What Is Peritonal Mesotilioma ?

Peritoneal Mesothilioma is an extremely rare type of cancer (only 100 to 500 cases are diagnosed in the US each year) affecting the lining of the abdomen, or peritoneum which is caused by long-term exposure to asbestos.  For many years, due to its cheap cost, asbestos was widely used in many industrial products, such as insulation, flooring, roofing shingles, siding, brake linings, and textiles.  Like all other forms of Mesothilioma, the disease will not manifest itself for decades after exposure.  Mesothilioma of the peritoneum is a very uncommon form of cancer that accounts for less than one fourth of all Mesothilioma cases.

The peritoneum is a lining that covers the interior of the abdomen, as well as the internal organs.  Cells in these linings secrete a fluid which acts as a lubricant and which allows the organs to move against one another.  The cancer causes the cells to overproduce this fluid which leads to a build up of excessive fluid in the abdominal cavity, or between the membrane and either the abdominal wall or the organs it surrounds.

The symptoms of peritoneal Mesothilioma include things such as weakness, shortness of breath, weight loss, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pains, increased diarrhea or constipation, and abdominal swelling.  Since these are very common symptoms which could indicate many other types of ailments, often Mesothilioma is not diagnosed until it is too late to effectively treat the disease.  In these cases, not much can be done beyond making the patient comfortable.

In the advanced stages of this disease, accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity causes swelling and pain.  These symptoms often become quite serious over time, as the swelling exerts considerable pressure on the surrounding organs which leads to increasingly tremendous pain.

While peritoneal Mesothilioma is less common than the form of Mesothilioma that affects the lining of the lungs (pleural Mesothilioma), it tends to be much more invasive, and often leads to a much shorter life expectancy.  Like most other forms of cancer, early detection is key in the relief and treatment of peritoneal Mesothilioma.  Unfortunately, due to the long period between exposure to asbestos and onset of symptoms of the disease, as well as the commonness of the symptoms, it is often undiagnosed until the disease is very advanced.

If your doctor suspects peritoneal Mesothilioma, the first steps in determining if you are afflicted with this disease involves chest x-rays, CAT scans, and often a biopsy, which with this form of cancer is often performed by drawing a small amount of fluid from the peritoneum with a needle.

While there are various treatment options available for Mesothilioma, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and even surgery, there is no known cure.  Often a doctor will recommend surgery to relieve some of the symptoms and pain, but in less the cancer is detected in its earliest stage, doctors will seldom recommend a combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy as they might with other forms of cancer.

If peritoneal Mesothilioma is diagnosed at an early stage, the chances of survival improve.  If the cancer is found early enough and treated aggressively, nearly half of the patients can reach the two-year mark and roughly 20% will survive five years.