Peritoneal Mesothelioma is a cancer of the abdomen lining caused due to prolonged exposure to asbestos. Thousands of lawsuits are handled every year dealing with the issue of peritoneal mesothelioma and its effects. Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal swelling. Fluid commonly accumulates in the abdominal cavity causing the swelling and pain. The symptoms can become quite serous over time, as the swelling will exert great force on surrounding organs and lead to great pain. If diagnosed at an early stage, than there are chances of survival, depending upon on how advanced the cancer is at the time of the diagnosis. Treatment with radiation or chemotherapy and early diagnosis can be of great help. In fact, these treatments can help a patient to survive for a long time. It is often true that if the cancer is found early and treated aggressively, almost half of the patients whose cancer is found early reach the two-year mark and about 20% survive five years. For peritoneal mesothelioma, patients are often informed that they wont be able to live for more than one year. But peritoneal mesothelioma specialists, working in leading cancer centers throughout the world, often report better statistics than this, based upon the clinical trials that they are carrying out. |
