Malignant mesothelioma is usually a fatal disease. Often by the time it is diagnosed, the cancer has spread extensively, even though the patient may not have had any earlier symptoms. Malignant mesothelioma affects about 2,000 people each year in the US. It is a fast-spreading cancer, but there are several treatment methods.

Research is being undertaken to alleviate the pain and other symptoms, to improve the quality of life for sufferers, and to find cures for this devastating disease. Life expectancy rates for sufferers normally range from approximately nine months to a year after diagnosis. This can be improved to two, or in rare cases five years with extensive and aggressive treatment, if the cancer is detected early.

Malignant mesothelioma is usually caused by exposure to asbestos, a carcinogenic material used in construction. A few cases are due to exposure to a mineral silicate called zeolite, or to thorotrast, which was used in the pre-1960s as a radiation contrast dye to enable blood vessels show up on X-rays.

The three main types of malignant mesothelioma are epithelial, sarcomatoid and mixed. The most common type is epithelial mesothelioma. Once malignant mesothelioma has been diagnosed, the next step is to determine what stage the disease has progressed to. This helps to fix how extensively the tumor has spread. There are four levels of the staging. Stage I responds best to treatment, as in this stage the tumor is limited to the pleural lining of the chest.

CT scans and MRIs are used to determine the extent of the spread of the tumorous cells, and what treatment is best suited to the case. The disease usually affects the mesothelium, a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. Most cases of mesothelioma affect the pleura that lines the chest cavity and the lungs. Mesothelioma can also affect the peritoneum, which covers the abdominal cavity. In rare cases, it can affect the pericardium, which covers the heart.

z-Mesothelioma.com Mesothelioma provides detailed information about malignant mesothelioma, asbestos and mesothelioma, mesothelioma, mesothelioma research and more. Mesothelioma is the sister site of i-Asbestos.com Asbestos Exposure.

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Tags: mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of lung cancer resulting from exposure to asbestos. Choosing a doctor with an established reputation in treating Mesothelioma can make all the difference in your treatment experience.

A mesothelioma diagnosis is a very serious matter and understanding your treatment options is very important. That is why consulting with your primary care physician is an essential first step in finding what mesothelioma treatments are available and which one is right for you. Your doctor will provide you with the latest mesothelioma treatments available in your area if possible. However, if there are no treatments for mesothelioma in your area then your doctor or oncologist may refer you to mesothelioma specialists in the surrounding states.

Treatment for mesothelioma depends on the location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient’s age and general health.

Treatments available for Mesothelioma include:

Surgery A procedure to remove or repair a part of the body or to find out whether disease is present. The objective is to remove the body tissue with the most cancerous cells possible. In some cases, it is impossible to remove all of the tissue infected with cancer if the cancer has spread to several organs. In such cases, surgery can only be used to relieve pain and suffering.

Pneumonectomy This is an aggressive type of surgery in which a lung is removed. There are two types of this procedure, which are Traditional Pneumonectomy and Extrapleural Pneumonectomy. Traditional pneumonectomy involves removing only the disease lung. Extrapleural Pneumonectomy, involves removal of the diseased lung, along with part of the pericardium, part of the diaphragm and the parietal pleura on the same side of the chest.

A Pneumonectomy removes half the breathing capacity of a cancer patient and because of this, surgeons usually opt for a less-invasive procedure if possible. However, a pneumonectomy is probably the best option when a tumor is located in the middle of the lung and involves a significant portion of the pulmonary artery or veins.

Gene Therapy Genes are the biological units of heredity. Genes determine obvious traits, such as hair and eye color, as well as more subtle characteristics, such as the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. Complex traits, such as physical strength, may be shaped by the interaction of a number of different genes along with environmental influences.

Immunotherapy Immunotherapy is treatment that uses certain parts of the immune system to fight disease, including cancer. This can include stimulating your own immune system to work harder, or using an outside source, such as man made immune system proteins.

