Pleural mesothelioma is a cancerous tumor involving the mesothelial cells that make up the pleura or lining around the outside of the lungs and inside of the ribs. It can also involve the heart and abdomen. Pleural mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos fibers, including chrysotile, amosite, or crocidolite that occurred twenty or more years before the disease becomes evident. These fibers are ingested into to the body through breathing or swallowing. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma, accounting for about 75% of all cases.

Types of Plural Mesothelioma

“Localized and benign” mesothelioma is non-life threatening and can be removed by surgery.

“Diffuse and malignant” mesothelioma is a cancer that generally results in death within one year of diagnosis.

Symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma

Chest wall pain, pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung, shortness of breath, weight loss, fatigue or anemia, wheezing, hoarseness, or cough and blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up. Patients may develop several tumor masses. Patients may experience pneumothorax, or collapse of the lung. The disease may metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.

Stages of Pleural Mesothelioma

There are four stages of this disease. Localized pleural mesothelioma cancer ranging from - Stage I; the cancer remains on the membrane surface where it originated to Stage IV; advanced. In this final stage, the cancer has (metastasized) spread beyond the original membrane surface to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, lungs, chest wall, or abdominal organs.

Screening and Diagnosis

Doctors first review the patient’s medical history including any exposure to asbestos. The doctor may perform a complete physical examination. Doctors are then likely to order x-rays of the chest or abdomen and lung function tests. These tests include various imaging tests such as CT (or CAT) scan or an MRI.

A biopsy is needed to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma cancer. Doctors perform a thoracoscopy on patients showing symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma. This procedure involves making a small cut through the chest wall then inserting a thin, lighted tube called a thoracoscope into the chest between two ribs. Doctors suction out any access fluid in the lungs through a procedure called thoracentesis. They can then obtain tissue samples for analysis. Other types of tube insertions include bronchoscopy or a mediastinoscopy

Treatment Options

Here are some of the most widely used treatments at this time.

Surgical removal of the entire lung and a part of the chest lining, the diaphragm and part of the sac surrounding the heart.

Radiotherapy is applied to the sites of chest drain insertion, in order to prevent growth of the tumor along the track in the chest wall. Though not particularly successful, radiation is preformed to relieve symptoms arising from tumor growth, such as obstruction of a major blood vessel.

Chemotherapy is used to stop the cancer cells from growing and dividing.

It is important to note that there are no successful treatments for pleural mesothelioma to date. Patients usually have a median survival time of 6 - 12 months after presentation of the symptoms.

About the Author:

Dave Casey is a medical writer for Mesothelioma-Adviser.com, a guide for mesothelioma-adviser.com/ mesothelioma cancer victims. Visit the site for mesothelioma-adviser.com/mesothelioma-cancer-help.html mesothelioma cancer help, articles on mesothelioma-adviser.com/asbestosis-symptoms.html asbestosis symptoms and legal advice.

Copyright 2007 Mesothelioma-Adviser.com

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Lung cancer is the most fatal form of cancer in the US, and other developed countries, today. And the fact is, that most of the cancer treatments that work well on other forms of cancer often don’t work well on lung cancer. Add to that the fact that lung cancer is often not diagnosed until it is far advanced, and it’s easy to understand why this disease is so often fatal.

So, preventing lung cancer is even more important than preventing many other types of cancer simply because the prognosis is often so poor. And, for most victims of this disease, it is entirely preventable – simply by not smoking. Eight out of ten people diagnosed with lung cancer each year are smokers.

Six out of ten people who are diagnosed with lung cancer will die within one year. Between seven and eight will die within two years. Treatments are improving, and today there are some long term lung cancer survivors. But, as we focus on better treatments, we cannot lose focus on prevention.

Of course the simplest way to prevent lung cancer is not to smoke. But, there are some other things you can do to help reduce your risk of lung cancer, whether or not you smoke.

The first is to eat a healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables. Some studies have shown that people who eat a diet lacking in fruits and vegetables have a higher risk of lung cancer than those whose diet offers a wide variety of such foods.

In addition to not smoking, it’s important to stay away from others who smoke. Secondhand smoke is just as dangerous as smoking yourself. The American Cancer Society reports that non-smoking spouses of smokers are 30% more likely to get lung cancer than spouses of non-smokers. In addition, exposure to asbestos, arsenic and radon increase your risk of lung cancer.

Add Green Tea to Your Diet

Another little known trick for helping protect your body from many types of disease, including many forms of cancer, is drinking green tea. Green tea has been shown in many studies to be effective at protecting health and preventing disease. This is because green tea is filled with anti-oxidants – some of the most powerful available.

Anti-oxidants are very effective at combating free radicals that are created in our bodies as we process food. The free radicals produced by our bodies damage our cells and our DNA, and eventually lead to disease if we don’t combat them. Anti-oxidants, however, combat these free radicals before they can cause damage. If we’re getting our fair share of anti-oxidants each day, we’re keeping these free radicals under control.

Above I mentioned that scientists believe that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables helps prevent lung cancer. This is also likely due to the fact that fresh fruits and vegetables are good anti-oxidant sources. Some vegetables and fruits are better than others, so for optimum benefit, be sure to include some of the most powerful in your diet on a regular basis.

The best food sources of anti-oxidants include:

• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Red Beans
• Blueberries
• Pomegranates
• Dark Chocolate
• Tomatoes

And, green tea. One of the most important anti-oxidants is EGCG, which is found in abundance in the Camilla sinensis (tea tree) plant. Green tea is the best form of this anti-oxidant because it’s not fermented during processing. Black tea is fermented, which changes some of its anti-oxidant compounds. Black tea is still healthy, but your best anti-oxidant source is green tea.

