Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer which is fairly rare although in the last few decades the number of people who have died from it have dramatically increased. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos without sufficient protection. When a person is exposed to asbestos, he or she inhales tiny asbestos fibres which are suspended in the air. These fibres pass into the respiratory system and end up becoming lodged in the lungs. An accumulation of asbestos fibres in the lining of the lungs like this can cause nearby cells to deform and eventually leads to what is known as pleural mesothelioma. Accumulation of asbestos fibres in the peritoneum (lining of the abdomen) can lead to peritoneal mesothelioma and build up of fibres around the tissue of the heart can cause pericardial mesothelioma. Asbestos fibres reach these places over time or because they have been transported there by the lymphatic system.

Mesothelioma has a very large latency period (time between getting the cancer and feeling the symptoms of it). This period is usually between 30 – 50 years and so a person who bears mesothelioma is unlikely to know that they have got it. This is why mesothelioma is so hard to diagnose in its early stages because it shows no symptoms and the few symptoms that it does show such as wheezing and shortness of breath are typical of far more common diseases such as pneumonia. The likelihood of being cured depends largely on how early and how aggressively the cancer is treated. If it is treated when it has fully developed and matured then it is extremely difficult to cure.

In this way, those at risk are those who have worked amongst asbestos. Construction workers, asbestos manufacturers or those who have lived within a mile of an asbestos factory are the people who have the largest contact with asbestos. Those who are in contact with these people are also at risk because asbestos fibres can stick to clothes and hair. The majority of people who are discovering that they have mesothelioma are elderly men of about 60 – 70. This was the generation which worked with asbestos a lot without sufficient protection. Many of these men are now lodging multi million dollar lawsuits against the companies who exposed them to the dangers of asbestos.

For more information on pericardial mesothelioma such as the risks, causes, symptoms and treatments go to:

http://www.pericardialmesothelioma.co.uk
http://www.pericardial-mesothelioma.co.uk
http://www.asbestos-resource.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Johnston

Pericardial mesothelioma is a rare form of mesothelioma that accounts for roughly 5% of all mesothelioma cases. Pericardial mesothelioma is a cancer that grows on the lining of the heart. The lining of the heart is extremely important because it plays an important role in protecting the heart from damage and so pericardial mesothelioma is an extremely serious condition. Pericardial mesothelioma becomes a terminal illness if not treated aggressively in its early stages.

Like all other forms of mesothelioma, pericardial mesothelioma is caused by inhalation of asbestos dust and fibres. Once inhaled, asbestos fibres become lodged in the lungs. From the lungs, the fibres can either pass into the lymphatic system and then be transported to the lining of the lungs or they can gradually move across to the lining of the heart over a long period of time. Over a long period of time, asbestos fibres can accumulate on the lining of the heart and this is when pericardial mesothelioma becomes a likelihood. Due to the fact that asbestos is still present in many public buildings, the possibility of pericardial mesothelioma is a reality for everyone, although for most, very unlikely.

Those with the highest chance of having mesothelioma are those who have been in constant contact with mesothelioma for a length of time as short as a few months. These are people like construction workers and asbestos manufacturers. Those who are in contact with people who are constantly exposed to asbestos are also at risk due to the fact that asbestos fibres can stick to clothes and hair and so can be carried around.

Presently, cases of mesothelioma are increasing including pericardial mesothelioma. Elderly men who are approaching 60 - 70 years of age are just starting to suffer from pericardial mesothelioma due to its long latency period (amount of time the symptoms take to show) of 30 - 50 years. They are suffering because this was the generation who worked with asbestos and amongst asbestos when asbestos was an extremely popular building material in the 1950s – 1970s. These men are now lodging multi-million dollar lawsuits against the companies who exposed them to the dangers of asbestos.

Pericardial mesothelioma has a number of symptoms but these only start to take effect in the cancer’s latest stages when it is almost fully matured and developed. These symptoms include persistent coughing, shortness of breath, chest pains and palpitations. Other symptoms typical of all types of mesothelioma include loss of appetite, nausea and weight loss. What often makes pericardial mesothelioma so difficult to treat is that its symptoms are typical of many other more common diseases such as pneumonia. To be treated effectively, pericardial mesothelioma needs to be treated aggressively in its early stages and so many patients’ treatments are given too late because of a delay in diagnosis.