Photodynamic Therapy Photodynamic therapy (also called PDT, photoradiation therapy, phototherapy, or photochemotherapy) is a treatment for some types of cancer. It is based on the discovery that certain chemicals known as photosensitizing agents can kill one-celled organisms when the organisms are exposed to a particular type of light. PDT destroys cancer cells through the use of a fixed-frequency laser light in combination with a photosensitizing agent.

These treatments are sometimes combined. Currently, there are many clinical trials being conducted through the United States. A clinical trial is a research study that involves people and is designed to find new treatments and better ways to use current treatments. These clinical trials are conducted by doctors in order to find out if a particular treatment is effective against the disease and safe for patients before it is recommended for general use. Participation in clinical trials is a very important option to consider for those who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Luis Montalvo

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Tags: cancer patient, chemotherapy, lung cancer, mesothelioma

One of the most confusing things about being diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer is choosing if and how to treat it. Unlike other cancers that have one or two standard treatment options, acceptable approaches for prostate cancer are more numerous. Each has different pros and cons and the decision about how to proceed needs to be customized to each man, depending on his age, his general health, and the severity of his early prostate cancer.

Treatment options

· Radical prostatectomy is the surgical procedure that removes the prostate gland. The operation is traditionally performed through a vertical incision made in the pelvis. The man needs to be admitted to the hospital and recover for several days. The most worrisome potential long term side effects are urinary incontinence and impotence. A new technology is available: robotic laparoscopic prostatectomy. This method entails making five small incisions instead of one larger one. The recovery is expected to be faster and easier than with the traditional procedure.

· Radiation therapy has a cure rate comparable to that of surgery. The two forms of radiation therapy are external beam and brachytherapy, pronounced bray-kee-ther-uh-pee.

o External Beam Radiation Therapy entails the use of a radiation treatment machine, most commonly, a linear accelerator. Using sophisticated treatment planning computers and devices built into the linear accelerator, the radiation beams deliver a very precise dose of radiation to the intended area while sparing the normal surrounding structures, such as the rectum and bladder. By using 3-D conformal radiation therapy, the radiation beams conform to, or match the shape of the tumor. Intensity modulated radiation therapy, also known as IMRT, is a refinement of 3-D conformal radiation therapy. It uses multiple, tiny beamlets, instead of a single radiation beam. IMRT beamlets can be understood by visualizing it as multiple, tiny mosaic tiles of different hues of blue; the tumor receives the dark blue beamlets, whereas the tissue near the rectum and bladder receives the beamlets of the palest shade of blue.

This way, the intensity of each tiny beamlet is modulated. IMRT has enabled radiation oncologists to deliver much higher doses of radiation therapy to the prostate with fewer complications to the rectum, resulting in higher cure rates. Temporary and early side effects include the need to urinate frequently, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and fatigue, which is usually not severe. Side effects that can develop months to years later include urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, albeit a significantly lower incidence than with surgery. With the advent of IMRT, the risk of rectal injury that can cause rectal bleeding is uncommon.

o Prostate Seed Implants introduce multiple radioactive pellets smaller than grains of rice into the prostate gland. The prostate gland then receives a substantial dose of radiation, but the surrounding tissues receive virtually none. This option is very attractive to men who are concerned about maintaining potency. Also, for men who do not have a significant risk of the cancer penetrating through the capsule that envelopes the prostate, a prostate seed implant can serve as the only form of therapy. However, men whose tumors fall into a higher risk category cannot be treated solely with a prostate seed implant, and need to supplement it with external beam radiation therapy, albeit a briefer course of treatment than in men who receive only external beam radiation therapy.

The disadvantages of brachytherapy include the fact that the radioactive seeds take several weeks to decay to the level of background radiation; during this time, men need to refrain from getting close to pregnant women and small children. Also, there is a low risk of rectal irritation in the short and long run. Infrequently, the need to urinate frequently can persist. Incontinence and impotence are relatively rare. The risk of a channel forming between the urinary tract and the rectum, also known as a rectal fistula, can cause urine to leak through the rectum. This complication is rare, fortunately, and can be repaired surgically.