One study recently reported by the UK Tea Council shines light on green tea’s ability to prevent lung cancer. In particular, this study showed that green tea appears to have two major functions that prevent cancer.

Green tea appears to cause apoptosis of abnormal cells. Apoptosis is the orderly process of cell death. Cell death due to apoptosis is good, because it is a process of killing off damaged or unneeded cells. Green tea seems to help the body rid itself of potentially harmful cells by inducing the process of apoptosis.

Green tea also seems to help prevent lung cancer by inhibiting the growth of the abnormal lung cells. So, green tea keeps the cells from growing and spreading until the apoptosis can kills the cells off. These two powers help to rid the body of abnormal cells before they can replicate and cause a problem.

Of course, more research is needed to pinpoint exactly how green tea works, and how we can use it best to prevent lung cancer and many other diseases. However, in the mean time, there’s no reason not to make green tea part of your daily life.

Green tea is an absolutely safe beverage to consume. It has no side effects, and even those who are caffeine sensitive can usually tolerate green tea quite well, because its caffeine content is very low compared to coffee and sodas. So, do something good for yourself – drink some green tea!

Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly and handcrafted with extreme care. At their website, you can learn more about their current

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1)What is cancer?

Cancer is an abnormal growth of cells. Cancer cells rapidly reproduce despite restriction of space, nutrients shared by other cells, or signals sent from the body to stop reproduction. Cancer cells are often shaped differently from healthy cells, they do not function properly, and they can spread to many areas of the body. Tumors, abnormal growth of tissue, are clusters of cells that are capable of growing and dividing uncontrollably; their growth is not regulated.Oncology is the branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
2)What do the terms benign and malignant mean?

Tumors can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Benign tumors tend to grow slowly and do not spread. Malignant tumors can grow rapidly, invade and destroy nearby normal tissues, and spread throughout the body.

3)What do the terms “locally invasive” and “metastatic” mean?

Cancer is malignant because it can be “locally invasive” and “metastatic”:

locally invasive - the tumor can invade the tissues surrounding it by sending out “fingers” of cancerous cells into the normal tissue.
metastatic - the tumor can send cells into other tissues in the body, which may be distant from the original tumor.

4)What are primary tumors?

The original tumor is called the “primary tumor.” Its cells, which travel through the body, can begin the formation of new tumors in other organs. These new tumors are referred to as “secondary tumors.” The cancerous cells travel through the blood (circulatory system) or lymphatic system to form secondary tumors. The lymphatic system is a series of small vessels that collect waste from cells, carrying it into larger vessels, and finally into lymph nodes. Lymph fluid eventually drains into the bloodstream.
5)How is each cancer type named?

Cancer is named after the part of the body where it originated. When cancer spreads, it keeps this same name. For example, if kidney cancer spreads to the lungs, it is still kidney cancer, not lung cancer. (The lung cancer would be an example of a secondary tumor.) Staging is the process of determining whether cancer has spread and, if so, how far. There is more than one system used for staging cancer, and the definition of each stage will depend on the type of cancer.
6)What are the different types of cancer?

Cancer is not just one disease but rather a group of diseases, all of which cause cells in the body to change and grow out of control. Cancers are classified as
1)carcinoma
2)sarcoma
3)lymphoma
4)leukemia
5)myeloma
7)What causes cancer?

There is no one single cause for cancer. Scientists believe that it is the interaction of many factors together that produces cancer. The factors involved may be genetic, environmental, or constitutional characteristics of the individual.

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Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States.Skin cancer the abnormal growth of skin cells most often develops on skin exposed to the sun. The two most common types are basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer. Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin which can have many causes. Skin cancer generally develops in the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, so a tumor is usually clearly visible. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the single most important cause of skin cancer, especially when the overexposure resulted in sunburn and blistering. This makes most skin cancers etectable in the early stages. There are three common types of skin cancer, each of which is named after the type of skin cell from which it arises.

The two most common forms of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinomas have an excellent cure rate when detected early.

Together, these two are also referred to as nonmelanoma skin cancer. Melanoma is generally the most serious form of skin cancer because it tends to spread (metastasize) throughout the body quickly. Skin cancers are the fastest growing cancers in the United States and in the USA represent the most commonly diagnosed malignancy, surpassing lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer.While skin cancers can be found on any part of the body, about 80 percent appear on the face, head, or neck, where they can be disfiguring as well as dangerous.

Causes of Skin Cancer

1.Ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

2.Sunburn.

3.Heredity.

4.Environment (Cloud cover).

Symptoms of Skin Cancer

1.Change in a wart or mole.

2.Red, tender, flat spot that bleeds easily.

3.Small, fleshy bump with a smooth, pearly appearance.

4.Shiny bump that may look like a mole or cyst.

5.Skin growth that looks like a wart.

6.Patch of skin that feels scaly, bleeds, or develops a crust.

Treatment of Skin Cancer

Most skin cancers can be treated by removal of the lesion, making sure that the edges (margins) are free of tumor cells. The excisions provide the best cure for both early and high-risk disease. Radiation therapy and cryotherapy (freezing the cancer off) can provide adequate control of the disease; both, however, have lower overall cure rates than surgery. Moh’s Microsurgery is a technique where the cancer is removed with the least amount of surrounding tissue and the edges checked immediately to see if tumor is found. Chemotherapy, drugs are used to kill cancer cells. For cancers limited to the top layer of skin, creams or lotions containing anti-cancer agents may be applied directly to the skin. Other types of chemotherapy can be used to treat skin cancers that have spread to other parts of the body.

Juliet Cohen writes articles for skin-disorders-guide.com/ skin disorders. She also writes articles for beauty-makeup-guide.com/ beauty tips and makeup-care.info/ makeup tips.

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