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Mesothelioma Treatment
Mesothelioma Treatment - Discussion, information and treatment of mesothelioma cancer for Pleural mesothelioma and Peritoneal mesothelioma[an error occurred while processing this directive]Mesothelioma is a cancer of mesothelial cells. Mesothelioma develops in the tissues covering the abdomen and the lung, and in the lung is often diagnosed in the pleura. The pleura are the tissues which cover the lung, and are fibrous sheets which act to protect it. There are two pleura, and when they are functionning normally they help to allow the lungs to move smoothly in the chest when the lung is inflating and deflating. When mesothelioma is diagnosed in the pleura it is known as pleural mesothelioma. Mesothelioma occurs in the abdomen in the tissue lining which is called the peritoneum. Which similarly to the pleura acts to protect the contents of the abdomen. With the peritoneum it also produces a lubricating fluid which aids the organs in moving around smoothly inside the abdomen when we move around. Mesothelioma of the tissues lining the abdominal cavity is known as peritoneal mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma is much less common than pleural mesothelioma. Mesothelioma typically occurs in these two areas, and it is rare (but not unheard of) for it too spread to other parts of the body. It is quite a rare cancer, but an estimated 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer every year in the United States, and approximately 15,000 worldwide. It is typically associated with asbestos, and hence people involved in the building trade before asbestos was banned are very much at risk. The link between mesothelioma cancer and asbestos has only really known since the 1960's; and mesothelioma is now the subject of many different legal cases in the United States and abroad. Mesothelioma treatment has recently (Feb 2004) moved forward with the news that Alimta, a drug by Eli Lilly and Co, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The first approved mesothelioma treatment for asbestos-related cancer. It has been approved for use with Cisplatin, a standard chemotherapy treatment, for the 70% of patients with mesothelioma cancer who are not candidates for surgery. Alimta unfortunately is not a magic cure-all for mesothelioma cancer. It typically gives patients only a few additional months of life. A clinical trial for Alimta involving 448 patients showed that patients taking Cisplatin plus Alimta survived for an average of 12.1 months, compared with 9.3 months for Cisplatin alone. Mesothelioma cancer typically develops often decades after the individual has been exposed to the asbestos, and this makes it hard to treat because it is a very resistant tumour to try to find an effective treatment for. But is at least a good first step in producing a more effective treatment for this awful condition.
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