Help is on the way: treating mesothelioma, the traditional way

Cancer has become a major issue in the world of medicine given its growing number of types and causes. One can never escape the hazards of the world. Cancer normally occurs when a person is exposed to harmful substances for an extended period of time. And one type of cancer that is fast gaining attention nowadays is mesothelioma. Traditional mesothelioma treatments are widely gaining popularity, too.

This is true when you have cancer known as mesothelioma. Having this disease means that you have a malignant tumor originating from mesenchyma. A large portion of the tumor grows into adipose tissue. Parts of the body commonly attacked by pleomorphic type mesothelioma include the leg, shoulders, gluteal region and the retroperitoneum.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that involves the mesothelium. The mesothelium is the tissue that is made up of mesothelial cells. These mesothelial cells are the ones damaged in cancer of the mesothelium or mesothelioma. The mesothelium is can be found as the covering of the internal organs such as the pleura, which is the covering of the lungs and the peritoneum, which is the covering of the internal organs of the abdominal cavity.

THERE IS HOPE

What do we do when we are diagnosed mesothelioma? Are there any traditional treatments that we can use to cure the disease.

It is not easy to diagnose or treat mesothelioma. There is no specific screening for mesothelioma. People who are high risk to develop mesothelioma should be checked periodically in order to spot mesothelioma at the earliest stage possible so prompt treatment could be done. There are some signs and symptoms the doctors watch out to get further tests to confirm mesothelioma. Pain, swelling tenderness to any area and a possible lump are the common complaints that are considered.

Blood test is then done to evaluate the person's general health. If doctor suspects that the person may have peritoneal mesothelioma, the person may have abdominal x-ray, abdominal CT scan or abdominal MRI scan to check and confirm for swelling and fluid accumulation in the abdomen.

Abdoparacentsis or fluid drainage from the abdomen may be done to relieve the swelling and pain around the abdomen and to see if there are malignant or cancerous cells in the fluid. Laparoscopy or biopsy of the abdominal lining or peritoneum may be done, wherein they get a tissue sample of the abdominal lining and check if the mesothelial cells are damaged by cancer.

SICK BUT HAPPY WORLD

No matter what sickness you have there is a specialist out there who can help you find the proper cure even if it is for mesonthelioma. After the diagnosis and determining the gravity of the mesothelioma, treatment is done and there are different doctors that facilitate the treatment of the mesothelioma.

If treating mesothelioma is done through via surgery, the services of a thoracic surgeon may be needed. The thoracic surgeon is trained and is specialized to do surgeries of the lung, heart, chest and esophagus. If a patient has been diagnosed with plemorphic type mesonthelioma and it has been decided that the best treatment is surgery, then this physician is the one qualified to do the job.

Here are the specialists you should approach for your problems. They can recommend traditional treatment for mesothelioma or push for new methods given the advances in science.

A physician who specializes in mesothelioma is called an oncologist. The Radiation Oncologist is a physician specialized to render radiation therapy if it has been determined that the best treatment for the mesothelioma is through radiation therapy. This physician has the extensive knowledge and skills and is highly trained to administer radiation therapy to treat the plemorphic type mesonthelioma.

The pathologist is a physician who specializes in analyzing cells. This doctor has the extensive skill and knowledge and is highly trained to monitor and evaluate the significant cell changes that may point to mesothelioma. They analyze the cells through the specimens that are brought to them such as the blood, fluid obtained from the abdomen or lung, or tissues from the mesothelium. They interpret the changes and they are the ones responsible to spot damaged mesothelial cells by cancer or the mesothelioma.

The Medical Oncologist is a physician specialized to render chemotherapy if it has been determined that the best treatment for the mesothelioma is through chemotherapy. This physician has the extensive knowledge and skills of the treatment modalities of cancer specifically chemotherapy.

Looking ahead, never lose hope on how science can help a person recover from a serious illness. All that is needed is a little faith in the human spirit to triumph from such adversity. There is a cure for mesothelioma, whether traditional mesothelioma treatments or modern ones, and it is just there waiting to be discovered.

Reference:

Nathalie Fiset