Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer (malignancy) that most frequently arises from the cells lining the sacs of the chest (the pleura) or the abdomen (the peritoneum). Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form, often presenting with symptoms in the chest area. Peritoneal mesothelioma is much less common. This can effect the organs in the abdomen, and its symptoms are related to this area of the body, that is, abdominal swelling, nausea, vomiting, and bowel obstruction. The rarest form of mesothelioma is pericardial mesothelioma, which involves the sac surrounding the heart.
There are two major cell types of mesothelioma, epithelial and sarcomatoid. Sometimes both of these cell types can be present. The sarcomatoid type is rarer and occurs in only about 15% of cases; it portends a poorer prognosis. In very rare cases, mesothelioma can originate from benign, non-malignant cells. This so-called benign mesothelioma can be cured surgically.
Most people present with complaints of shortness of breath. They also can have complaints of chest pain. Surprisingly, this pain is often not pleuritic; that is, it does not get worse with deep breathing. This is surprising in that the pleura (outer surface of the lung) is often involved in this disease, and most other diseases involving the pleura are often associated with pleuritic pain (pain that worsens with deep breathing). Patients may also be asymptomatic, with the disease discovered by physical exam or an abnormal chest X-ray.
As the disease progresses, shortness of breath increases, and weight loss, decreased appetite, and night sweats can develop. Local invasion by the tumor can result in changing of voice, loss of function of the diaphragm, and symptoms specific to the area and involvement of adjacent structures.
Most people with malignant mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they breathed asbestos. Usually, this involves men over 40 years of age. Others have been exposed to asbestos in a household environment, often without knowing it. Interestingly, the number of new cases of mesothelioma has been relatively stable since 1983, the same time that the restrictions on asbestos were instituted by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In Europe, the number of new cases of mesothelioma continues to rise.
While smoking marijuana is never good for the lungs, the active ingredient in pot may help fight lung cancer, new research shows.
Harvard University researchers have found that, in both laboratory and mouse studies, delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cuts tumor growth in half in common lung cancer while impeding the cancer’s ability to spread.
The compound “seems to have a suppressive effect on certain lines of cancer cells,” explained Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
According to the researchers, THC fights lung cancer by curbing epidermal growth factor (EGF), a molecule that promotes the growth and spread of particularly aggressive non-small cell lung cancers. “It seems to go to (EGF) receptor sites on cells and inhibit growth,” said Horovitz, who was not involved in the study.
The findings are preliminary, however, and other outside experts urged caution.
“It’s an interesting laboratory study (but) you have to have enough additional animal studies to make sure the effect is reproducible and to make sure that there are no overt toxic effects,” said Dr. Norman Edelman, chief medical officer of the American Lung Association. “It’s a little more than tantalizing because it’s a compound that we know has been in humans and has not caused major problems.”
The findings were to be presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Los Angeles.
Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in the world. Lung tumors that over-produce the EGF receptor tend to be extra-aggressive and don’t respond well to chemotherapy.
THC is the main active ingredient of Cannabis sativa –marijuana. It has been shown to inhibit tumor growth in cancer, but specific information on its action against lung cancer has so far been limited.
In the new study, the researchers first showed that two different lung cancer lines, as well as samples from patient lung tumors, produced the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2.
Endocannabinoids — cannabinoids produced naturally in the body — are thought to have an effect on pain, anxiety and inflammation when they bind to cannabinoid receptors.
Next, the researchers injected standard doses of THC into mice implanted with human lung cancer cells. After three weeks of treatment, tumors shrank by about 50 percent in animals treated with THC, compared to those in an untreated control group, the researchers reported.
The findings may shed light on a question that has been puzzling Horovitz: Why hasn’t there been a spike in lung cancer in the generation that smoked a lot of marijuana in the 1960s.
“I find it fascinating, wondering if the reasons we’re not seeing this spike is that THC inhibits lung cancer cells,” he said. “It would be very ironic, although you certainly wouldn’t tell somebody who smoked cigarettes to add marijuana.”
A second set of findings presented at AACR suggested that a viral-based gene therapy could target both primary and distant tumors, while ignoring healthy cells.
When injected into 15 mice with prostate cancer, this “smart bomb” therapy eliminated all signs of cancer — effectively curing the rodents. Researchers at Columbia University, in New York City, said the therapy also worked in animals with breast cancer and melanomas.
And in a third hopeful trial reported at the meeting, German researchers at University Children’s Hospital, in Ulm, said they’ve used measles viruses to treat brain tumors. In mouse experiments, the virus attached to the tumor from the inside out, the team said.
(HealthDay News)
http://www.healthrelatedinfos.com/Alternative and Self-Help Cancer Therapy Programs For People and Animals part 1 of 2
Alternative to "cut, burn and poison'' modalities of surgery, radiation and toxic drugsAccording t o Dr. George C Pack, MD, a cancer specialist at Cornell medical School, almost everyone has cancer cells present at times in our bodies. If our immune system is working properly, these cells are killed or reabsorbed by our defense system before they begin to grow and threaten our health. more
A top European cancer research scientist, Dr Johanna Budwig, has discovered a totally natural formula that not only protects against the development of cancer but people all over the world who have been diagnosed with incurable cancer and sent home to die have actually been cured and now lead normal healthy lives. After three decades of research Dr. Budwig, six-time nominee for the Nobel Award, found that the blood of seriously ill cancer patients was always, without exception, deficient in certain important essential ingredients which included substances called phosphatides and lipoproteins. (The blood of a healthy person always contains sufficient quantities of these essential ingredients. However, without these natural ingredients cancer cells grow wild and out of control.)
