Pericardial mesothelioma is the rarest form of thisasbestos-related cancer. This form of cancer affects the lining that surrounds the heart, and is associated with long term exposure to asbestos fibres.
The symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma, can take decades to manifest. If a person worked with asbestos twenty or thirty years ago and shows no symptoms, that does not mean that they have the all clear. The symptoms typically take around twenty or thirty years to manifest anyway, sometimes even longer.
This means that the cancer is usually too advanced to treat effectively by the time it is diagnosed. It is always advisable that people who have worked with asbestos on a frequent basis in the past inform their doctors. Although nothing can be done to speed up the onset of symptoms in order to catch the disease in time to treat, any further delay in diagnosis can be alleviated by making your doctor aware of all the facts so that a speedy diagnosis can be made if the symptoms to manifest.
There are several main symptoms to look out for with pericardial mesothelioma. These include: persistent coughing; shortness of breath; chest pain; palpitations. Anyone that has worked with asbestos and experiences any or all of these symptoms should seek medical advice immediately.
The two most common forms of treatment for pericardial mesothelioma are radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is the most commonly used of the two procedures for this type of mesothelioma, and the one that has proven most successful with pericardial mesothelioma patients to date. However, both types of treatment must be carefully monitored due to the risk they pose to healthy cells as well as affected ones.
To simply relieve symptoms of the disease is a ‘fine needle aspiration.’ This is where a needle is inserted into the chest cavity in order to drain off excess fluid build up caused by the cancer.