Treatments for pericardial mesothelioma are very limited and as yet, success rates for curing pericardial mesothelioma are very low. The chances of a patient’s survival depend largely on how early the cancer is treated and how aggressively. Treatment methods include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, dual therapy and surgery. Chemotherapy uses drugs to try to kill off cancerous cells. Radiation therapy uses radiation to try to kill off cancerous cells although this is extremely difficult in the case of pericardial mesothelioma because too much radiation can badly damage the heart.

Dual therapy is a combination of both chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Surgery comes in two different types, aggressive surgery and palliative procedures. Aggressive surgery is only used on the strongest of patients such as young and healthy men and consists of removing a large portion of the cancer and attempts to gain control over the cancer. Palliative procedures are a more passive way of dealing with pericardial mesothelioma and just attempts to relieve the patient of the symptoms.

Research is being done into pericardial mesothelioma in research stations all over the USA and many pharmaceutical companies are also attempting to find new drugs for chemotherapy. So far, much research has been unsuccessful.

For more information on pericardial mesothelioma such as the risks, causes, symptoms and treatments go to:

http://www.pericardialmesothelioma.co.uk
http://www.pericardial-mesothelioma.co.uk
http://www.asbestos-resource.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Johnston

Pericardial Mesothelioma is an extremely difficult cancer to treat and presently, all treatment methods used have a poor success rate. The chances of a patient’s survival depend largely on how early and how aggressively the cancer is treated. If pericardial mesothelioma is treated when it has fully matured and developed then the chances of survival are very slim and the prognosis for a patient could be only a couple of months.

The latency period of pericardial mesothelioma (30 – 50 years), and its symptoms which are ordinary of other more common diseases such as pneumonia, make it extremely difficult to diagnose and therefore difficult to treat in its early stages. In this way, a lot of pericardial mesothelioma treatments do not aim to cure patients but instead focus on reducing the symptoms.

Before a patient is treated, a doctor will evaluate him or her, and afterwards decide which treatment method is most suitable for the patient’s situation. The patient’s age, medical history, general well being and even weight are taken into account before the doctor will decide which of the three treatments are most appropriate. These treatments are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Surgery

There are two different types of surgery that can be used one of which is called aggressive surgery. This is the most dangerous of all the treatment methods available and only the fittest of people are deemed strong enough to undergo this. Aggressive surgery consists of removing large chunks of cancerous cells from inside the patient. This is extremely dangerous in the case of pericardial mesothelioma seeing as the cancerous cells are in extremely close proximity to vital organs such as the heart and lungs. Extremely skilled surgeons are needed to perform this operation.

The second type of surgery is palliative procedures and this type of surgery is used only for the purpose of reducing the symptoms of the cancer. Palliative procedures are performed when pericardial mesothelioma is in its latest stages and is practically impossible to cure.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the most well known cure of cancers and involves using drugs to kill of cancerous cells. However, many of the drugs used do not have a high success rate although researchers are discovering new combinations of drugs that work more effectively. Many pharmaceutical companies are also endeavouring to find new drugs. Researchers predict that they will soon discover a drug with a significantly improved success rate.

Radiation Therapy

This form of treatment uses doses of radiation to kill cancerous cells. However, in the case of pericardial mesothelioma this is extremely difficult because as well as damaging cancerous cells, the radiation also damages vital organs such as the heart and lungs. This makes using radiation therapy most effectively extremely difficult. The dose of radiation is usually too weak to make a significant impact on curing pericardial mesothelioma.

Dual Therapy

Dual therapy is just a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This consists of using surgery to remove the majority of the cancer cells and then using chemotherapy and radiation therapy to kill off any remaining cells. This has proved to be an effective treatment method however also very dangerous. Only the fittest young people are able to undergo this treatment.

For more information on pericardial mesothelioma such as the risks, causes, symptoms and treatments go to:

http://www.pericardialmesothelioma.co.uk
http://www.pericardial-mesothelioma.co.uk
http://www.asbestos-resource.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Johnston

Mesothelioma is a rare, deadly form of cancer which can occur in a number of types. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos, a group of natural fibres which are extremely dangerous if inhaled as fibres. When fibres are inhaled they become lodged in the alveoli of the lungs and over a period of time these fibres make tissue and cells abnormal and cause mesothelioma cancer. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma cancer, accounting for approximately 75% of all mesothelioma cases.

The next most common form, peritoneal mesothelioma, accounts for 20% of all mesothelioma cases and pericardial mesothelioma accounts for the remaining 5%. Pleural mesothelioma affects the lining of the lungs, peritoneal mesothelioma attacks the peritoneum, which is the lining of the abdomen and pericardial mesothelioma affects the tissue surrounding the heart. All three of these types of cancer occur in extremely important areas of the human body and this is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to treat. Treatment methods such as radiation therapy can only be conducted with strict radiation dosage restrictions due to the possibility of damaging a vital organ such as the lungs or the heart.

Aggressive mesothelioma surgery is undertaken only by the strongest of mesothelioma patients because weaker patients are at risk of death within the first month after the operation. An experienced doctor will evaluate a patient before deciding that surgery is the best treatment method. He will take into account age, medical record, disabilities, allergies, sex, even weight. The operation will then take place. Mesothelioma surgery consists of cutting open a patient and removing the majority of cancerous cells from either the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart in an attempt to gain long term control over the cancer. Due to the proximity of the cancer to major organs of the body, the operation can only be performed by extremely skilled surgeons. There is a chance that a patient will die during the operation.

A second type of mesothelioma surgery is called palliative procedures. This is a far less dangerous and aggressive form of surgery which does not attempt to gain long term control over the cancer. Palliative procedures are designed to lessen the symptoms for a patient when it is almost certain that the patient will die inevitably from the cancer.

Mesothelioma surgery can also be coupled with radiation therapy and chemotherapy in what is known as dual therapy. Patients would undergo surgery to get rid of the majority of the cancerous mesothelioma cells and then chemotherapy and radiation therapy would be used to kill off any remaining cells. This combination of treatments has proved to be effective and has one of the highest success rates for treatments of mesothelioma cancer.

For more information on pericardial mesothelioma such as the risks, causes, symptoms and treatments go to:

http://www.pericardialmesothelioma.co.uk
http://www.pericardial-mesothelioma.co.uk
http://www.asbestos-resource.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Johnston

What is pericardial mesothelioma?

Pericardial mesothelioma is a serious heart condition which consists of cancerous cells building up on the lining of the heart. Similarly to pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, this is a terminal illness due to the importance of the area on which it grows.

What causes pericardial mesothelioma and who are most at risk?

The primary cause of pericardial mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos dust and fibres. Therefore those at risk are those who are most likely to have inhaled these deadly fibres such as construction workers and asbestos manufacturers. Those in contact with these people also have a chance of getting pericardial mesothelioma because these people may have asbestos fibres stuck to their clothes or hair.

What are the symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma?

The symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma change from patient to patient. Usual symptoms include persistent coughing, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain and palpitations. Other symptoms patients may experience are nausea, weight loss, vomiting and loss of appetite.

What are the treatments available for pericardial mesothelioma?

There are various different treatments for pericardial mesothelioma although none of these have a high success rate. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, dual therapy and surgery are the treatment methods available. Chemotherapy includes using drugs to kill off cancerous cells and radiation therapy uses doses of radiation to kill cancer cells although this is difficult in the case of pericardial mesothelioma due to the surrounding vital organs such as the heart and lungs. Dual therapy is a treatment combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy. Surgery comes in two forms; aggressive surgery and palliative procedures. Aggressive surgery is a very difficult procedure and consists of removing large chunks of cancerous cells in an attempt to gain long term control over the cancer. Palliative procedures just attempts to lessen the symptoms for the patient.

How much exposure to asbestos is needed for there to be a possibility of getting pericardial mesothelioma?

This depends on how strong and resistant the person is to disease and on the concentration of asbestos in the environment around him. It is possible to get pericardial mesothelioma from as little as a couple of months of exposure to asbestos although on average it would take a couple of years for enough asbestos fibres to build up to cause cancer.

What is the prognosis for pericardial mesothelioma?

This is highly dependent on how early and how aggressively the cancer is treated. If pericardial mesothelioma is treated when it has fully developed and matured then the chances of a patient’s survival is very small. The prognosis could be only a couple of months.

Is there any promising research into cures for pericardial mesothelioma?

Research into cures of pericardial mesothelioma and all other forms of mesothelioma is being done in numerous research labs all over the USA. Many pharmaceutical companies are also working hard to research new drugs for chemotherapy. So far, research has been mostly unsuccessful.

For more information on pericardial mesothelioma such as the risks, causes, symptoms and treatments go to:

http://www.pericardialmesothelioma.co.uk

http://www.pericardial-mesothelioma.co.uk

http://www.asbestos-resource.co.uk

The Proposed Legislation, Senate Bill S. 852, in Washington, D.C., is under-funded, unfair, unworkable and unconstitutional.

While legislation proposed in Washington, D.C., by Pennsylvania Senator, Arlen Specter, on its face seems to allay many issues regarding litigation over asbestos-related disease, the Asbestos Bill actually raises impossible hurdles for victims and bails out politically well-connected corporations.

Senator Specter acknowledges that he can’t pass a ‘perfect’ bill, but offers little solace to the mesothelioma victims who’ll die before they see any help from the fundamentally flawed asbestos bailout bill approved by the Judiciary Committee.

Every major asbestos victims’ organization opposes this bill, while being supported by the corporate defendants who knowingly poisoned their workers and the public with asbestos and would receive billions of dollars in liability relief.

A few of the fundamental problems with the fund include:

Proposed Asbestos Bailout Bill is Taking Away Veterans’ Rights

In addition to being unfair to victims of asbestos disease, the Asbestos Bill is similarly bad for veterans. Thousands of veterans across this country do not support this bill.

Veterans, like all Americans, have always had the right to go to court to hold accountable the companies that knowingly poisoned them. Historically, they have been able to receive court-approved compensation to cope with the devastating health and financial consequences of asbestos-related diseases. Now, asbestos companies, their insurers and some Senators want to take that right away with a bill that shortchanges asbestos victims and rewards companies that poisoned them.

The asbestos bill terminates the legal rights of all current and future asbestos victims and forces them into an untested national trust fund bureaucracy that would be under-funded by at least $40 billion. The bill would delay financial relief to veterans and other asbestos victims by up to nine years - time many dying asbestos victims just don’t have.

Under the proposed bill, many veterans with asbestos-related diseases will not qualify for any compensation at all. Very few veterans are likely to meet the five and ten year cumulative exposure requirements under the bill because they will not have been in the service long enough to qualify.

The bill bails out the very asbestos and insurance companies that knowingly exposed veterans to asbestos.

Action You Can Take

While the Asbestos Bill is unfair and serves to limit rights and remedies of victims in favor of multi-billion dollar corporations, you can take action to help defeat this bill. Please call your Senators and Congressional Representatives and let them know that you oppose this bill.

For more information visit http://www.mesothelioma.com or view the full article at http://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos_news_bill852.htm.

Treatment for malignant mesothelioma varies due to a number of factors: the location of the cancer, the stage or severity of the cancer , and a patient’s personal preference. Naturally, mesothelioma sufferers whose cancer is caught and treated earlier have a greater chance of prolonging their life. Traditional mesothelioma treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, or a combination of the three which are outlined below.

Surgery

Surgical treatment for mesothelioma is employed to either remove the cancer from the affected area of the body (i.e., the lung or abdominal cavity) or to alleviate pain. If the mesothelioma has spread, it may be impossible to remove all of the cancer with surgery; however surgical intervention may help lessen pain.

Types of Surgery

Pneumonectomy

Pneumonectomy refers to the surgical removal of a lung. There are two types of pneumonectomies:

Traditional Pneumonectomy – In which the diseased lung is removed.

Extrapleural Pneumonectomy – In which the diseased lung, as well as part of the pericardium, diaphragm or parietal pleura on the same side of the chest, are removed.

Palliative Procedures

These procedures do not cure mesothelioma, but rather function to alleviate or control symptoms:

Thoracentisis – In this procedure, a needle is inserted into the chest cavity, either to drain fluid for diagnosis, or to drain fluid to relieve pain.

Pleurectomy/Decortication – This surgery removes the pleura in order to reduce pain or prevent the recurrence of pleural effusion.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to kill cancer cells and/or to keep cancer cells from multiplying. The drugs may be administered intravenously or taken in pill form, and are often used in combination with surgery. Chemotherapy may also kill healthy cell in addition to the cancer cells, so side effects can be quite severe, including: nausea, vomiting, fatigue, hair loss, constipation, decreased appetite and mouth sores.

Radiation

Radiation treatment involves the use of high level radiation to target and kill cancer cells in a localized area. The therapy is delivered in several courses, each one breaking down the cancer cells so they may be excreted by the body. Like chemotherapy, radiation may kill or injure healthy cells and thereby cause unpleasant side effects such as: fatigue, hair loss, skin irritation, nausea and difficulty breathing.

Neal Parmar CEO of NPP Entrepreneur and the webmaster at http://www.lawyermesothelioma.net Lawyer Mesothelioma - Offering Expert Information, Malignant Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Cancer Research, Mesothelioma Lawyer, Mesothelioma Attorney, Mesothelioma Asbestos Diseases.

Asbestos-related diseases are increasing in the United States and in some other countries, because asbestos workers were exposed to this mineral, which is the main risk factor for developing the disease. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) helps you to find out if you are entitled to compensation if you worked exposed to asbestos.

