What
is Pleural Mesothelioma? Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment Options
for Pleural Mesothelioma
(July 20th, 2008)
 About
2000 - 4000 Americans are diagnosed with Malignant Mesothelioma
each year, and about 66% of those cases are of Pleural Mesothelioma.
Pleural Mesothelioma occurs when Cancer hits the lining of the lungs,
also known as the 'Pleura.' The Pleura is a Sac which houses the
lungs, and consists of a thin membrane called the 'mesothelium.'
The mesothelium is a vital part of the lungs because it enables
them to expand and contract when breathing by secreting a fluid.
This fluid is located in the lungs and inside of the rib cage. If
the Pleura or the Pleural fluid becomes damaged with Cancer, it
makes it very hard for the patient to breathe, thus shortness of
breath is a common symptom of Pleural mesothelioma.
Types of Pleural Mesothelioma
i) Benign Pleural Mesothelioma
A Benign pleural mesothelioma is NON-Cancerous, meaning it has
not spread to other parts of the body. It the masses of tumor are
large, it may squeeze the lungs making it hard for the patient to
breathe & cause pain.
ii) Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma is cancerous and can spread to other
organs of the body. It commonly resides in the pleural sac lining
of the lungs and is caused by exposure to Asbestos. More on malignant
pleural mesothelioma follows below.
How Does Pleural Mesothelioma Develop?
 When
a person is exposed to Asbestos through job related duties or in
a particular environment setting, inhalation of asbestos fibers
that are loose in the air can occur. These fibers can then make
their way into the lung linings, outside of the lungs and inside
of the ribs. To your left is an image of how Pleural Mesothelioma
develops. Asbestos fibers are normally located between parietal
pleura (which lines the chest wall & diaphragm) and visceral
pleura (which lines the lungs). When asbestos fibers settle in the
pleura, they cause inflammation which can in turn lead to development
of malignant cancer. Some patients develop Asbestos first, then
develop malignant mesothelioma (more on this below).
Multiple tumor masses can then develop affecting both the visceral
and parietal pleuras. Since the parietal pleura is located nearest
to the right lung (which is larger than the left lung), it suffers
more damage than the visceral pleura located near the smaller left
lung. What's also interesting is that more asbestos fibers settle
in the lower lungs than the upper lungs. These tumor masses can
grow fairly quickly and cover entire lung cavities. When this happens,
the patient feels distorting pain & shortness of breath. Also,
if pleural mesothelioma develops into advanced stages, it can spread
to nearby organs such as the heart, lymph nodes and abdomen.
Symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma
 Symptoms
of Pleural mesothelioma can easily match symptoms of other common
diseases such as pneumonia, extreme cough, flu or cold, therefore
it is very difficult to diagnose pleural mesothelioma via the symptoms
alone. Because pleural mesothelioma takes between 30 - 50 years
to develop after initial asbestos exposure, it often takes months
for doctors to accurately diagnose it. Not many patients know about
asbestos exposure, neither does the doctor when you give your medical
history. Thus this makes it very difficult to diagnose pleural mesothelioma.
Here are the common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma:
- Blood Clots
- Soarness
- Difficulty speaking
- Pleural Effusions (Fluid around the lungs)
- Excessive coughing
- Chest pain
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Formation of lumps under the skin on the chest
- Night sweating
- Fatigue
Since growing tumor masses enlarge the pleural space and fill it
with fluids, this causes chest pain, which is easily mistaken for
heart disease. The aftermaths of these symptoms include loss of
appetite and excessive weight loss.
Treatment & Diagnosis of Pleural Mesothelioma
Advanced diagnosis techniques such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI), X-Rays or Computed Tomography (CT) scans as well as Biopsy
are used to accurately diagnose pleural mesothelioma. Biopsy samples
the tissues and fluids around the lungs and looks for asbestos particles
that may reside in the tissues. If asbestos particles are found,
a diagnosis can be confirmed. A needle biopsy is the most common
option, although it may be very uncomfortable.
Prevention of Pleural Mesothelioma
The only way to prevent Pleural mesothelioma is to avoid asbestos
exposure. Types of workers who could be exposed to Asbestos include
factory workers, ship builders, gas mask workers, construction workers,
miners and insulators. Families of such workers are also at risk
due to clothing brought home with asbestos fibers jammed on them.
This is known as secondary exposure, and is just as dangerous at
the primary exposure. It is estimated about 10% of household members
of workers who have laboured around Asbestos will develop Asbestosis
(diffusion of pulmonary fibrosis caused by the inhalation of asbestos
particles).
The best way to prevent exposure to Asbestos at work is to use
precautions & approved safety equipment. Workers should also
change their clothing and take a shower before they go home so as
to not bring home asbestos fibers. Old buildings & insulation
workplaces should be checked by Asbestos professionals who will
remove any dangerous asbestos particles from the premises.
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