Mesothelioma cancer is a unique type of cancer that can develop in the human body in certain places like the pleura, the peritoneum and pericardium. The pleura refer to the outer membranes that surround the lungs and have some protective functions.

The peritoneum are the membranes that surround all internal organs in the abdominal cavity as well as the internal wall of the abdominal cavity. These membranes have some protective functions and help in the movement processes.

The pericardium is also membrane or a sac that surround the heart and its great arteries. Every place cause a different type of mesothelioma and we can differentiate every type as following. The pleural mesothelioma when the tumors are detected in the pleura.

The pericardial mesothelioma when the tumors are detected in the pericardium. And the last type is the peritoneal mesothelioma when the tumors are detected in the pericardium. If you or one of your family has working in any manufacturing company that was producing construction relate products and has diagnosed as a mesothelioma patient, that company almost was the cause of this mesothelioma.

In the past, those construction companies were used Asbestos and these materials are the main reason for mesothelioma. Then, you can make a lawsuit against this manufacturing company asking for a suitable compensation due to your unmeasured suffering whether it a pain suffering or an inability of working suffering. The settlements of mesothelioma can be millions of dollars and there are many cases have succeeded and get great compensations.


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If you're looking for facts about lung cancer, keep reading for the answers to some frequently asked questions.

Is there more than one type of of this disease?

Lung cancer is divided into two different types. These are non-small and small cell forms. They are classified differently because the cells grow and spread differently with each type.

Non-small cancer of the lungs is the most common and covers three different types - squamus cell carcinoma cancer, large cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Small lung cancer happens in about 25% of all reported cases and generally grows and spreads to other organs very quickly.

Is cancer of the lungs preventable?

There are three ways to prevent this killer - quit smoking, avoid second-hand smoke and stay away from air-borne carcinogens at work. If you're concerned about your risk of developing this illness, avoiding tobacco smoke is typically your best defense.

What are the major causes?

The primary cause of lung cancer in most cases is smoking tobacco products. Of all the facts about the disease, this is the most critical and apparent. The carcinogens in tobacco smoke will damage cells. Other causes include exposure to carcinogens like asbestos or radon. Genetics may also play a role in the prevalence of the disease.

How do doctors detect it initially?

Most cases of lung cancer caught during the early stages of the disease are found accidentally in chest X-rays. Unfortunately, symptoms typically aren't exhibited until the later stages.

For a confident diagnosis, a biopsy is required. When a doctor performs a biopsy, he or she removes a small amount of tissue from the lung to test it for cancerous cells.

Does it have any symptoms?

Most cancerous lung symptoms don't appear until after the disease has reached the later stages. That said, the symptoms include constant coughing or wheezing, loss of appetite, chest pains, upper abdomen pains, bronchitis or pneumonia, blood being coughed up, general fatigue, a persistent hoarse voice and a dry, sore throat.

Can the disease be treated, and how?

Lung cancer can be treated, but the treatments will depend on how far advanced the disease has progressed, the patient's strength and the type of cancer. Once identified, is typically treated with one of - or a combination of - chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery.

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a type of lung cancer, but it's very rare. The disease is caused by exposure to asbestos. Essentially, the asbestos fibers attack the lung lining, causing the formation of tumors.

Whose more at risk - men or women?

Women who smoke are twice as likely to be diagnosed with this cancer than men who are smokers.

I'm older and a smoker, will quitting really help me?

Yes, it can! Every year a person goes without smoking, their chances of contracting the disease are significantly reduced. Out of all the facts about it, this is the most critical. Remember, whether you're 18 or 80, quitting can help you prevent lung cancer.



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Radiation therapy or radiotherapy is one of the oldest ways to treat different type of cancers and millions of cancer sufferers are today treated with radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays in order to kill cancerous cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy may be used alone or in combination with other treatments such as surgery or chemotherapy. A patient can also have more than one type of radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is frequently used to shrink tumors before surgery or it can be given after surgery in order to try to stop the cancer from coming back again. Radiation therapy may also be administered together with chemotherapy. It can help to shrink the tumor and help chemotherapy drugs work better, if it is administered before or during chemotherapy. It can also be administered after chemotherapy where it can help to kill any remaining cancerous cells.

