Peritoneal Mesothelioma: What is it?
Mesothelioma is a serosal membrane malignancy. It is most commonly found with the second most common position in the peritoneum in the visceral pleura. Diagnosis is very uncommon and has been correlated with industrial contaminants, particularly asbestos, toxic exposure.
Click here to read about the malignant form of mesothelioma.
Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is commonly found throughout the abdomen with widespread, broad distribution beyond the abdominal cavity and different metastatic spread. Because of the rarity and non-specific mesothelioma stomach symptoms, the burden of the disease is usually diagnosed late. Since pleural mesothelioma is more prevalent than MPM, the majority of research on MPM has been on the pleural form and extrapolated.
Peritoneal mesothelioma constitutes 20-25% of all instances of mesothelioma. After pleural mesothelioma, it is the most prominent condition. Patients of peritoneal life expectancies are higher than those with other mesothelioma forms. Several studies report post-cytoreductive surgery patients live up to 5 years.
Read further to know more about stomach mesothelioma symptoms, causes, treatments options etc.
Mesothelioma Stomach Symptoms and Causes
Peritoneal mesothelioma may be caused due to a sudden fluid buildup in the abdominal cavity. Few other mesothelioma stomach symptoms could be the thickening of the intestinal lining.
A peritoneal mesothelioma patient may not have signs at an early stage. If symptoms are apparent, other diseases may be mistaken.
In many cases, one of the common stomach mesothelioma symptoms is fluid pockets called ascites. Fluid pockets often trigger the area of the stomach to boom outward. Some common mesothelioma stomach symptoms include the following:
- Abdominal Pain
- Loss of Appetite
- Blood Clots
- Fatigue
- Fluid Buildup (Ascites)
- Nausea
- Abdominal swelling
- Fever or Sweating
- Tissue Lumps in the Abdomen
- Anemia
- Seizures
- Bowel Problems
Peritoneal mesothelioma is not moving to the lungs in most instances. Certain abdominal regions, such as ovaries, kidneys, or intestines, have been shown to spread. This metastasis also contributes to it being detected and misdiagnosed at times. Stomach pain or ascites can often help to hernia misdiagnosis or dull stomach ache.
Unlike pleural mesothelioma, in females between the ages of 51-59 years, peritoneal mesothelioma is most common. Men diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma are often veterans and asbestos-exposed professionals. Research suggests that there is a better survival rate for peritoneal mesothelioma patients aged 60 and younger.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma: Risk Factors
Some things might increase your chance of becoming vulnerable to mesothelioma stomach symptoms. Some environmental, genetic, or behavioral factors which can increase the risk of peritoneal mesothelioma include:
Contact with Asbestos
Working in an environment that makes you vulnerable to asbestos in the form of air or anything. Living with people who come in contact with asbestos is another thing that can raise your risk of getting peritoneal mesothelioma.
There might be several other factors that might make you develop stomach mesothelioma symptoms. So, do you think that you are someone who is around any such things mentioned in this part of the article?
If yes, please consult a doctor as soon as possible and ensure that you stay safe from peritoneal mesothelioma.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma: Diagnosis
Peritoneal mesothelioma typically does not spread to the lymph system (lymph nodes) or bloodstream. In the same places where it emerged, it usually metastasizes throughout large masses.
The ingestion of asbestos fibres contributes to peritoneal mesothelioma. Upon inhaling, crying, and then vomiting, this can happen. The body tries to absorb and expel it, but the fine fibers will remain in the abdominal (peritoneum) covering. The peritoneum becomes disturbed by the tissues and can inflict cell genetic damage.
Genetic damage can keep cells from obtaining significant signals about stopping replication. This contributes to uncontrolled cell division and malignant tumor development. This process may take decades to occur.
Because of non-specific signs and symptoms, diagnosing malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is complicated. It is often associated with irritable bowel syndrome and gastrointestinal distension (gas). Until the illness has advanced, most people do not experience stomach mesothelioma symptoms. CT scans are the most important diagnostic method for peritoneal mesothelioma diagnosis in the beginning.
A technique called peritoneoscopy may also be used by physicians. A physician makes a small incision on the belly of the victim during this operation and uses a small camera to view the abdomen. The system also has a tool that helps to remove tissue and check for mesothelioma on the peritoneum.
In looking for stomach mesothelioma symptoms, physicians do not use a typical treatment procedure.
In addition, the cancer is localized to the abdomen before the tumors tend to spread. As it advances to stage 2, the mesothelioma growing expands further, but stays in the peritoneum. The mesothelioma has progressed to other tissues in the final stage, stage 4, such as the liver and colon.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Prognosis
While peritoneal mesothelioma is not currently being treated, several patients have a favorable prognosis. The overall survival time for patients who did not have the cytoreductive operation is about one year. However, survival time rises by up to five years in patients who have had the procedure. Long-term patients have been in remission for more than fifteen years.
The most successful cases are those whose earlier stages of mesothelioma are detected and immediately start treatment. Most of these cases involve cytoreductive and HIPEC operation.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma: Treatment
Treatment options depend on the level with which a patient is diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. There are more treatment options for those in earlier stages, such as cytoreduction procedure. This is the only viable medical choice for those with a condition of the peritoneum. If paired with radiation, this procedure has high success rates.
Palliative procedures, such as radiation or chemotherapy, may be given to patients in the later stages. A paracentesis to remove the fluid buildup in the abdomen may be another palliative treatment option.
The application of cytoreduction procedure and HIPEC (heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy) was the most successful treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma. The cytoreduction removes most of the cancer tumor, and the remaining cells are killed with HIPEC.
Surgery
Cytoreduction is also known as “debulking.” Cytoreduction aims to eliminate as much of the tumor as practicable, although the whole tumor can often not be excluded. It may be necessary to remove the peritoneum (abdomen line) and/or some other organs.
Because cytoreduction surgery is such an intensive operation, a surgeon may need to perform it for up to 10 or 12 hours. It is usually performed in peritoneal mesothelioma in individuals of stage 1 or 2.
Chemotherapy
Doctors use the hot intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for patients with abdominal cancer. High doses of chemotherapy can prove helpful after a cytoreduction operation to destroy any residual mesothelioma cells. HIPEC is a procedure for heated and sterilized chemotherapy.
Dr. Paul Sugarbaker led the way for patients with peritoneal mesothelioma to innovate cytoreduction with HIPEC.
Chemotherapy’s side effects are less than those of standard chemotherapy. The drug flushes out at the conclusion of the 60-90 minutes.
Radiation
Radiation is usually not sufficient for many patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. It can shrink tumors before or after cytoreduction, but no cases of eradicated mesothelioma have been reported by radiation alone. A specialist in mesothelioma can decide if radiation is necessary based on the specific diagnosis of their patient.
Conclusion
Are you someone who is experiencing mesothelioma stomach symptoms?
If yes, fret not! Apart from all the medical help that is there at your aid, there are some things that you can do for yourself.
A change in your lifestyle is something that can be of great help when it comes to fighting peritoneal mesothelioma. Make it a point to exercise regularly, and eat the right foods which nourish your body correctly.
We will keep informing you more and more about mesothelioma and its types through our articles.
Stay Healthy, Stay Fit!