Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Peritoneal Mesothelioma is one of the deadliest and most painful forms of cancer. Fortunately it is also one of the rarer forms of a relatively uncommon cancer, though that is small comfort to the thousands of people that must endure it every day. This terminal condition begins when a person ingests the microscopic jagged asbestos fibers. Asbestos is a naturally-occurring, fibrous mineral that has been used in fireproofing and insulation for millennia, and even since these ancient times those that worked with asbestos tended to die even earlier than other people did.


Peritoneal Mesothelioma has two clinical types which can be differentiated with the help of CT findings, the "dry" type and the "wet". It is classified as "dry" when there are multiple tiny masses or one dominant localized mass and generally little or no ascites. The "wet" type has widespread small nodules, no dominant mass and a presence of ascites.

If fluid is found, the process of eliminating it is through paracentesis; however the analysis of this fluid has limited diagnostic significance. Normally, a definitive diagnosis may be obtained through tissue biopsy.

Staging

As there is currently no staging system for peritoneal mesothelioma, the most popular system for general cancer staging (TNM system) is used. TNM system has the following criteria: (T) status of the tumor, (N) lymph nodes and (M) metastases. Other general categories may also be helpful in order to determine the stage.

Category 1 - with a localized lesion that can entirely be removed (resected)

Category 2 - the disease is located inside the abdominal cavity on peritoneal or organ surfaces where there is a probability of removing as much tumor as possible (debulking)

Category 3 - the disease is located inside the abdominal cavity and invades organs such as liver or colon.

Category 4 - the disease extends outside of the abdominal cavity

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