The location of mesothelioma may sometimes make it difficult to use high doses of radiation without procuring considerable damages to the surrounding organs and so some have doubts if radiation is effective in treating mesothelioma cancer. It is however quite effective when used to destroy remaining cancerous cells after surgery. It can also be effective to control symptoms and so to help patients feel less discomfort living with mesothelioma cancer. Radiation therapy can be quite effective in controlling pain and to control the accumulation of fluids in the lungs or abdomen.

Radiation therapy uses a type of energy that is called ionizing radiation that is able to damage or even destroy cancerous cells. It hampers the growth of cancerous cells by making it impossible for these cells to grow and divide. It is usually administered as a local treatment since it affects only the cells of the treated area. Cancerous cells are not killed instantly when radiation therapy is administered. It will take several days of treatment until cancerous cells will start to die. However then they will continue to die for weeks or even months after treatment is terminated. With today's advanced technology the radiation beams can be very tightly focused. In spite of this, other non-cancerous cells surrounding the treatment area of the body can also be destroyed by radiation. Although most of these normal cells are able to recover quickly, it is important to try to damage the cancerous cells without damaging the other cells of the body as far as possible. The damages to the normal cells of the body can be minimized by using a low dosage as far as possible, by spreading the treatment over time, by targeting the tumor as precisely as possible and by using certain medications that help to protect certain parts of the body. Radiation therapy has fewer side effects than other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy.

There are three major types of radiation treatments:
•External radiation therapy
•Internal radiation therapy
•Systematic radiation therapy

The major difference of these three types of therapies is from where the radiation comes from. In the case of external radiation therapy, radiation is beamed to the location of the mesothelioma from a machine outside the body of the patient. In the case of internal radiation or brachytherapy, chemicals that produce radiation are put directly into the site of the mesothelioma cancer by the insertion of a thin tube into the chest or abdomen. In a systematic radiation therapy unsealed radioactive materials are let to go throughout the body. Another type of radiation therapy used primarily to treat brain tumors is stereotactic radiosurgery.

The type of radiation therapy one gets depends on many factors such as the patient's general health, what other treatment you are undertaking, your medical history and other factors. The dosage of radiation administered depends on the therapeutic ratio. This ratio makes a comparison with the damages procured to the cancerous cells and the damaged procured to the normal cells. It is important to harm as possible the cancerous cells without harming as far as possible the normal cells. External radiation is the most common type of radiation treatment administered and a patient may also be given more than one type of radiation treatment. Different radiation treatments can be given either one after the other or at the same time. This depends on the needs of the patients as assessed by the physician.

Radiation therapy may be quite an expensive treatment. It is important to ask if your medical insurance covers such a treatment. Fortunately most medical insurances cover the expenses of radiation therapy, but this may not always be the case. During the treatment you may need to eat certain type of food in order to keep your energy level high. You will be instructed on what type of food is adequate and which is better to avoid during the treatment. You may still be able to go to work full time at the initial stages of the treatment but this depends on the individual. After the treatment is terminated you may feel quite tired and you may decide to stop working for some time but this depends on many factors and from individual to individual.

Radiation therapy can have certain side effects. The extent of the side effects depends on the individual and on the other treatment you are having together with radiation therapy. Some side effects occur in the short-term (approximately less than two months after treatment) and also in the long-run (approximately after 6 months after the treatment) and some may even be permanent. However radiation therapy side effects are usually much milder than chemotherapy side effects. Some side effects of radiation therapy include:

Skin rash near the treated area
Fatigue
Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea
Hair Loss
Loss of fertility/ Amorrhea
Brain problems
Joint problems
Lymphedema
Secondary cancer




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