Introduction to Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is caused by excessive exposure to asbestos. People usually get exposed to asbestos by inhaling tiny fibers of it from atmosphere. Mesothelium is protective lining on internal organs of the body. On lungs it is called "pleura", on heart it is called "pericardium", and on abdominal cavity it is called "peritoneum."
When Mesothelium is exposed with asbestos, it starts dividing in uncontrolled manner and this condition is called Cancer. Since, it caused on Mesothelium tissue the cancer is called "Mesothelioma". Further, Mesothelioma is categorized into three types: Epithelial which is the most common type of all, Sarcomatoid which is the rarest one and last Biphasic which is the combination of both Epithelial and Sarcomatoid.

Introduction to Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma

This type of cancer is rarest as well as most serious form of cancer as it responds at a snail's pace to the treatment. This is called rarest form of cancer as it is found only in 10% to 20% of the patients. In this type of cancer, the cells transform as spindle-shaped pattern that overlap each other and occurs from support tissues of the body such as cartilage, bone, fat and muscle. In advanced stages, it spreads to other parts of the body from these areas such as abdominal organs, lymph nodes, lungs, or chest wall. Cancer in these areas is very painful and difficult to treat and therefore patients suffering with this disease hardly live as long as six months after diagnosis.

Diagnosis and Symptoms of Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma

Diagnosis of this disease is very difficult because its symptoms are similar to those of other respiratory diseases. It is usually diagnosed during biopsy by the extraction of affected tissue. Symptoms of this disease appear after 30 to 40 years after being exposed to asbestos. Therefore, people usually come to know about their disease during advanced stages because of which it responds poorly to the treatment. The common symptoms of Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma are pain because of fluid retention in the pleural area, spinal swelling and cough, accumulation of fluid in abdominal cavity and weight loss. Apart from these symptoms fever, anemia, and blood clotting abnormality are some most common symptoms.

By Cristen Scott