In some rare cases, the pericardium (the lining around the heart) develops mesothelioma cancer cells. This condition is called pericardial mesothelioma and accounts for 1 percent of the diagnoses.
What is pericardial mesothelioma?
Little is known about the development of pericardial mesothelioma. Nobody knows exactly how the asbestos fibers that cause all types of mesothelioma can reach the pericardium. Diagnosing the condition is a challenge for many caregivers, who suspect that there are many cases that are only detected when the patient dies and an autopsy is performed.
One of the really interesting things that doctors have noticed about this type of mesothelioma cancer is that the chance that a man gets the diagnosis twice as big as a woman, this can be a result of different traditional work environments.
Some cases of pericardial mesothelioma have caused the cancer to move and spread to the lungs and abdomen.
Symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma
Patients with pericardial mesothelioma may experience a wide range of symptoms. The severity of the symptoms depends on the phase in which the cancer is located and which part of the pericardium is affected.
Common symptoms are:
- Shortness of breath
- Different pain on the chest
- Some swelling of the face and arms
- Fatigue
- Heart sounds or irregular heartbeat
- Persistent cough
- Pericardial effusion
- Diagnosis of pericardial mesothelioma
The extreme rarity of pericardial mesothelioma makes it difficult for physicians who do not have much experience with the disease to diagnose it too early. The best way to increase the chances of an early diagnosis is to provide detailed information about the past at home and at work so that your doctor can evaluate your risk of pericardal mesothelioma and refer you to a specialist or mesothelioma doctor. .
Most patients complain of symptoms, especially chest pain, before pericardial mesothelioma is suspected. Pericardial mesothelioma is often confused with:
- Constrictive pericarditis
- Heart failure
- Heart tamponade
The most effective way to diagnose this specific type of cancer is with fluid and tissue biopsies. The tissue must be specially tested for pericardial mesothelioma.
Additional tools to diagnose the disease are CT scans and echocardiograms. Without the use of an echocardiogram, it is impossible for doctors to determine how much mesothelioma cancer has affected the heart.
Lanjutkan Membaca: