Treating Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Tennessee workers know a lot about the causes and effects of mesothelioma. What they may not understand is peritoneal mesothelioma. Mesothelioma can develop in the lining of the abdomen, the peritoneum, when asbestos fibers are swallowed. Peritoneal mesothelioma is much less common than the pleural form, which is caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers. Women are more likely to develop this form of the disease than men. It can be very challenging to treat this type of cancer.

Understanding Peritoneal Mesothelioma

With peritoneal mesothelioma, tumors can form throughout the abdominal cavity. Sometimes, they can grow over the surface of an entire organ. The preferred treatment for this is cytoreduction. Cytoreduction means surgically removing tumors from organs, and it can truly save lives. Unfortunately, sometimes cytoreduction just isn’t enough to treat peritoneal mesothelioma. Sometimes, surgeons need to remove entire organs.

When a whole organ needs to be removed, the surgery is called organ resection. When it comes to peritoneal mesothelioma, surgeons have had to remove the large intestine, spleen, bladder, kidney and pancreas to help heal patients. The peritoneal type accounts for just 10%-15% of all mesothelioma cases. However, it can be one of the most devastating manifestations of this cancer. Typically, specialists treat people who have peritoneal mesothelioma.

Patients who need to have a whole organ removed often deal with more complications than other mesothelioma sufferers. Their hospital stays are often a day or so longer than others. That can translate to thousands of dollars in additional medical costs. People who need this level of care for mesothelioma should think about contacting a lawyer.

Mesothelioma is usually contracted in workplaces whether that means a factory or ships for the US Navy. This cancer can be prevented when workers are provided with the proper personal protective equipment (PPE). Individuals who have developed peritoneal mesothelioma may be able to collect damages from their former employers.