What is Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that develops from Mesothelium. Mesothelium is a thin tissue layer that covers many of the internal organs of the body.
1. What is stage 1 Mesothelioma
2. Symptoms of stage 1 Mesothelioma
3. Survival rate for stage 1 Mesothelioma
4. Treatment options for stage 1 Mesothelioma
It is very difficult to identify mesothelioma at the first stage as patients rarely notice any symptoms.
At the early stage, mesothelioma symptoms are generally mistaken for more common diseases such as pneumonia, asthma or flu. Treatment options available for mesothelioma are comparatively more effective if it could be diagnosed at the stage 1.
At stage 1 mesothelioma patients usually feel no difficulty in breathing and the tumor is also too small to cause any pain.
In many cases, stage 1 mesothelioma is diagnosed accidentally when patients go to hospital for some medical tests like X ray or CT scan for some other medical problems.
Symptoms of stage 1 Pleural mesothelioma are similar to the symptoms caused by other lung diseases like asthma and pneumonia. Due to build up of fluid in the lung's lining patients may feel slight to moderate pressure in the chest.
In case of peritoneal mesothelioma, similar kind of pressure is felt in the abdominal area which is caused by build up of excess fluid in the lining of abdomen.
These are the main symptoms of stage 1 mesothelioma but if you have been exposed to asbestos in the past and you notice any of the symptoms mentioned below, you must visit your doctor-
*Chest pressure
*Chest pain
*Shortness of breath
*Persistent cough
*Nausea
*Fever
*Abdominal pain
Diagnosis of Mesothelioma at stage 1 has more favorable prognosis in comparison to its diagnosis at later stages. It has been found that nearly 41% to 46% of stage 1 mesothelioma patients can survive 2 years but only 18% can survive 5 years.
Various factors like cancer cell type, fitness level of the body, age of the patient etc. decide the life expectancy of the stage 1 mesothelioma patient.
As cancer cells are confined to the lining of one lung in the first stage of mesothelioma, it is easier to treat it. Treatment options available for stage 1 mesothelioma patients are-
*Surgery
*Chemotherapy
*Radiation Therapy
Generally chemotherapy is performed when the patient has recovered from the surgery. With the help of chemotherapy it is possible to kill the remaining cancer cells.
Traditionally radiation therapy is used after surgery. Local re-occurrence can be prevented with the help of Radiation therapy.
Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that develops from Mesothelium. Mesothelium is a thin tissue layer that covers many of the internal organs of the body.
Stages of Mesothelioma
There are 4 stages of mesothelioma. By classifying mesothelioma into different stages doctors can choose the best treatment plan for the patients. Diagnosis of mesothelioma at early stages have many benefits like better prognosis, higher life expectancy, availability of more treatment options etc. Here we will discuss the stage 1 mesothelioma.Stage 1 Mesothelioma
This article covers the following information about the Mesothelioma stage 1 :1. What is stage 1 Mesothelioma
2. Symptoms of stage 1 Mesothelioma
3. Survival rate for stage 1 Mesothelioma
4. Treatment options for stage 1 Mesothelioma
What is stage 1 Mesothelioma
In the stage 1 of mesothelioma the tumor is localized in the mesothelial lining of the lung. At this early stage mesothelioma cancer cells have not spread to distant organs or lymph nodes.It is very difficult to identify mesothelioma at the first stage as patients rarely notice any symptoms.
At the early stage, mesothelioma symptoms are generally mistaken for more common diseases such as pneumonia, asthma or flu. Treatment options available for mesothelioma are comparatively more effective if it could be diagnosed at the stage 1.
Symptoms of Stage 1 Mesothelioma
The reason behind why mesothelioma is generally not diagnosed at the stage 1 is that most patients do not notice any symptoms or the symptoms are so mild that they feel no need of any medical advice.At stage 1 mesothelioma patients usually feel no difficulty in breathing and the tumor is also too small to cause any pain.
In many cases, stage 1 mesothelioma is diagnosed accidentally when patients go to hospital for some medical tests like X ray or CT scan for some other medical problems.
Symptoms of stage 1 Pleural mesothelioma are similar to the symptoms caused by other lung diseases like asthma and pneumonia. Due to build up of fluid in the lung's lining patients may feel slight to moderate pressure in the chest.
In case of peritoneal mesothelioma, similar kind of pressure is felt in the abdominal area which is caused by build up of excess fluid in the lining of abdomen.
These are the main symptoms of stage 1 mesothelioma but if you have been exposed to asbestos in the past and you notice any of the symptoms mentioned below, you must visit your doctor-
*Chest pressure
*Chest pain
*Shortness of breath
*Persistent cough
*Nausea
*Fever
*Abdominal pain
Survival Rate for Stage 1 Mesothelioma
Survival rate is actually the percentage of patients who were still alive for a fixed amount of time after they were diagnosed with mesothelioma. Statistics of thousands of patients is collected for calculating the survival rates.Diagnosis of Mesothelioma at stage 1 has more favorable prognosis in comparison to its diagnosis at later stages. It has been found that nearly 41% to 46% of stage 1 mesothelioma patients can survive 2 years but only 18% can survive 5 years.
Various factors like cancer cell type, fitness level of the body, age of the patient etc. decide the life expectancy of the stage 1 mesothelioma patient.
Treatment Options for Stage 1 Mesothelioma
The treatment options that are available for mesothelioma are most effective for stage 1 mesothelioma as compared to for later stages. Surgery is the main treatment option for stage 1 mesothelioma but for better results it is performed with chemotherapy or radiation therapy or with the combination of both.As cancer cells are confined to the lining of one lung in the first stage of mesothelioma, it is easier to treat it. Treatment options available for stage 1 mesothelioma patients are-
*Surgery
*Chemotherapy
*Radiation Therapy
Surgery
For stage 1 pleural mesothelioma patients, two types of surgery options are available. In the first option, diseased tissue around the lung is removed while other technique removes the lung as well.Chemotherapy
As mentioned earlier, chemotherapy is used in combination with surgery for stage 1 mesothelioma but doctors may also suggest to use this therapy on its own.Generally chemotherapy is performed when the patient has recovered from the surgery. With the help of chemotherapy it is possible to kill the remaining cancer cells.
Radiation Therapy
It has been found that by applying radiation therapy after surgery, it is possible to improve survival rates in case of some stage 1 mesothelioma patients.Traditionally radiation therapy is used after surgery. Local re-occurrence can be prevented with the help of Radiation therapy.
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