Mesothelioma

Aka: Mesothelioma, Diffuse Malignant Mesothelioma

advertisement

II. Definition

  1. Asbestos-related Lung Cancer

III. Risk Factors

  1. Asbestos Exposure (even minor exposure)
  2. Tobacco Abuse

IV. Epidemiology

  1. Incidence: 2000 new cases in U.S. per year

V. Symptoms

  1. Chest Pain
  2. Dyspnea

VI. Imaging

  1. Chest XRay
    1. Unilateral Pleural Effusion
  2. Chest CT
    1. Pleura may appear irregular

VII. Presentations

  1. Vague cardiopulmonary symptoms
  2. Superior Vena Cava Syndrome
  3. Horner's Syndrome
  4. Dysphagia

VIII. Managament

  1. Palliative radiation
  2. No protocol improves survival

IX. Prognosis

  1. Uniformly fatal
  2. Median survival: 6-18 months from diagnosis

X. References

  1. O'Reilly (2007) Am Fam Physician 75:683-90 [PubMed]
  2. Robinson (2005) N Engl J Med 353:1591-603 [PubMed]

Images: Related links to external sites (from Bing)

These images are a random sampling from a Bing search on the term "Mesothelioma." Click on the image (or right click) to open the source website in a new browser window. Search Bing for all related images

Related Studies

Related Topics in Hematology and Oncology

advertisement