What causes Pericardial Mesothelioma?
Pericardial Mesothelioma is caused from prolonged exposure to asbestos particles. These asbestos particles are either inhaled or ingested into the internal organs of the body where they remain and distort the natural chemical processes of the cells.
Though it has not been verified exactly how the asbestos particles get to infect the pericardium, one theory that has been put forward that the asbestos particles are broken inside the lungs into tinier pieces and absorbed into the blood stream during oxygenation. They are then carried back to the heart in the blood where they become lodged in the lining of the heart. Once lodged in the pericardium, it sets off a series of chemical reactions that result in inflammation and subsequent development of cancerous cells.
Symptoms of Pericardial Mesothelioma
The main side effect of any form of mesothelioma is the development and growth of cancerous tumors. Pericardial Mesothelioma is also accompanied by the accumulation of fluid around the heart. This restricts the movement of the heart and results in excessive heart palpitations. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, severe chest pains, fatigue and persistent coughing.
As with all other forms of Mesothelioma, the diagnosis of Pericardial Mesothelioma is often missed by doctors until the disease manifest itself during its mature stage. The development of Pericardial Mesothelioma is often confused with heart attacks or other forms of heart diseases due to the victim complaining about chest pains. In addition, symptoms will vary from one victim to another depending on their age and physical health.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Pericardial Mesothelioma
Pericardial Mesothelioma makes no exception to the difficulty of diagnosing this form of cancer. The first line of diagnosis adopted by most doctors is to conduct a background check to see if the patient was exposed to asbestos. If this proves positive, then they will proceed with
X-rays that will give the doctor an idea of the development of cancer cells in the pericardium. These are sometimes inconclusive and require the use of more sophisticated testing such as CT scans and MRIs. If these tests indicate the development of cancerous cells in the pericardium, then they will order a biopsy to extract some of the cells for testing.
Once Pericardial Mesothelioma has been detected, based on its advancement, the doctor has a number of treatment options to take. Surgery is suggested to only to remove a piece of the infected pericardium in order to remove the accumulated fluid from around the heart. Some successful forms of treatments include medication to reduce the pain combined with chemotherapy and radiation.
|