The Prime Cause of Cancer is Not Genetic"...What is shocking to most people, the scientific fact that cancer is genetically recessive, not dominant. In fact, the human body is highly resistant to cancer. In 1969, Professor Henry Harris of Oxford University shook the cancer research community to its core when he proved these previous theories wrong. Professor Harris took normal tissue cells and fused three types of cancer cells to them. Surely, he thought, the cancer cells would take over the normal cells and "convert" them into cancer. Surprisingly, they grew normally.
Contrary to popular opinion, cancer takes several decades to develop in humans. Given this long incubation period, science can show us the way to destroy any initial pre-cancerous cells and keep the cancerous ones from causing widespread damage.If you think cancer has a genetic basis, then think again. Dr Robert A. Weinberg of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the world's leading cancer researchers and discoverer of the so-called oncogene (cancer-causing gene), reversed his previous conclusions after discovering that "fewer than one DNA base in a million appears to have been miscopied". It's not enough of a defect! His exact words: "Something was very wrong. The notion that a cancer developed through the successive activation of a series of oncogenes had lost its link to reality." He called the genetic discoveries made thus far "sterile".6 The prime cause of cancer is therefore not genetic. This was announced in 1998. Did you hear about it? Probably not.
In 2006, the heads of the world's largest cancer research centre in Houston, Texas, announced that cancer's prime cause isn't genetic: "'If it could have happened [solving cancer with genetics], it would have already happened with genetic mutations,' said William Brinkley, a senior vice-president at Baylor who says other research should take precedence over the cancer genome projectÉ Dr John Mendelsohn [president of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center] states, 'Any claims that this [genetic research] is going to be the key to curing cancer are not appropriate.'" Thus, the prime cause of cancer is not a genetic mutation. Even if cancer "runs in your family", there is real hope. Unfortunately, the geneticists have it backwards, attempting to force the facts to fit their genetics-based theories when they don't fit the facts, because, as Professor Harris demonstrated many years ago, cancer isn't genetically dominant. Where does this leave us? Where can we look for solutions? What about the popular nutritional solutions to fighting cancer?
"...Dr Otto Warburg discovered and clearly stated that the prime, most basic, cause of cancer is too little oxygen getting into the cell. "We find by experiment about 35% inhibition of oxygen respiration already suffices to bring about such a transformation during cell growth," he stated at a 1966 conference of Nobel laureates in Lindau, Germany. more
- The Prime Cause of Cancer is Not Genetic
- Cancer-Prevention Mechanism of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Marine Phytoplankton: Tumor and Cancer
- What if the Cure is Also a Cause?
- Surgery Not A Cure For Cancer Based on the writngs of Dr Eli G Jones, MD
- Transfer Factor Study with 20 Cancer Patients - Rob Robertson, M.D
- Videos: Scott Stirling gives a speach about how he was cured from cancer using an alternative natural approach from Dr. Kelley
source:Questioning Chemotherapy: A Critique of the Use of Toxic Drugs in Cancer Treatment Breast Cancer - Natural Treatments Hoxsey Cancer Therapy Essiac - A Remarkable Canadian Indian Remedy For Cancer Skin Cancer and tumors: Cansema Black Salve The Politics of Cancer - Cancer Industry and their cover-up of natural therapie Overcoming Immunosuppression from Chemotherapy Understand Causes and Cures for Cancer Holistic Animal Cancer Treatments
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/cancer.htm
Mesothelioma diagnosis is very important as far as an early treatment is considered. It helps with better pain management. Mesothelioma diagnosis is confusing as the symptoms mimic many lung infections
Don't sit there and keep guessing. Consult your physician.
Get Mesothelioma tests done.
An early initiation of treatment will help reduce the cancer pain considerably.
Valuable Imaging techniques used in Mesothelioma tests are X Ray, CT (Computerized tomography), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and PET (Positive Electron Tomography)
Invasive procedures for Tissue and fluid samples are also done. Usually invasive procedures {which invade the body} are required to make a final confirmed Mesothelioma Diagnosis (Thoracoscopy, Peritoneoscopy and Biopsy)
Recently the first ever Blood test for Mesothelioma have been devised as reported by Pacific North-West Research Institute. This is based on the fact that Mesothelioma cells release tumor markers called SMR (Soluble mesothelin-related) proteins.
Two important questions you should answer before you go ahead with the Mesothelioma diagnosis are:
Have you been exposed to asbestos? (Although not all the Mesothelioma cases are direct results of asbestos exposure there is a strong association between the two.)
Do you experience Mesothelioma symptoms?
Tips
If you suspect that you have been exposed to asbestos then get Mesothelioma tests done at the earliest.
Warnings
Mis-Diagnosis and late diagnosis is a grave error in Mesothelioma as the treatment becomes difficult with late diagnosis.
Dr. Mateen M.D. shares his expert opinions and Information on the Deadly Cancer Mesothelioma on his site
Mesothelioma Cancer
Guide. Also visit our Lawyers
section and Mesothelioma
FAQs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Abdul_Mateen
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