What is Pleural Mesothelioma?

Pleural Mesothelioma (also sometimes known as pleura mesothelioma or malignant pleural mesothelioma) is mesothelioma cancer of the lining of the lungs.

Pleural mesothelioma is actually a cancer of the cells that make up the protective lung lining (pleura) that encases the lungs.

Unlike lung cancer, Pleural Mesothelioma does not originate within the lungs.

There are two types of Pleural Mesothelioma:

• Diffuse and Malignant (cancerous) Pleural Mesothelioma,

  Malignant mesothelioma, is a serious lung disease. Approximately two thousand people are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma every year in the United States of America alone.

• Localized and Benign (non-cancerous) Pleural Mesothelioma.

  Deffuse/Benign Mesothelioma are usually non life-threatening, and can be successfully removed surgically. Deffuse Mesothelioma are not caused by exposure to asbestos fibers.

Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms:

Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms may include unexplained weight loss, general weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, chest pain, lower back pain, chronic coughing, difficulty in swallowing, and shallow breathing. Pleural effusion (fluid build-up in the pleural space) is also almost always noted.

Pleural Mesothelioma Diagnosis:

Diagnosing Pleural Mesothelioma is often a matter of chance. Most of the times, pleural mesothelioma is detected accidentally in chest radiographs (x-rays), or chest CT scans. Often bronchoscopy/thoracoscopy, and pathological testing of lung tissue (obtained through lung biopsy) are necessary to positively confirm the presense of malignant mesothelioma cancer tumors in pleural space.

Growth and Spread of Pleural Mesothelioma Cancer Tumor:

The spread of the cancer tumor occurs when the malignant cells invade the surrounding tissue.

As the tumor spreads over the pleura, it causes pleura to thicken. As the pleural thickness increases, pleura because increasingly stiff overtime and eventually loses it's flexibility. As the cancer grows, the pleural space gets further invaded, thereby allowing lesser and lesser expansion space around the lungs. As a result of the above, the patient's lung-capacity decreases over time, making it increasingly difficult for the mesothelioma patient to breath.

Pleural mesothelioma Treatment and Prognosis:

There is no known cure for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma cancer patients' prognosis depends on many factors, including the location, size, type, and stage of the tumor. Additionally, mesothelioma cancer patient's survival rate also greatly depends on whether or not the cancer tumor responds to treatment.

Additional information available on: Lung Cancer Causes, Lung Cancer Risk Factors, Lung Cancer Early Signs, Lung Cancer Symptoms, Lung Cancer Early Diagnosis, Staging of Lung Cancer Tumors, Lung Cancer Treatment, Lung Cancer Vaccine, Lung Cancer Prognosis, Small Cell Lung Cancer, - SCLC, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer - NSCLC, Mixed Small Cell/Large Cell Lung Cancer, Asbestos, Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer Caused by Asbestos Exposure, Pleural Mesothelioma, Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Pericardial Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Diagnosis, Mesothelioma Symptoms, Mesothelioma Treatment, Mesothelioma Drugs, Mesothelioma Surgery, Mesothelioma Chemotherapy Drugs, and Mesothelioma Radiation Therapy.

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