Cancer Studies > cancer > Peritoneal Cancer

Peritoneal CancerPeritoneal cancer is a rare form of cancer that arises in the peritoneum, a thin sheet of fine lines the inside of the abdomen and covers the uterus and extends over the bladder and rectum. The peritoneum is made of epithelial cells. By producing a lubricating fluid, the peritoneum helps organs move smoothly into the stomach. Peritoneal cancer looks and behaves like ovarian cancer, but minimally involved ovaries. Women who develop cancer of the ovaries, the ovaries removed after earlier, probably have peritoneal cancer.

The surface of the ovaries is also made of epithelial cells. Therefore, peritoneal cancer and the most common form of cancer of the ovary, called epithelial cancer, producing some of the same symptoms and are often treated in the same way. Furthermore, women at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, particularly because of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations, include an increased risk of peritoneal cancer.

Peritoneal Cancer Symptoms

In the earliest stages of peritoneal cancer symptoms can very vague and difficult to recognize. Like ovarian cancer, the diseases often produce no symptoms until late in its development. When symptoms of peritoneal cancer do develop, they are similar to those of ovarian cancer. Symptoms may include:

  • General abdominal discomfort and pain, such as gas, indigestion, pressure, swelling, bloating or cramps
  • Nausea, diarrhea, constipation and frequent urination
  • Loss of appetite
  • Feeling full even after a light meal
  • Weight gain or loss with no known cause
  • Abnormal bleeding from the vagina

Diagnostic Peritoneal Cancer

In making a diagnosis of peritoneal cancer, your doctor will begin by asking about one of the symptoms can be experienced, like checking your medical history and perform a thorough physical exam. The following tests may be conducted:

  • Pelvic Exam – This test is feeling the uterus, vagina, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder and rectum to find an abnormality in their shape or size.
  • Ultrasound – This refers to the use of high-frequency sound waves directed at the ovaries. The pattern of the echoes they produce creates a picture called an echo. Healthy tissues, fluid-filled cysts and tumors look different on this picture.
  • CA-125 Assay – This is a blood test used to measure the level of CA-125, a tumor marker that is often found in higher-than-normal amounts in the blood of women with ovarian cancer or peritoneal cancer.
  • Computed Tomography (CT) Scan – This is a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body created by a computer linked to an X-ray machine.
  • Lower GI series or barium enema – This is a series of X-rays of the colon and rectum. The pictures are taken after the patient is given an enema with a white, chalky solution containing barium, the colon and rectum on the X-ray, making tumors or other abnormal areas easier to see sketches.
  • Biopsy – This test involves removing tissue from the suspicious area for examination under a microscope. A pathologist examines the tissue for a diagnosis. To obtain the tissue, the surgeon performs a laparotomy, a surgery to open the abdomen. If cancer is suspected, the surgeon performing an oophorectomy, which the entire ovary is removed. Occasionally a needle biopsy is performed, but this is not generally performed in ovarian tumors as a planned operation.

Peritoneal Cancer Treatment

Treatment for peritoneal cancer will depend on several factors, including:

  • The stage of your cancer or how advanced it is
  • How extensive your cancer has spread or spread to other parts of the body
  • Your general health

You and your doctor will work together on the most effective treatment plan that best meets your needs develop.

Treatment for peritoneal cancer, combinations of the following approaches:

  • Surgery – Surgery can be used to diagnose and treat cancer if the peritoneum where the cancer started to grow is unclear, or if you have a pelvic mass. This procedure is called keyhole surgery, the tumor is removed from the inside of the abdomen where the cancer started to grow.
  • Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer drugs, usually injected into a vein. The drugs used for peritoneal cancer compared to those anti-cancer drugs used to treat ovarian cancer. Depending on the drugs used for chemotherapy, this treatment can be given weekly or every two to three weeks. In most cases, patients receive treatment on an outpatient basis.
  • Supportive care – unfortunately, in some cases, peritoneal cancer is not diagnosed until it has advanced. Supportive care, also known as palliative care, is designed for patients whose disease has progressed to the point where they are too ill to continue with intensive chemotherapy. Supportive care is directed at the symptoms of peritoneal cancer, including pain relief, weight loss and fluid in the abdomen, which can be removed during a procedure called abdominal paracentesis.

Related posts:

  1. Primary Peritoneal Cancer
  2. Signs and Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer
  3. Ovarian Cancer Treatments
  4. Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer
  5. Treatment for Breast Cancer
  6. Breast Cancer Treatment
  7. Breast Cancer Lumpectomy
  8. Breast Cancer Chemo
  9. Breast Cancer Hormone Therapy
  10. Chemotherapy Breast Cancer

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