Peritoneal /Abdominal Mesothelioma Information-Basic Facts You Need to Know

Peritoneal Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the peritoneum, which is the protective lining of the abdomen. Hence, this disease is also known abdominal mesothelioma.

The peritoneum has two layers, the visceral and the parietal peritoneum. The visceral peritoneum is the inner layer that envelops the abdominal organs and forms the periphery of the intestinal tract. On the other hand, parietal peritoneum is the outer layer that covers the abdominal cavity. The purpose of these layers is to protect the internal organs and to secrete a lubricating fluid that eases the movement of internal organs in the abdominal cavity.

Causes of Peritoneal Mesothelioma

It is widely believed that asbestos is the main cause for peritoneal mesothelioma. According to medical opinion, there are two ways asbestos dust could reach the intestine lining, one through involuntary ingestion during working long hours and days amid asbestos, and secondly, through the lungs while breathing and via the lymph nodes to the peritoneal cavity. Either way, it is harmful to the human body, and may invariably lead to this cancerous condition if exposed to for a longer period of time.

Symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Peritoneal mesothelioma, like the other forms of mesothelioma, shows a very long latency period and its symptoms show up 20 -30 years after asbestos exposure.

Most often by this time it will be too late to effectively treat the disease or provide any constructive medication or treatment. Also because most of the symptoms are not specific to the cancer, a diagnosis of the cancer is usually not made quickly.

For example, the common mesothelioma symptoms include anemia, fever, weight loss, abdominal pain, and bowel obstruction, and it is highly likely that the doctor initially may consider other options than contemplating cancer.

Therefore, the patient telling the doctor about any previous asbestos exposure during the first consultation visit is very crucial, and that helps the doctor to think of a possible mesothelioma threat even before considering other possibilities.

Treatments

Once the disease has been diagnosed, the doctor recommends the treatments based on several factors such as the extent of the spread of the cancer, age and medical history of the person and the general state of health of the person.

The traditional treatments for mesothelioma include surgery ,radiation therapy- external and internal radiation, and chemotherapy, which involves the use of anti cancer drugs that are given either orally or intravenously.

With the advancement in science and technology, newer treatment techniques have been introduced, and some of them look promising.

Intraoperative photodynamic therapy is one such newer method that uses special drugs and light to destroy cancer cells.

Immunotherapy which is a way of boosting the immunity of ones own body against the spread of cancer is another new form of therapy.

Also, recently, researches have found that Gene Therapy is effective in correcting the faulty genes causing mesothelioma. These two methods are however still in the clinical trials and are yet to be implemented in the general population.

Even though a wide range of treatments are available for mesothelioma, clinical experiences reveals that none of this alone is capable of treating the disease effectively. Therefore, it is a selected combination of some of these treatments called the "multimodality approach" that is commonly followed and the different modes of treatments to be used are decided by the doctor based on the general state of health of the patient , the level of advancement of cancer and his/her age.