01. What Is Pericardial Mesothelioma?
What Is Pericardial Mesothelioma?
Pericardial mesothelioma is an extremely rare type of cancer that forms in the lining of the heart, called the pericardium.
Cardiac (heart) tumors are very rare. When they do occur, it is often a result ofmetastasisfrom cancer elsewhere in the body. However, pericardial mesothelioma has not been widely linked to the metastasis of cancer in other parts of the body.
In the case of pericardial mesothelioma, there is anecdotal evidence of other conditions (such as pleural empyema) masking the cancer.
Fewer than 200 cases of pericardial mesothelioma have been reported. With so few cases, research is limited. Researchers’ understanding of life expectancy and the most effective treatment continues to evolve.
02. Pericardial Mesothelioma Causes
What Causes Pericardial Mesothelioma?
Due to the lack of reported pericardial mesothelioma cases, research aroundwhat causes this diseaseis limited. However, researchers have determined potential risk factors for pericardial mesothelioma.
Asbestos Exposure and Pericardial Mesothelioma
Pericardial mesothelioma has been linked toasbestos exposure. Other forms of mesothelioma, such as peritoneal andpleural mesothelioma, are caused byasbestos fibers.
Asbestos exposure may occur while atwork,home,schoolor many other locations. Asbestos was widely used before the 1980s. As a result, it can be difficult to pinpoint where and when exposure took place in any万博专业版case.
Inability to detect asbestos exposure can make identifying the cause of pericardial mesothelioma cases very difficult.
03. Pericardial Mesothelioma Symptoms
Symptoms of Pericardial Mesothelioma
Pericardialmesothelioma symptomsare often related to the heart muscle and can be vague. Symptoms may alsotake many years to present. In some cases, the symptoms are never diagnosed. In these instances, pericardial mesothelioma may not be diagnosed until autopsy.
Pericardial mesothelioma develops in the layers of membrane around the heart. Due to the involvement of the heart, patients may experience symptoms at early stages.
Pericardial mesothelioma symptoms are vague and easily attributed to other conditions. This can lead to a difficult diagnostic process and the potential for misdiagnosis.
04. Diagnosing Pericardial Mesothelioma
How Is Pericardial Mesothelioma Diagnosed?
可以诊断恶性心包间皮瘤万博专业版d with a combination of methods, including:
- Echocardiogram
- PET scan
- CT scan
- MRI
- CT-guided liquid biopsy
- Cytology
- Histology
- Immunohistochemistry
- X-ray
Imaging testsmay identify fluid around the heart and any visible pericardial tumors. However, procedures such as echocardiography can only distinguish fluid buildup. It cannot confirm the cause of the fluid buildup as mesothelioma.
Biopsiesare an important step for an accurate diagnosis. In this procedure, a tissue sample from the affected area is analyzed under a microscope. A biopsy can determine cell type and help understand thestage of mesothelioma.
An accuratemesothelioma diagnosisis very important for pericardial mesothelioma. Worsening symptoms can have a severe impact on the body as the disease progresses.
As a result of the disease’s rarity and challenging diagnostic process, many pericardial mesothelioma patients aren’t diagnosed until autopsy. According to researchers, only about 10 – 25% of pericardial mesothelioma cases are diagnosed before a patient’s death.
Misdiagnosis can lead to ineffective treatments and wasted time. To prevent misdiagnosis, patients may want to seek a second opinion to confirm their diagnoses.
05. Pericardial Mesothelioma Treatment
How Is Pericardial Mesothelioma Treated?
Pericardial mesothelioma may be treated with standardmesothelioma treatments, such assurgeryandchemotherapy. Treatment options may vary based on disease stage, symptom severity, patient age and overall patient health.
Treatment options for pericardial mesothelioma include:
- Surgical removal of tumors
- Radiation
- Pericardiectomy:Full or partial removal of the heart lining
- Pericardiocentesis:Draining excess fluid around the heart with a needle
- Pericardial window:Draining excess fluid by cutting a hole in the pericardium
- Chemotherapy:Anti-cancer drugs, most often platinum-based (cisplatinorcarboplatin) andpemetrexed
Most pericardial mesothelioma researchers urge amultimodal approach to treatment. Multimodal treatment plans combine two or more therapy types. For pericardial mesothelioma, patients treated with surgery and chemotherapy have had the best outcomes.
Treatment plans depend largely on the stage of the disease and the aim of the treatment. Currently, there are狗万1.0 .
However, surgical tumor removal and chemotherapy may maximizemesothelioma patient’s life expectancy.
For late-stage diagnoses, treatment may be limited to palliative options.Palliative treatmentsaim to reduce symptoms and improve patient quality of life.
06. Pericardial Mesothelioma Prognosis
What Is the Prognosis for Pericardial Mesothelioma?
Theprognosisfor pericardial mesothelioma is generally poor. The life expectancy forperitoneal mesotheliomais about six months. However, some patients have lived much longer.
- Researchers compared the survival periods of patients who received a single treatment versus those with multimodal treatment.Those with a single form had a median survival of 4.5 months, versus 16 months for the multimodal patients.
- One case report documented a 54-year-old woman who hassurvived more than 4 years post-treatment and recurrence.Both times, doctors treated her cancer with a combination of chemotherapy and surgical resection.
The rarity of pericardial mesothelioma poses a problem for researchers. For instance,clinical trialsfor pericardial mesothelioma are difficult to execute because there are so few cases.
Newer therapies used on other forms of mesothelioma may have similar effects on pericardial mesothelioma. For example,immunotherapyhas proven to be effective in treating othertypes of mesothelioma.
However, further research is needed to understand the intricacies of pericardial mesothelioma.
Pericardial mesothelioma is very rare and often has a less favorable prognosis than other forms of the cancer. However, patients diagnosed with the heart cancer should discuss their case with amesothelioma specialistto determine their options.
