Pericardial Mesothelioma Cancer Guide

Pericardial mesothelioma cancer affects the tissue around the heart. It is the least commonly diagnosed type of mesothelioma and is very difficult to treat. Symptoms include chest pains, irregular heartbeats, and shortness of breath.

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About Pericardial Mesothelioma

According to a study cited in the Texas Heart Institute Journal (THIJ), pericardial tumors account for less than 10 percent of all types of mesothelioma. This means that 14 to 30 out of every million people are diagnosed each year on average.

The same study also noted that in a sampling of 120 cases involving pericardial mesothelioma, three-quarters of the diagnoses were made after the patients died.

Pericardial mesothelioma gets its name from the part of the body where it is found, the pericardium. The pericardium is the protective double-walled sac that surrounds the heart.

This sac contains pericardial fluid, protecting the heart and its associated veins and arteries from external jolts or shocks.

When a mesothelioma tumor forms anywhere in the pericardial cavity, it will, over time, grow, become malignant, and eventually metastasize.

Development, Symptoms, and Diagnosis

In general, the cancer forms on the outer lining of the pericardium. As a tumor grows over a period that can take as long as five decades before symptoms of mesothelioma become apparent.

Once it has taken root, the tumor can grow in various parts of the cardiovascular system, including the atrium, coronary arteries, coronary sinuses, the myocardium, the heart’s conduction system, the lungs, or regional lymph nodes.

The problem with diagnosing this disease is that symptoms are similar to other diseases of the heart, which are much more common. Typical symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma include:

• Shortness of breath
• Persistent coughing
• Chest pains

In most cases, this cancer can only be detected by using imaging methods such as chest X-rays or magnetic resolution imaging (MRIs). A biopsy then follows this to examine cells under a microscope.

By the time a patient gets a diagnosis of pericardial mesothelioma, the cancer has likely spread beyond the pericardium and metastasized to the lymph nodes or the lungs.

This has been the case in between 30% to 50% of pericardial mesothelioma cases and explains why pericardial diagnoses are more frequently made postmortem.

Risk Factors

The majority of cases of mesothelioma resulted from workplace asbestos exposure. Most of those diagnoses are pleural mesothelioma.

When workers breathed in asbestos fibers, they caused lesions in healthy tissue. The tissue became cancerous over time and created malignant tumors.

Pericardial mesothelioma can develop as a result of exposure to asbestos. Researchers have also linked pericardial mesothelioma to other contributing factors.

These risk factors include hereditary predisposition, conditions that affect the immune system, exposure to radiation, infections, diet, or various types of inflammations.

Treatment

As with asbestos-related mesothelioma, pericardial tumors are presently incurable. Chemotherapy and, to a lesser extent, a form of surgery called pericardiectomy is used in patients with pericardial mesothelioma to cure localized tumors or to relieve the pressure on cardiac tissue.

Most mesothelioma treatments cannot be treated by surgery alone; pericardiectomy operations are always carried out in conjunction with either chemotherapy or radiation.

While these forms of treatment reduce the size of the mesothelioma, they are only life-prolonging measures. Pericardiectomy operations, radiation, and chemotherapy can hardly ever remove tumors in their entirety.

In most cases where a patient has been diagnosed, cancer has already spread to the nearby lymph nodes or the lungs. Other forms of surgery are available to qualified candidates, which focus on removing parts of the cancers instead of the entire tumor.  

A physician will ultimately decide which patients qualify for these surgeries.

Treatment Outcomes

On average, effective treatment helps extend a patient’s life expectancy. According to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF), statistics show that around half of all mesothelioma patients can expect to live for a period that ranges from eight months to around a year and a half.

Naturally, each patient’s prognosis is unique and depends on age, general health, diet, and other lifestyle issues, such as smoking.

In broad terms, patients who are younger, exercise regularly, do not smoke, and have no major health problems will have a better prognosis than older patients who are sedentary, smoke or were heavy smokers, and have pre-existing health problems, including other forms of cancer.

If you received a diagnosis of pericardial mesothelioma, find out what you can do to improve your outcome. Talk to your medical team about treatment options and get started as soon as possible.

Getting Help

Remember to fill out our form to get your free Financial Compensation Packet, with information on experienced asbestos and mesothelioma lawyers in your area. For additional assistance, contact us at 800-793-4540.