Peritoneal mesothelioma is also caused by asbestos. Mesothelium lines the inside of the abdomen, and also covers all the organs inside the abdomen, including the liver the stomach and the intestines. The abdominal mesothelium is called the peritoneum. When a mesothelioma arises from the abdominal peritoneum, it tends to spread all over the peritoneum and abdomen.
Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for about 10% of all mesothelioma cases, and is the second most common next to pleural mesothelioma. Like pleural mesothelioma, the disease has a very long latency period. Symptoms do not show themselves until 10 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. The symptoms can be very non-specific and they are often attributed to many other more common conditions. This delays treatment even further. That is why it is so important to tell your doctor if you have ever worked around asbestos.
Symptoms include weight loss, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, weakness, abdominal swelling, and what seem to be symptoms of bowel obstruction. There may also be breathing problems depending on the location of the tumor, and there is often severe pain especially as the disease progresses.
Peritoneal mesothelioma is difficult to treat. But there are ways to slow down the spread of the disease, to reduce pain, and to improve the quality of life. The treatment[s] chosen depend on the age of the patient, the overall health, and past medical history.
Surgery – Surgery usually entails opening up the abdomen to get a good look at where the tumor is. This may be the only way mesothelioma is diagnosed. There will be tumor spread all over the inside of the abdomen, adherent to the peritioneum. The main surgical procedure is to remove as much of the tumor mass as possible. This is usually followed by instilling chemotherapeutic agents into the abdominal space, to bathe any remaining cancer cells in medicine to kill them.
Radiation – Radiation therapy can be aimed at the cancer, especially if it is more localized in the abdomen.
Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy involves the administration of anti-cancer medicines. At the current time, there is a good regimen with two chemotherapeutic agents that are given by vein in a 21 day cycle. As noted above, chemotherapy can also be administered directly into the abdominal cavity.
Often more than one type of therapy is used. There are many clinical trials trying to determine the best way to treat peritoneal mesothelioma. Some patients may get the best treatment by participating in a clinical trial.
Anna L. Kaplan, M.D.
Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for about 10% of all mesothelioma cases, and is the second most common next to pleural mesothelioma. Like pleural mesothelioma, the disease has a very long latency period. Symptoms do not show themselves until 10 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. The symptoms can be very non-specific and they are often attributed to many other more common conditions. This delays treatment even further. That is why it is so important to tell your doctor if you have ever worked around asbestos.
Symptoms include weight loss, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, weakness, abdominal swelling, and what seem to be symptoms of bowel obstruction. There may also be breathing problems depending on the location of the tumor, and there is often severe pain especially as the disease progresses.
Peritoneal mesothelioma is difficult to treat. But there are ways to slow down the spread of the disease, to reduce pain, and to improve the quality of life. The treatment[s] chosen depend on the age of the patient, the overall health, and past medical history.
Surgery – Surgery usually entails opening up the abdomen to get a good look at where the tumor is. This may be the only way mesothelioma is diagnosed. There will be tumor spread all over the inside of the abdomen, adherent to the peritioneum. The main surgical procedure is to remove as much of the tumor mass as possible. This is usually followed by instilling chemotherapeutic agents into the abdominal space, to bathe any remaining cancer cells in medicine to kill them.
Radiation – Radiation therapy can be aimed at the cancer, especially if it is more localized in the abdomen.
Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy involves the administration of anti-cancer medicines. At the current time, there is a good regimen with two chemotherapeutic agents that are given by vein in a 21 day cycle. As noted above, chemotherapy can also be administered directly into the abdominal cavity.
Often more than one type of therapy is used. There are many clinical trials trying to determine the best way to treat peritoneal mesothelioma. Some patients may get the best treatment by participating in a clinical trial.
Anna L. Kaplan, M.D.
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