What is Mesothelioma?. Malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, originates in many of the protective linings that cover major organs in the abdomen and chest. There are approximately 3,500 people diagnosed each year in the United States. Pleural mesothelioma, the most common type of mesothelioma grows in the pleural space ( the area between the chest wall and lung) and then progresses to the lung itself and other areas in the thoracic (chest) cavity. When it occurs in the abdomen, it is referred to as peritoneal mesothelioma and approximately 300 patients are diagnosed with this yearly in the United States. Other rare sites of occurrence include the pericardium (lining of the heart) and tunica vaginalis (lining membrane of the testicles), or scrotal lining.
Are there different types of mesothelioma??
Looking under the microscope, the pathologist is able to distinguish three distinct types of mesothelioma based on the appearance of the cells. The majority of mesothelioma is of the epithelial type, which, under the microscope, resembles adenocarcinoma cells (like those found in lung cancer). Special staining will be applied to your biopsy specimen to differentiate epithelial mesothelioma from lung cancer and from other tumors that are adenocarcinoma. Sarcomatoid mesothelioma is a more aggressive type of mesothelioma. Sarcomatoid occurs in approximately 7- 20% of all malignant mesotheliomas. Biphasic or mixed, mesothelioma accounts for approximately 20-30% of malignant mesothelioma diagnoses, and is a combination of both epithelial and sarcomatoid mesothelioma.
As the field of mesothelioma science evolves, it is important to know the type of mesothelioma as we are developing agents that target mesothelin, a protein found on the outside of epithealial mesothelioma cells. This may prove to be a very important way of treating malignant mesothelioma by using "smart drugs" with known targets rather than a more generalized approach to treatment.
Surgical series are also reporting statistical differences among the various subtypes of mesothelioma. There are currently plans underway to develop strategies to determine who benefits from each type of treatment modality. In the future, we hope to guide the therapy for mesothelioma based on patients' unique cancer signature of proteins, genes, or other molecules.
What are the Pleura??
In pleural mesothelioma the initial site of disease is most often the pleura, an important thin membrane that lines the inside of the chest wall (parietal pleura), or the visceral pleura, which lines the lungs. THe pleura is a sheet-like lining formed by rectangular cells called mesothelial cells, and is usually not more than a few layers thick. If unaffected by disease, it is comparable in thickness to that of a blown-up ballon membrane. There are two pleuras in the chest. The parietal pleura lines the inside of the chest wall like wallpaper, covering not only the inside of the ribs but also the diaphragm and pericardium. The normal parietal pleura is no more than 2 to 3 mm thick, whereas the normal visceral pleura is fused to the lung and is about 1 mm thick. The visceral pleura is a separate pleura that covers the lung and is much more difficult to remove without harming the lung. THe job of the pleura is to filter fluid back and forth from the chest to the circulation. If the pleura become diseased, it is not as effective in eliminating fluid from the chest, and fluid accumulation (pleural effusion) can occur.
Are there different types of mesothelioma??
Looking under the microscope, the pathologist is able to distinguish three distinct types of mesothelioma based on the appearance of the cells. The majority of mesothelioma is of the epithelial type, which, under the microscope, resembles adenocarcinoma cells (like those found in lung cancer). Special staining will be applied to your biopsy specimen to differentiate epithelial mesothelioma from lung cancer and from other tumors that are adenocarcinoma. Sarcomatoid mesothelioma is a more aggressive type of mesothelioma. Sarcomatoid occurs in approximately 7- 20% of all malignant mesotheliomas. Biphasic or mixed, mesothelioma accounts for approximately 20-30% of malignant mesothelioma diagnoses, and is a combination of both epithelial and sarcomatoid mesothelioma.
As the field of mesothelioma science evolves, it is important to know the type of mesothelioma as we are developing agents that target mesothelin, a protein found on the outside of epithealial mesothelioma cells. This may prove to be a very important way of treating malignant mesothelioma by using "smart drugs" with known targets rather than a more generalized approach to treatment.
Surgical series are also reporting statistical differences among the various subtypes of mesothelioma. There are currently plans underway to develop strategies to determine who benefits from each type of treatment modality. In the future, we hope to guide the therapy for mesothelioma based on patients' unique cancer signature of proteins, genes, or other molecules.
What are the Pleura??
In pleural mesothelioma the initial site of disease is most often the pleura, an important thin membrane that lines the inside of the chest wall (parietal pleura), or the visceral pleura, which lines the lungs. THe pleura is a sheet-like lining formed by rectangular cells called mesothelial cells, and is usually not more than a few layers thick. If unaffected by disease, it is comparable in thickness to that of a blown-up ballon membrane. There are two pleuras in the chest. The parietal pleura lines the inside of the chest wall like wallpaper, covering not only the inside of the ribs but also the diaphragm and pericardium. The normal parietal pleura is no more than 2 to 3 mm thick, whereas the normal visceral pleura is fused to the lung and is about 1 mm thick. The visceral pleura is a separate pleura that covers the lung and is much more difficult to remove without harming the lung. THe job of the pleura is to filter fluid back and forth from the chest to the circulation. If the pleura become diseased, it is not as effective in eliminating fluid from the chest, and fluid accumulation (pleural effusion) can occur.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar