Epithelial mesothelioma is a form of cancer that affects the lining of the chest and abdominal cavity. In some rare cases it may be found in the lining of the heart, the peritoneum or that of the lungs, the pleura.
What is Epithelioid Mesothelioma?
Epihelioid mesothelioma (or carcinoma) is one of the common forms of the disease, being present in almost 70 percent of the patients diagnosed with mesothelioma. Cancer cells are quite uniform in shape, resembling epithelial cells, and when viewed under a microscope, the cells can be easily recognized compared to healthy, normal cells.
Epithelial Mesothelioma
Epithelial mesothelioma symptoms are fairly general at first, ranging from shortness of breath to chronic fatigue. This is because mesothelioma cancer caused by asbestos exposure is usually associated with symptoms that are similar to a large number of other, more common diseases that are affecting the lungs in any way. Epithelial cells and tissue are malignant. This means that they have the ability to spread throughout the body if left untreated. The malignant epithelial mesothelioma stage at which the cancer was discovered greatly affects the prognosis.
Malignant Epithelial Mesothelioma Treatment
Depending on several factors, such as symptoms of epithelial mesothelioma or epithelial mesothelioma tumor size, several of the following treatment methods could be used:
- Surgery (the physical removal of most of the cancer cells and tissue present)
- Chemotherapy (basic method of treatment used for all cancer types, including epithelial mesothelioma)
- Radiation therapy (cancer tissue vulnerable to radioactive waves)
- Alternative treatment methods (most of these are used to create a better living environment for the patient, lessening side effects and offering symptomatic relieve)
Epithelioid mesothelioma survival rate is a number given to a patient after doctors closely study his or her case. The mesothelioma diagnosis set for that patient is important and needs to be accurate in order to provide the patient with a higher survival rate.
Other forms of mesothelioma, such as sarcomatoid, malignant or papillary, are similar in what accounts diagnosis procedures and treatment methods. Also, the pleura can be affected by epithelioid mesothelioma, in which case it is called “epithelioid pleural mesothelioma”. If the cancer originates in glandular tissue, it is called an adenocarcinoma. What all these forms of mesothelioma have in common is the fact that they are all caused by asbestos exposure.
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