Cancer

How do you treat pericardial mesothelioma ?

Of all the cancers caused by asbestos dust (mesothelioma), pericardial mesothelioma is the most rare, accounting for a fraction of all cases (5%). It is a cancer that grows on the pericardium (the lining of the heart). This is a delicate ‘film’, and any infection on the pericardium can have deadly consequences.

Once an individual has been diagnosed with pericardial mesothelioma they are offered three different treatment options. These are radiation, surgery and chemotherapy. Pericardial mesothelioma is extremely difficult to treat (due to the intricacies involved in removing the tumours from the pericardium), and a patient’s chances of survival are slim. All three methods have a poor success rate mainly due to the fact that pericardial mesothelioma is detected in the mature stages of development. (The reason for this is because in the early stages of the cancer the symptoms resemble those of diseases such as pneumonia). The prognosis for a patient undergoing treatment at this point (mature stage) is usually less than a year.

Before treatment, the patient requires a doctor’s evaluation in order to determine which of the three treatments are suitable for him/her. Details such as age, weight, medical history, and general well-being are considered prior to the commencement of treatment. So, how do you treat pericardial mesothelioma ?

Radiation – As with all cancer treatments that use this method, large doses of radiation are used to kill the cancerous cells on the pericardium. The downside to radiation treatment is that not only are you killing off the cancerous cells, but you are also damaging the vital organs in close proximity to the heart, namely the lungs. The heart also gets damaged (due to the large doses of radiation).

Surgery – We can break this down into two parts; aggressive surgery and palliative procedures. Aggressive surgery involves the removal of the cancerous cell. Since these are very close to the heart and lungs, this makes it an extremely precarious procedure and one that requires an extremely skilled surgeon.
Palliative procedures are used in the latest of stages of pericardial mesothelioma and serve the sole purpose of reducing the symptoms. Usually at this stage the cancer is practically incurable.

Chemotherapy – This is the most widely-used of cancer therapies which involves the use of drugs to kill the cancerous cells. Unfortunately, the majority of drugs used have a low success rate with pericardial mesothelioma. Research is being conducted to come up with a cocktail of drugs that have a more favourable outcome.

There does exist another form of treatment which involves using all three aforementioned treatment options. It is known as Dual Therapy. Surgery is used to remove the cancerous cells, then chemotherapy and radiation are used to kill the remaining cells. The success rate for this method is higher than just using radiation, surgery or chemotherapy alone, but can still be dangerous.

4 Prostate Cancer Questions And Answers You Should Know

Are you a man age 50 or over? If so there are specific prostate cancer questions and answers you need to know. Without this knowledge you could find yourself in trouble and facing the possibility of a premature death. However, with the proper information you may discover how to avoid the possibility of a premature death. This article will provide some of the prostate cancer information you need to know.

This article is not intended as medical advice, nor should it be taken as medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. As always with a physical illness you should consult your personal physician right away. Please read on for more information.

1. What is the prostate and where is it located?

Answer: The prostate is a male sex gland about the size of a walnut. Its purpose is to create fluids that mix with the seaman to protect the sperm. You will find the prostate gland located around the bottom of your bladder and it surrounds the urethra tube, through which you pass urine and sperm fro your body.

2. What are the odds of a man over 50 being diagnosed with a malingnacy of the prostate?

Answer: In the United State if you are 50 or older you stand a 1 in 6 chance of being diagnosed with a malignant tumor or tumors of the prostate. However if you are of African American and Hispanic heritage you stand an increased chance of prostate cancer of 1 in 4.

3. What kind of symptoms normally show up in a prostate malignancy?

Answer: Unfortunately symptoms may not show up for many years. The reason for this is because this type of cancer is so slow growing. However, when the symptoms do show up, they also may be caused by another medical problem and just not prostate cancer. The following is just a partial list of the symptoms:

a. Pain in the hips, lower back, pelvic region or even the upper thighs.
b. Difficulty urinating.
c. Difficulty in getting and maintaining an erection.
d. Passing blood in the urine or seamen
e. These are just a few of the symptoms there are others.

It is important if you demonstrating any of these symptoms you should contact your Doctor immediately.

4. Is it possible to detect a prostate malignancy early?

Answer: This question can be answered with a resounding YES. Currently there are two primary tests, one of which is a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE). This test is performed by having the man bending over or laying on his side and Doctor inserts a finger up through the rectum to the prostate. The doctor then can determine if the prostate has hardened and increased in size.

Normally if your doctor detects a hardening or increase in size of the prostate he will order the second test. This test is often referred to as a PSA blood test. The purpose of the PSA is to detect if you have an increased level of prostate-specific antigen in your blood. The normal count is around four and with a count of 6 or higher your doctor may order more test to determine if cancer is present in your body.

Thanks to the widespread use of these two test in men over 50 and earlier for the African American man, more than ninety percent of prostate cancer is detected early. This early detection is responsible for a 98% survival rate of over 5 years for men with this type of malignancy.

These four prostate cancer and answers is just the tip of the iceberg that you should know. Once again it is strongly recommended that you contact your attending physician and other medical professionals for specific answers to your questions.

