Mesothelioma Cancer

Listen to an audio summary on Mesothelioma Cancer.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer affecting the membrane
lining of the lungs and abdomen.
Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious of all asbestos-related
diseases. The primary cause and risk factor for mesothelioma is exposure
to asbestos.
Making a correct mesothelioma diagnosis is particularly difficult for doctors
because the disease often presents with symptoms that mimic other
common ailments. There is currently no known cure for mesothelioma, but
treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy can help to improve the
typicalmesothelioma prognosis.
Pleural mesothelioma (affecting the lungs protective lining in the chest
cavity) represents about three quarters of all mesothelioma
incidence. Peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the abdominal cavity,
and pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the cardiac cavity, comprise
the remainder.

There are three recognized mesothelioma cell types. Between 50% and
70% of all mesotheliomas are of the epithelial variety. While prognosis is
generally poor, it is considered less aggressive than sarcomatoid
mesothelioma and biphasic mesothelioma, which comprise the remainder
of cell-type diagnoses.
The cavities within the body encompassing the chest, abdomen, and heart
are surrounded by a membrane of cells known as the mesothelium.
Mesothelial cells assist in general organ functions. The mesothelium is
particularly important to organs that are commonly in motion, such as
expansion or contraction of the lungs, stomach, or heart. Lubrication from
the mesothelial cells allows free range of motion within the body. The
mesothelium of the chest, abdomen, and cardiac cavity are called the
pleura, the peritoneum, and the pericardium, respectively. Each of these
groupings of mesothelial cells is extremely critical to the functions of the
body structures which they encompass.
Malignancies (cancerous tumors) occurring within the mesothelial
membranes are known as malignant mesothelioma, or simply
mesothelioma. Benign tumors of the mesothelium are known to occur, but
are much more rare than malignant mesothelial tumors.

While tumors of the mesothelium were first recognized in the late 18th
century, it was not until the middle of the 20th century that this particular
cancer was studied and examined with more detail. It was at this time when
suspicions of the cancers causal relationship with asbestos
exposure became more substantiated. A joint research venture through the
Department of Thoracic Surgery at the University of the Witswater and
Johannesburg General Hospital in South Africa provided the most
compelling evidence of the nexus between asbestos exposure and the
development of pleural mesothelioma.
Incidence of mesothelioma is still quite rare, with only 2,500-3,000
diagnoses in the United States each year. There was a spike in reported
diagnoses between 1970 and 1984, which has been attributed to the
latency period between diagnosis and the height of industrial exposures,
which occurred roughly 40-60 years prior to this time. While exposure was
common in nearly all industries, it was particularly prevalent in the WWIIera military industrial cycle, including navy shipyards.
Although this cancer is much more common in men over the age of 60
(largely attributed to the industrial exposures within male-dominated
industries), mesothelioma in women and children has been documented as
well.Mesothelioma causes for diagnosis in women and children are mainly
attributed to secondary exposure to asbestos, as it was not uncommon for
men to bring asbestos back into the home on their bodies or articles of
clothing if proper cleaning facilities were not available on site.

Mesothelioma is diagnosed through a comprehensive combination

of biopsy and imaging scans.
Mesothelioma can be a difficult malignancy to diagnose because the
symptoms of the disease closely resemble other respiratory conditions, and
because the pathology can be very difficult to distinguish from
adenocarcinoma of the lung. For this reason, misdiagnosis is not
uncommon in mesothelioma patients. Symptoms of mesothelioma include

chest pain, chronic cough, effusions of the chest and abdomen, and the
presence of blood in lung fluid.
Diagnostic surgeries, including a biopsy, will typically be required to
determine the type of malignant cells that are present in the body. Typically
a body imaging scan, including a magnetic resonance image (MRI),
computer topography (CT scan), and/or positron emission tomography
(PET), will be required to determine the extent and location of the disease.

While mesothelioma is typically advanced at diagnosis, treatment

options are available.
Mesothelioma, while certainly an aggressive disease, is a manageable
malignancy. While there is no cure for the cancer, mesothelioma
treatmentoptions may potentially include surgery, chemotherapy, and
radiation therapy. A combination of Alimta and Cisplatin is currently the
only FDA approved chemotherapy regimen, though several clinical trials
are currently in progress utilizing other drugs including Gemcitabine and
Onconase, that may lead to new treatment options that provide a benefit for
patients.
Radiation therapy is also utilized, but typically in conjunction with other
treatment methods like surgery and chemotherapy. Surgical resection of
mesothelioma is possible in early-stage-diagnosed patients. Diagnostic and
palliative procedures such as thoracentesis and pleurodesis are also
commonly performed in patients with malignant mesothelioma in order to
minimize cancer-related symptoms.
Alternative therapies have also been used effectively by many
mesothelioma patients to assist in managing symptoms of the disease and
conventional treatments.

Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma is primarily caused by exposure to asbestos, though cases
have been documented in children or other individuals with no asbestos

history. Asbestos is a microscopic and naturally occurring mineral that

lodges in the pleural lining of the lungs and the peritoneal lining of the
abdominal cavity. In most cases, several years will pass (up to 60) before
mesothelioma develops in those who had been exposed to asbestos.

In many cases, those individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma that have

been known to be exposed to asbestos may be eligible for financial
compensation from asbestos manufacturers for their illness. Those who
have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and were exposed to asbestos
should fill out the brief form on this page. Well rush you a complimentary
mesothelioma and asbestos exposure information kit detailing new
mesothelioma treatments, active clinical trials, top doctors, as well as how
to obtain compensation for asbestos-related health conditions like
mesothelioma.