Pericardial Mesothelioma Treatment

Pericardial mesothelioma is usually related to long term asbestos exposure. It generally appears fifteen to forty years after the exposure occurred and its early symptoms are subtle.
Pericardial Mesothelioma is almost always detected at a late stage, treatment options are palliative rather than curative. Any procedures or treatments suggested by doctors are usually to help reduce pain or relieve the symptoms of the disease.

Palliative treatment options may include:

1. Radiation Therapy. Used to draining fluid from the pericardium, as a means of relieving pressure on proximal structures, can be used to alleviate symptoms and as a way to obtain a tissue sample for biopsy. This procedure can be used to help prolong life while other treatment modalities are administered.
2. Chemotherapy. Used to attempt to reduce cancer cells. This aggressive form of therapy should be carefully considered as it will most likely detract from the patient’s quality of life but offer no cure.
3. Radiation Therapy. Used to kill the cancer cells and shrink tumors, but this approach carries with it the risk of damaging the heart and lungs. As well as the more familiar practice of external exposure to radioactive materials, treatment might involve delivering radioactive materials directly to the cancer site through plastic tubing (internal therapy).
4. Surgery. Used to attempt to reduce cancer cells. This aggressive form of therapy should be carefully considered as it will most likely detract from the patient’s quality of life but offer no cure.
5. Clinical Trial.
   

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Type of Mesothelioma

Types of Malignant Mesothelioma:

1. Pleural Mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs, called the "pleura". Lung cancer, however, is different from pleural mesothelioma because lung cancer is a malignant tumor that originates in the lungs, whereas pleural mesothelioma occurs in the lining of the lungs.
2. Pericardial Mesothelioma. Pericardial mesothelioma is a cancer in the lining that surrounds the heart, called the pericardium.
3. Peritoneal Mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a cancer in the lining that surrounds the stomach or abdomin, called the peritoneum.

There are three cell types of mesothelioma:

1. Epithelioid accounts for 50% to 70% of all cases. It also has the best prognosis.
   
2. Sarcomatoid accounts for 10% to 15% of all cases. It is a more aggressive form of mesothelioma.
3. Biphasic or Mixed accounts for 10% to 15% of cases. This form has characteristics of both epithelioid and sarcomatoid mesotheliomas but is associated with worse survival than epithelioid mesothelioma.

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