Peritoneal mesothelioma Caused By Exposure to Asbestos
Free Chest X-Ray EvaluationPeritoneal mesothelioma forms in the thin membrane that surrounds the abdominal cavity, called peritoneum. It is caused by significant exposure to asbestos. The tiny asbestos fibers may be either inhaled or ingested. This is a rare cancer; there are 200- 500 cases of peritoneal mesothelioma reported per year in the United States.
In most cases, there are no early symptoms until cancer has spread. Symptoms may be abdominal pain or swelling, constipation, diarrhea.
At a later stage, the symptoms become more noticeable, and may include:
As the symptoms are similar to several other ailments, such as stomach/abdominal pain and hernia, misdiagnosing is frequent. Accurately diagnosing peritoneal mesothelioma is a long process and may include:
The treatment options depend on the stage of the cancer, type of cells and the general health of the patient. These may include surgery that involves the removal of the part of the peritoneum affected by mesothelioma, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of these treatments. Doctors believe that multimodal therapy is more effective for this aggressive cancer. A therapy that appears to have positive results is HIPEC (heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy), a multimodal treatment that combines surgery and heated chemotherapy drugs delivered into the abdomen right after surgery.