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Pericardial mesothelioma
By Eden Ali | June 15, 2007
Pericardial mesothelioma is a cancerous disease that affects the membraneous lining of the heart. It is commonly misconcepted that mesothelioma is a primary lung cancer; whereas it is not. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the serous membranes. These disease invades membranes which enclose some organs of the body, the heart inclusive. But the most common type is pleural mesothelioma, which affects the membranes of the lungs.
Pericardial mesothelioma is the least common type of mesothelioma cancers.
Pericardial Mesothelioma Cancers
Pericardial mesothelioma cancers is seen in not more than 10% of mesothelioma patients.
In pericardial mesothelioma, it is still not yet unravelled how the asbestos fibers become deposited in the pericardium. It could be that asbestos fibers, after it break down into small pieces in the lungs, are transported into the blood stream. As these fibers are then pumped through the heart, they become deposited in the pericardium.
Because this type of cancer is so rare,specific research are going on about this type of mesothelioma. Approximately 2,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, and less than 200 of them are pericardial mesothelioma patients.
Symptoms of Pericardial mesothelioma include:
Pain in the chest and irregular heartbeat brought about by the accumulation of fluid which thereby causes the normal functions of the heart to be impaired. Pericardial mesothelioma patients are usually diagnosed when there is a complaint pain in the chest and other heart-related symptoms. Impaired breathing and cough are usually not common symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma cancers.
Pericardial mesothelioma patients may show all the three types of mesothelioma cancer cells: epithelioid mesothelioma, sarcomatoid mesothelioma and biphasic mesothelioma.
It is said and believed that patients with the biphasic type of mesothelioma cancers cells have a shorter life expectancy.
Topics: Mesothelioma types |