An overview of Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer which is found in individuals who have been exposed to asbestos. Peritoneal mesothelioma is the lesser common form of mesothelioma with it being located in the lining of the abdominal cavity. It is suggested that peritoneal mesothelioma has a shorter latency period in comparison to pleural mesothelioma which sees the membranes covering the lungs and the chest affected.

Who is at risk of developing Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Individuals who have been exposed to asbestos are at risk for developing Peritoneal Mesothelioma. This form of cancer has a long latency period with individuals who were exposed to asbestos developing mesothelioma only decades later. Thus mesothelioma will usually affect individuals later in life. Mesothelioma is also said to afflict more men than women and can affect workers from a wide range of industries from milling to mining, manufacturing to consumer industries.

Symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include abdominal pain and swelling, a change in normal bowel movements such as frequent diarrhoea or constipation, unexplained weight loss and lumps of tissue in the abdominal. Keep in mind however that since the latency period for Peritoneal Mesothelioma is extremely lengthy, symptoms of the cancer may not be evident for decades following exposure. Furthermore since the symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma are non-specific it is not uncommon for symptoms to be attributed to various other ailments.

Treatment of Peritoneal Mesothelioma

The type of treatment which a victim of peritoneal mesothelioma must undertake will depend greatly on the stage and location of the cancer and to what extent it has spread. Since mesothelioma is most often an aggressive form of cancer, cure is not an option for many individuals. Furthermore mesothelioma is often discovered at an advanced stage thus surgery may not be a viable option. In such cases when the mesothelioma is so advanced treatment may take the form of controlling the cancer and its symptoms to ensure the patient is comfortable.

Individuals with Peritoneal Mesothelioma may receive hypothermic chemotherapy. Rather than risk healthy cells by being distributed across the entire body, chemotherapy drugs are often injected directly into the peritoneal cavity where they can easily reach the peritoneal mesothelioma. Radiation treatment is occasionally used on patients with peritoneal mesothelioma