Types of Mesothelioma – Pericardial
Pericardial is the rarest form of mesothelioma. About ten percent of the cases of mesothelioma involve the sac around the heart. While it is possible to develop mesothelioma when cancerous cells from other parts of the body infect it, the only known direct cause of mesothelioma is exposure to dust containing asbestos fibers.
The Cause of Mesothelioma
Asbestos exposure can cause very serious damage to the human body. The fibers, which are the form that asbestos naturally takes, enter the body when an individual walks or works in an area that has been infected with asbestos dust. The most common result of asbestos exposure is called asbestosis. It occurs when the microscopic fibers sit in the lungs and scratch up the delicate tissues. After some time scar tissue develops that can’t pull the oxygen from the air anymore and prevents the victim from breathing normally. The fibers can also make their way to the outside of the lungs and affect the mesothelium.
Asbestos use had pretty much stopped by the early 1980s. Before that, though, thousands of people had been exposed to asbestos fibers in the work place and had often carried them home to their houses and families. Sailors, miners, ship builders, workers in power plants and many, many other professions had worked in environments heavily infested with asbestos. The number of medical cases associated with asbestos should continue to increase over the next few years and peak in about 2015. After that, the numbers should go down, at least according to some experts.
Please see “Asbestos Overview” for more information about asbestos.
The Mesothelium
Covering and protecting most of the vital organs in the body, the mesothelium has different names according to where it is in the body. The pericardium is the sac that protects the heart. The pleura is located in the chest area and the peritoneum is located in the abdomen. This lining produces a fluid that keeps the organs from being damage when they rub against each other or the outer walls of the body.
Pericardial Mesothelioma
Medical professionals are still unsure as to how asbestos fibers may make it to the heart. They know how the fibers make it into the pleura, which is outlined above, and they are pretty sure that the asbestos gets into the pericardium the same way, just through the stomach instead of the lungs. One theory is that the fibers may be broken into even smaller pieces in the lungs and then enter the bloodstream. Once they reach the heart, they get caught in the tissues and then slowly work their way to the outer surface.
It can take anywhere from twenty to fifty years for the damage done by asbestos to begin to seriously affect the body. Once the fibers infect the mesothelium they begin to irritate it and it becomes inflamed. When tumors begin to grow, they grow very quickly, and it’s never just one tumor, but a whole mass. In the pleura, it is very possible that they fill the entire lung cavity. In the heart, the tumors don’t have to get too large before they begin to affect its functioning.
For information about other types of mesothelioma please see “Types of Mesothelioma – Pleural” and “Types of Mesothelioma – Peritoneal.”
Symptoms
The difficulty in diagnosing all forms of mesothelioma is that the symptoms are also found as a result of a variety of other diseases. If you think you have worked in an area where you may have been exposed to asbestos, make sure to let your doctor know. Chest pain is the predominant symptom. The victim may experience heart palpitations or an irregular heart beat. Less common symptoms may include shortness of breath, even after only light exertion, or a cough. Early diagnosis is the key to even partially successful treatments.
Treatments
Research is ongoing to help the victims of this asbestos related disease living longer live after diagnosis. Currently, the average lifespan of an individual diagnosed with pericardial mesothelioma is anywhere from six months to a year and a half. There is still research being done on diagnosis procedures, medications and treatment options. So far, though, treatments are the same for mesothelioma as for other forms of cancer. They are surgery, radiation treatments and chemotherapy.
The area around the heart is very delicate, but doctors may perform surgery to remove the cancerous tissue. One of the things that makes mesothelioma so hard to treat, especially if the tumors have been around for awhile, is its tendency to metastasize quickly and spread cancer cells to other parts of the body. So, once the main mass of tumors has been removed, the patient may undergo a series or radiation treatments or chemotherapy regimens to kill the cancer cells that may be floating through the body. It is estimated that with early enough discovery and the correct treatments, about ten percent of the victims may survive for three to five years. Five percent of people may even survive for longer than five years.
Please see “Mesothelioma Treatment Overview” for general information about treatment
