forms, it is very important to discover it in time, in its early stage. This is why medical prevention is very important and for mesothelioma regular medical examinations are needed. This is because, as mentioned before, mesothelioma can be caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos.

When the tumor is large, operation is needed, and after that, radiation therapy is applied. Chemotherapy with cytostatics does not have much effect. Evolution of malign mesothelioma is bad, and unfortunately, mesothelioma life expectancy is about two years.

This is why prevention is the best method for dealing with this and other types of cancer. The most important thing is to undergo regular medical examination and to learn how to perform self-examination properly. Unfortunately, many people are not aware of the importance of these medical examinations and more than rarely, these and similar conditions end tragically.