Pericardial Mesothelioma
Pericardial Mesothelioma is very rare and with less than 150 cases reported in medical literature and 200 cases reported worldwide, Pericardial Mesothelioma accounts for only 1 to 6 percent of all Mesothelioma cases. Pericardial Mesothelioma does however account for nearly 50 percent of all pericardial tumors and is rarely localized meaning that it almost always covers most of the heart.
Pericardial Mesothelioma develops in and effects the pericardium membrane (made up of mesothelioma cells) that surrounds the heart in a protective lining.
Pericardial Mesothelioma Symptoms-
- Heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat
- Murmurs
- Chest pain
- Cough
- Difficulty breathing even while resting
- Orthopnea or shortness of breath while lying flat
- Tiredness an/or fatigue
- Fever and/or night sweats
Pericardial Mesothelioma shares many common symptoms to other heart related problems and thus can often prove difficult to diagnose.
Most Pericardial Mesothelioma symptoms are caused by the mesothelioma in action causing fluid build up and the thickening of the pericardial layers.
Pericardial Mesothelioma Diagnosis-
Diagnosing Pericardial Mesothelioma quickly is very difficult because many of the symptoms related to the disease are closely related to other more common diseases as mentioned above. The symptoms of Pericardial Mesothelioma are non-specific and none of them are stand out red flags for diagnosing Pericardial Mesothelioma.
To properly diagnose Pericardial Mesothelioma, great detail must be taken in the process including; patient symptoms, complete medical history, current medical condition, a complete physical examination, and even a work history (to determine possible asbestos exposure).
After the initial tests mentioned above a series of imaging tests may be recommended to determine if and where the cancer is located. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) tests have proven to be very effective at evaluating the disease and estimating the extent of the development of the cancer.
Finally, a biopsy will most likely be suggested to locate the point of origin or place at which it began. A biopsy is a simple surgical procedure that will take samples of tissue and/or fluid to be tested for cancerous cells and detect mesothelioma. In the case of Pericardial Mesothelioma, the biopsy will include tissue and fluids from the pericardium. The biopsy samples will be tested for the presence of mesothelioma cells and determine if they are cancerous.
Like any other cancer, Pericardial Mesothelioma posses great difficulty for both the patient and the Doctors involved in the case. Diagnosis may seem like a never ending task to the patient and at times become overwhelming. It is important that the patient initiates positive dialog with their Doctor. If the patient is concerned about having any form of Mesothelioma, they should make it a point to explain this to the Doctor and disclose all known information and reasons why a diagnosis of having Mesothelioma is possible such as work history being exposed to asbestos.
Because Mesothelioma is such a rare cancer, often times Doctors can fail to properly test a patient for Mesothelioma. If you are having any symptoms of Pericardial Mesothelioma, ask yourself a few simple questions;
- Have I been exposed to asbestos fibers?
- How much and how often was I exposed to asbestos fibers?
- Mesothelioma can take several years and even a couple decades to manifest, does this fit into the cause of my symptoms?
Knowing the answers to these questions when talking to your Doctor can greatly speed up the diagnosis procedure and improve the accuracy of the results.
Pericardial Mesothelioma Treatments-
Patients diagnosed with Pericardial Mesothelioma in most cases are not good candidates for the standard cancer treatment course and surgery is almost always out of the question. This is most frequently do to the fact that the Mesothelioma Cancer is found in its late stages. In rare cases the Pericardial Mesothelioma is found early and surgery is a option. A very risky surgical procedure can be performed to remove small localized pericardial tumors.
Unfortunately for most patients diagnosed with Pericardial Mesothelioma the prognosis is bad and palliative treatment is the only option. Palliative treatment is strictly to reduce pain and symptoms while improving the patients quality of life. Some palliative treatments can include; medication, alternative treatments, fine needle aspiration to relieve fluid buildup, and in rare cases radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is rare and risky because of the close proximity of the lungs and heart to the effected cancerous area.
Patients with Pericardial Mesothelioma have a short life expectancy after diagnosis. Approximately 50 to 60 percent of Pericardial Mesothelioma patients die within 6 months of diagnosis. There has been a couple of rare cases in which the patients days where extended beyond the average expectancy. In one case a patient that received partial surgical resection and radiation lived for fives years after treatment. Another patient receiving a similar treatment course survived for one year.
The unfortunate truth about being diagnosed with Pericardial Mesothelioma is that history shows us that the survival rate is at zero and even though modern medical science is always improving, there is still little Doctors have been able to do to extend a patients life that has been diagnosed with Pericardial Mesothelioma.
Asbestos and Pericardial Mesothelioma-
Unlike Pleural Mesothelioma which is well known in the medical community to develop from the inhalation of asbestos fibers, it is still unclear how asbestos fibers find their way to the pericardial membrane surrounding the heart.
There is a theory that asbestos fibers can be inhaled and eventually finding their way into the blood stream and traveling to the heart where the then get lodged in the pericardial membrane. There is no conclusive evidence to support this theory, but several patients with Pericardial Mesothelioma do have a history of asbestos exposure.
It is agreed upon in the medical community that somehow asbestos fibers get trapped in the pericardial membrane that surrounds the heart. When this happens, the fibers force the cells in the pericardium to change and become cancerous.
Cancerous cells in the pericardium begin to grow and rapidly divide without restraint that typical healthy cells have. This rapid and uncontrolled growth and division of cancerous cells causes the pericardial membrane to thicken and eventually tumors will grow. Fluid begins to buildup between the pericardial layers. With all of these changes, the pericardial layers are swelling and stretching putting pressure on the heart. Eventually the pressure will over power the hearts ability to effectively pump blood throughout the body resulting in many other problems related to blood flow restriction. The end result is that the heart will eventually no longer continue to pump blood do to the enormous pressure from the pericardial layers surrounding it.