This is important, because when you are sick you do not have time to think of your disease causes, since you never thought of being ill with pain and even with so much danger to your health.

For instance, in Ontario, Canada, exists a Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) that oversees your state’s workplace safety education and training system, provides disability benefits, monitors the quality of health care, and assists in early and safe return to work.

The most exposed workers to the risk of developing an asbestos-related disease are power plant workers, asbestos and talc miners, shipyard workers, auto break mechanics, demolition workers, pipe fitters, insulation workers, boilermakers and workers who make products which contain asbestos, such as firebricks, fire-retardant paint, and asbestos cement.

The most common asbestos-related diseases are asbestosis, mesothelioma, benign pleural diseases, pleural plaques and lung cancer.

It does not exist a cure for most of the above mentioned diseases, but there are treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, as for other types of cancer pathologies.

There are also different ways of prevention the high risk of inhaling asbestos fibers when you work with this material.

This article was written by Hector Milla, editor of "Disorder Skin .com", visit http://www.disorderskin.com for skin disorder information, or you could see their last article: pictures of skin disorders at:
http://www.disorderskin.com/1/picture-of-skin-disorder.html. Thanks for use this article in your website or ezine keeping a live link.

Symptoms of lung cancer, asbestosis or other asbestos - related diseases may include chronic cough and hoarseness, wheezing, chest pain, weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite, dysphonia, coughing up blood and shortness of breath.

If you think that you may have an asbestos - related disease because you worked exposed to asbestos many years and you show any of the symptoms above mentioned, you should visit a specialist doctor to be explored by him and decide whether you need more exams or not.

The doctor may send you for a chest x-ray or chest computed tomography (CT) scan, to determine the existence of lung scars, and pulmonary function test (PFT), to measure the power of your breathing.

Workers with asbestos benign diseases should visit their doctors regularly, because they have higher risks of getting ill of more serious cancer pathology. Therefore, these patients may be send to specialists like a lung expert or an occupational health doctor. (note: other specialists could be helpful too).

Overall, these workers can keep working, but if they do not feel sick, as research states that these patients will avoid more harm to their lungs if the amount of asbestos dust is kept low.

But if the doctor thinks that is better to have no more contact with asbestos or if you have another illness or disability, you may not be able to keep working.

Is so difficult to say you do not must to work on asbestos related jobs, because you need to work if you want to pay the bills, but in this case your decision could have many risks. On the other hand, there is many alternatives for asbestos compensations, so you need to find an specialist lawyer in this subject, this could be very useful if you decided not to be asbestos worker any more.

This article was written by staff of "Disorder Skin .com", visit http://www.disorderskin.com for skin disorder information, or you could see their last article: skin disorder deramaxx treatment at:
http://www.disorderskin.com/1/skin-disorder-deramaxx-treatment.html. Thanks for use this article in your website or ezine keeping a live link.

If you are an asbestos worker ask the Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) or your employer about the asbestos control program in your workplace or about the management program for asbestos in buildings.

Control programs are very important to be carried out in workplaces where there are hazardous minerals like asbestos that can affect workers with severe pathologies such as malignant mesothelioma cancer, malignant lung cancer, asbestos related disease or asbestosis, among others.

Other important thing is to visit the doctor regularly to stay informed about your health, (but this one must be specialist in the disease) whether you work or worked in contact with asbestos at your job. He can order you different exams in order to know the current state of your health.

The law states that you can choose to be part of a medical surveillance program if it is needed. Every two years, the employer shall offer and pay for the medical surveillance program in such case.

According to experts a program of medical surveillance includes chest x-rays, lung functions tests, regular physical exams and medical and work history tracking.

Through a medical surveillance program like this it will be possible to help you to find an asbestos-related disease or other related conditions early, and stop them on time and do not get worse.

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) may help you to find out if you are entitled to compensation if you worked exposed to asbestos, analyzing your medical report, after you talk will your employer and file a claim with the WSIB if you have an asbestos-related disease.

In conclusion, there many things that you have to do for prevent developing of asbestos related disease, but The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) could be very useful and a good start point. Specially in the case of compensations for by asbestos related workers.

This article was written by staff of "Disorder Skin .com", visit http://www.disorderskin.com for skin disorder information, or you could see their last article: skin disorder deramaxx treatment at:
http://www.disorderskin.com/1/skin-disorder-deramaxx-treatment.html. Thanks for use this article in your website or ezine keeping a live link.