Dr. Schiffman received his B.S. degree with High Honors in biology from Hobart College in 1976. He then moved to Chicago where he studied biochemistry at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle. He attended Rush Medical College where he received his M.D. degree in 1982 and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his Internal Medicine internship and residency at the University of California, Irvine.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
Like most cancers, the prognosis for this disease often
depends on how early it is diagnosed and how aggressively it is treated. Unfortunately, mesothelioma is often found at a stage in which a cure is unobtainable. Many will succumb to the disease within one year of diagnosis.
Mesothelioma treatment options (traditional and new
treatments being studied)
Treatment options are determined by the stage of mesothelioma (the extent to which the tumor has spread in the body). There are three staging systems currently in use, and each one measures somewhat different variables.
The oldest staging system and the one most often used is the Butchart system, which
is based mainly on the extent of primary tumor mass and divides mesotheliomas
into four stages.
Butchart system extent of primary tumor mass
Stage I: Mesothelioma is present in the right or left pleura and may also involve the diaphragm on the same side.
Stage II: Mesothelioma invades the chest wall or involves the esophagus, heart, or pleura on both sides. Lymph nodes in the chest may also be involved.
Stage III: Mesothelioma has penetrated through the diaphragm into the lining of the abdominal cavity or peritoneum. Lymph nodes beyond those in the chest may also be involved.
Stage IV: There is evidence of metastasis or spread through the bloodstream to other organs.
The more recent TNM system considers variables of tumor in mass and spread,
lymph node involvement, and metastasis.
TNM system: variables of T (tumor), N (lymph nodes), and M (metastasis)
Stage I: Mesothelioma involves right or left pleura and may also have spread to the lung, pericardium, or diaphragm on the same side. Lymph nodes are not involved.
Stage II: Mesothelioma has spread from the pleura on one side to nearby lymph nodes next to the lung on the same side. It may also have spread into the lung, pericardium, or diaphragm on the same side.
Stage III: Mesothelioma is now in the chest wall, muscle, ribs, heart, esophagus, or other organs in the chest on the same side with or without spread to lymph nodes on the same side as the primary tumor.
Stage IV: Mesothelioma has spread into the lymph nodes in the chest on the side opposite the primary tumor, extended to the pleura or lung on the opposite side, or directly extended into organs in the abdominal cavity or neck. Any distant metastases is included in this stage.
The Brigham system is the latest system and stages mesothelioma according to
resectability (the ability to surgically remove the tumor) and lymph node
involvement.
Brigham system: variables of tumor resectability and nodal status
Stage I: resectable mesothelioma and no lymph node involvement
Stage II: resectable mesothelioma but with lymph node involvement
Stage III: unresectable mesothelioma extending into chest wall, heart, or through diaphragm, peritoneum; with or without extrathoracic lymph-node involvement
Lung cancer kills more men and women than any other form of cancer. Eight out of 10 lung cancers are due
to tobacco smoke. Lung cancers are classified as either small cell or non-small
cell cancers.
Chest pain is a common complaint by a patient in the ER. Causes of chest pain include broken or bruised ribs, pleurisy, pneumothorax, shingles, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, angina, heart attack, costochondritis, pericarditis, aorta or aortic dissection, and reflux esophagitis. Diagnosis and treatment of chest pain depends upon the cause and clinical presentation of the patient's chest pain.
Pleurisy, an inflammation of the lining around the lungs, is associated with sharp chest pain upon breathing in. Cough, chest tenderness, and shortness of breath are other symptoms associated with pleurisy. Pleurisy pain can be managed with pain medication and by external splinting of the chest wall.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
Pleural effusion is an excess fluid between the two membranes that envelop the lungs. There are two classifications of causes of pleural effusion; transudate and exudate. The treatment of pleural effusion depends on the cause.
Though it's difficult to say why some people develop cancer while others don't, research shows that certain risk factors increase a person's odds of developing cancer. These risk factors include growing older, family history of cancer, diet, alcohol and tobacco use, and exposure to sunlight, ionizing radiation, certain chemicals, and some viruses and bacteria.
Asbestos exposure lung disease is divided into three main types, asbestosis (lung scarring caused by asbestos fibers), disease of the lining of the lung (pleural plaques, scarring, or fluid accumulation), and lung cancer. Mesothelioma is cancer of the lining of the lung caused by asbestos exposure. Cancers of the larynx, throat, kidney, esophagus, and gallbladder have been linked to asbestos exposure. Treatment is dependant upon the type of condition related to asbestos exposure.
The lungs are primarily responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the air we breathe and the blood. Eliminating carbon dioxide from the blood is important, because as it builds up in the blood, headaches, drowsiness, coma, and eventually death may occur. The air we breathe in (inhalation) is warmed, humidified, and cleaned by the nose and the lungs.
Cancer RSS
Healthy Living Tips
This site complies with the