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Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma malignum pleurae · Mezoteliom

What it is

A cancer of the lining of the lungs (or abdomen), caused mostly by asbestos, appearing 20–50 years after exposure.

Symptoms & signs

  • Breathlessness from fluid on the lung
  • chest-wall pain
  • weight loss
  • night sweats
  • swollen abdomen in the peritoneal form

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Sudden severe breathlessness or chest pain
  • see a doctor soon Breathlessness or chest pain that keeps getting worse
  • see a doctor soon Past asbestos work with a cough for over 3 weeks
  • see a doctor soon Night sweats or weight loss without trying

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Draining the fluid and pleurodesis
  • nivolumab plus ipilimumab
  • pemetrexed-platinum chemotherapy
  • surgery in selected patients
  • compensation claims for asbestos exposure
  • tumour treating fields — US humanitarian device exemption 2019

Natural & lifestyle

  • Avoid asbestos — have old buildings checked before renovating
  • stop smoking (it multiplies the asbestos lung-cancer risk)
  • early palliative care

Emerging & experimental

  • CAR-T and mesothelin-targeted drugs
  • oncolytic viruses

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Mistletoe (Viscum album) — small studies of quality of life; no proof of longer survival early / small studies
  • Curcumin — lab studies; untested in patients early / small studies
  • Cannabis oil — patient reports; no trial evidence of tumour control anecdotal / traditional

ICD codes