Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Peritoneal mesothelioma develops in the mesothelial cells of the lining of the abdominal cavity called peritoneum. This type of mesothelioma is the second most common case after the pleural mesothelioma and is a relatively rare disease that accounts for about 20 to 25 percent of all mesotheliomas. Its only known cause in the U.S. till date is previous exposure to asbestos.
Mesothelioma can come in benign and malignant forms and the benign form makes up less than 10 percent of all cases of mesothelioma in America. Whilst asbestos is known to be a culprit of the malignant peritoneal mesothelioma or peritoneal mesothelioma cancer, the causes of benign mesothelioma are yet to be found. Benign mesothelioma is not cancerous and doesn’t spread to nearby tissues but it can lead to the development of the cancerous malignant form.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Prognosis
Whilst a complete surgical is often recommended to remove the benign peritoneal mesothelioma – and is usually successful, patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma have to face the poor prognosis after diagnosed with it. In general, prognosis for mesothelioma is solely dependent on the merit of diagnosis and the treatment. If treatment is provided with much delay then the survival chance of the victim grows slimmer. Then again, survivability depends heavily on factors like treatment, type of mesothelioma as well as patients health and morale. The stage of the disease during diagnosis is the most crucial factor that decides the prognosis and the minimum survival expectancy of the victim. But disappointingly, mesothelioma unlike other cancers is somewhat difficult to stage. This is because the symptoms of mesothelioma are non-specific due to which the cells are already matured at the time of diagnosis.
What are the determining factors that lead to prognosis?
The early detection of the disease is imperative for pursuing any kind of treatment. The location and size of the cancer, response of the cancer to the treatment, the extent to which the cancer has spread, what impression does the cells give under the microscope and the patients age are some of the contributing factors that determine prognosis. It should be pointed out that diagnosis of the disease is not a child’s play. Further more it becomes very more difficult because of the deceptive nature of the subtle symptoms of mesothelioma.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Life Expectancy
Due to the factors mentioned above, the life expectancy of patients suffering from malignant peritoneal mesothelioma varies from person to person. Although peritoneal mesothelioma survival rate is considered low it doesn’t mean that one should give up. Paul Kraus for example was given a few months to live after having been diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma in June 1997 but instead of giving up he radically changed his lifestyle and has been living a good quality of life with the disease for over 12 years and the doctor believed that he will survive much longer. Today, his book Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient’s Guide
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