Many serious conditions have difficult to pronounce names. Although you don’t have to be a doctor to break the word “mesothelioma,” it’s easy to see how a name can be misleading and hard to say. How do you pronounce mesothelioma?
What is pleural mesothelioma?
Pleural mesothelioma (malignant mesothelioma) is a rare malignant tumor originating from the superficial cells of the pleural lining. Sometimes it can also develop in the pericardium and peritoneum. Pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer that is most often diagnosed in men over the age of 60. Unfortunately, due to the low characteristic symptoms, it is diagnosed late and treatment is usually not successful.
Where the word comes from
The term “mesothelioma” is a combination of “mesothelioma” and “-oma”.
Looking more closely, “mesothelial” is a layer of cells lining the body cavity, including the pleura, peritoneum, mediastinum and pericardium. Put simply, it is a protective layer covering internal organs. The pleura is the lining of the lungs, and this layer is the most common area in which mesothelioma occurs.
The “-oma” suffix is used to create tumor names. An example is lymphoma, which is cancer of the lymph tissue.
How to pronounce
Now that we understand where the name of the disease comes from, let’s discuss how to pronounce it.
me · so · the · li · o · ma | \ ˌMe-zə-ˌthē-lē-ˈō-mə, ˌMē-, -sə- \
plural mesotheliomas also mesotheliomas \ ˌme- zə- ˌthē- lē- ˈō- mə- tə, ˌMē-, – sə- \
What are the causes of pleural mesothelioma?
Asbestos is one of the main causes of pleural mesothelioma. This cancer most often affects employees of asbestos processing plants, shipyard workers, railwaymen, car mechanics or employees of the construction and heating industries. In most cases, mesothelioma develops a few years after exposure to the body, therefore, although asbestos has been withdrawn and exposure has been minimized, the incidence of distant exposure to asbestos continues to increase. Despite confirmed research, it has been noticed that not all patients are able to prove exposure to asbestos.
How is pleural mesothelioma treated?
Treatment of pleural mesothelioma involves its surgical removal. In the case of limited lesions, it is best to cut the tumor completely. In the case of diffuse lesions, resection of the tumor itself is very rarely possible, usually the entire lung and pleura are completely removed. Since mesothelioma is usually detected at a much advanced stage, radical surgery leading to complete tumor removal is rarely possible. More often, surgery is performed to reduce discomfort (e.g. pleural talk). In addition, radiation (radiation) and chemotherapy are used.