4 Prostate Cancer Questions And Answers You Should Know

Are you a man age 50 or over? If so there are specific prostate cancer questions and answers you need to know. Without this knowledge you could find yourself in trouble and facing the possibility of a premature death. However, with the proper information you may discover how to avoid the possibility of a premature death. This article will provide some of the prostate cancer information you need to know.

This article is not intended as medical advice, nor should it be taken as medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. As always with a physical illness you should consult your personal physician right away. Please read on for more information.

1. What is the prostate and where is it located?

Answer: The prostate is a male sex gland about the size of a walnut. Its purpose is to create fluids that mix with the seaman to protect the sperm. You will find the prostate gland located around the bottom of your bladder and it surrounds the urethra tube, through which you pass urine and sperm fro your body.

2. What are the odds of a man over 50 being diagnosed with a malingnacy of the prostate?

Answer: In the United State if you are 50 or older you stand a 1 in 6 chance of being diagnosed with a malignant tumor or tumors of the prostate. However if you are of African American and Hispanic heritage you stand an increased chance of prostate cancer of 1 in 4.

3. What kind of symptoms normally show up in a prostate malignancy?

Answer: Unfortunately symptoms may not show up for many years. The reason for this is because this type of cancer is so slow growing. However, when the symptoms do show up, they also may be caused by another medical problem and just not prostate cancer. The following is just a partial list of the symptoms:

a. Pain in the hips, lower back, pelvic region or even the upper thighs.
b. Difficulty urinating.
c. Difficulty in getting and maintaining an erection.
d. Passing blood in the urine or seamen
e. These are just a few of the symptoms there are others.

It is important if you demonstrating any of these symptoms you should contact your Doctor immediately.

4. Is it possible to detect a prostate malignancy early?

Answer: This question can be answered with a resounding YES. Currently there are two primary tests, one of which is a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE). This test is performed by having the man bending over or laying on his side and Doctor inserts a finger up through the rectum to the prostate. The doctor then can determine if the prostate has hardened and increased in size.

Normally if your doctor detects a hardening or increase in size of the prostate he will order the second test. This test is often referred to as a PSA blood test. The purpose of the PSA is to detect if you have an increased level of prostate-specific antigen in your blood. The normal count is around four and with a count of 6 or higher your doctor may order more test to determine if cancer is present in your body.

Thanks to the widespread use of these two test in men over 50 and earlier for the African American man, more than ninety percent of prostate cancer is detected early. This early detection is responsible for a 98% survival rate of over 5 years for men with this type of malignancy.

These four prostate cancer and answers is just the tip of the iceberg that you should know. Once again it is strongly recommended that you contact your attending physician and other medical professionals for specific answers to your questions.

4 Prostate Cancer Questions And Answers You Should Know

Are you a man age 50 or over? If so there are specific prostate cancer questions and answers you need to know. Without this knowledge you could find yourself in trouble and facing the possibility of a premature death. However, with the proper information you may discover how to avoid the possibility of a premature death. This article will provide some of the prostate cancer information you need to know.

This article is not intended as medical advice, nor should it be taken as medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. As always with a physical illness you should consult your personal physician right away. Please read on for more information.

1. What is the prostate and where is it located?

Answer: The prostate is a male sex gland about the size of a walnut. Its purpose is to create fluids that mix with the seaman to protect the sperm. You will find the prostate gland located around the bottom of your bladder and it surrounds the urethra tube, through which you pass urine and sperm fro your body.

2. What are the odds of a man over 50 being diagnosed with a malingnacy of the prostate?

Answer: In the United State if you are 50 or older you stand a 1 in 6 chance of being diagnosed with a malignant tumor or tumors of the prostate. However if you are of African American and Hispanic heritage you stand an increased chance of prostate cancer of 1 in 4.

3. What kind of symptoms normally show up in a prostate malignancy?

Answer: Unfortunately symptoms may not show up for many years. The reason for this is because this type of cancer is so slow growing. However, when the symptoms do show up, they also may be caused by another medical problem and just not prostate cancer. The following is just a partial list of the symptoms:

a. Pain in the hips, lower back, pelvic region or even the upper thighs.
b. Difficulty urinating.
c. Difficulty in getting and maintaining an erection.
d. Passing blood in the urine or seamen
e. These are just a few of the symptoms there are others.

It is important if you demonstrating any of these symptoms you should contact your Doctor immediately.

4. Is it possible to detect a prostate malignancy early?

Answer: This question can be answered with a resounding YES. Currently there are two primary tests, one of which is a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE). This test is performed by having the man bending over or laying on his side and Doctor inserts a finger up through the rectum to the prostate. The doctor then can determine if the prostate has hardened and increased in size.

Normally if your doctor detects a hardening or increase in size of the prostate he will order the second test. This test is often referred to as a PSA blood test. The purpose of the PSA is to detect if you have an increased level of prostate-specific antigen in your blood. The normal count is around four and with a count of 6 or higher your doctor may order more test to determine if cancer is present in your body.

Thanks to the widespread use of these two test in men over 50 and earlier for the African American man, more than ninety percent of prostate cancer is detected early. This early detection is responsible for a 98% survival rate of over 5 years for men with this type of malignancy.

These four prostate cancer and answers is just the tip of the iceberg that you should know. Once again it is strongly recommended that you contact your attending physician and other medical professionals for specific answers to your questions.