· Cryosurgery involves freezing the prostate tissue with liquid nitrogen. Via the guidance of an ultrasound probe inserted in the rectum, needles are guided into the prostate, by piercing the skin between the scrotum and the anus. Short term side effects include blood in the urine for several days, soreness of the surgical area, swelling of the penis and scrotum, urinary burning, and frequency of urine and bowel movements. Late complications include nerve damage that can result in impotence and rarely, the formation of a fistula. Also, the long-term success rate is not well known.

· Hormone Therapy is also known as androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Prostate cancer thrives on testosterone. By depleting testosterone, prostate cancer cells die. ADT has never been demonstrated to be a curative modality, but it is useful in holding the disease at bay for some time. Its other role is in shrinking the prostate prior to surgery or radiation therapy. Side effects are those of “male menopause”, such as hot flashes, weight gain, decreased mental acuity and depression. Other potential adverse effects include osteoporosis, anemia, breast enlargement, fatigue, diminished good cholesterol and loss of muscle mass.

· Watchful waiting is a reasonable choice for men who have a short life expectancy, as well as for those men who have very slowly growing prostate cancer and will most likely not die from prostate cancer but rather, from some other more life threatening problem. The down side of watchful waiting is the psychological implication that the man’s mortality is looming ahead of him. Although no active treatment is given, men are still followed with digital rectal exams, PSA levels and possibly, transrectal ultrasounds of the prostate. However, with low risk prostate cancer in an elderly man, this might be a fine option.

Apparently the spectrum of treatment options is vast, and ranges from doing nothing to undergoing radical surgery. To make the best decision for himself, a man should know his treatment options based on his individual situation and lifestyle. Then, he will be empowered by knowledge as he embarks on his journey into the world of medical opinions. Finally, he should choose an experienced specialist to ultimately treat and follow him.

For more information about radiation therapy, check out ASTRO.org ASTRO.org, the official website of ASTRO, The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

Copyright 2006 by Carol L. Kornmehl. All rights reserved.

Dr. Kornmehl is Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at Passaic Beth Israel Medical Center, Passaic, NJ, and author of the critically acclaimed consumer health book, “The Best News About Radiation Therapy” (M. Evans, 2004). Her website is RTSupportDoc.com RTSupportDoc.com

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Tags: prostate cancer

Most of us are familiar with the use of Botox as a cosmetic treatment, but is it seriously being suggested that it might help in the treatment of an enlarged prostate? Well, the answer would seem to be ‘yes’.

Botox, which is the trade name for a preparation of botulinum toxin type A, has been used for some time now as a temporary solution to facial lines. Principally a treatment for women, it has also become increasingly popular with men for removing the frown lines on the brow.

Recently however a team of researchers from the United States and Taiwan have been studying the use of Botox as a solution for the problem of an enlarged prostate gland and have had some surprising results.

The researchers studied a small test group of forty-one men with enlarged prostates. The men were between the ages of forty-nine and seventy-nine and all received Botox injected directly into the prostate gland.

Although not all of the test group responded to the treatment, three quarters reported a significant improvement in symptoms and, in some cases, this improvement lasted for up to a year after treatment. In addition, eighty percent of the group reported that they were able to completely empty their bladder within anywhere from a week to a month following receipt of the injection.

Botox, which would appear at this early stage and in this small test sample to have no significant side effects, works by relaxing the prostate gland and relieving pressure on the urethra.

Although in most cases an enlarged prostate is not a serious problem, it frequently becomes increasingly inconvenient and difficult to live with as it causes frequent urination which can uncomfortable, or even painful. Treatment is of course available but many men are reluctant to undergo common forms of treatment as these carry a number of side effects including the possibility of impotence.

Although it is early days and further testing will be required, if Botox can indeed relieve the symptoms of an enlarged prostate then this might just become a popular choice for many sufferers.

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