Mesothelioma info

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a thin membrane that lines the chest and abdomen and surrounds the organs in these areas. The lining around the lungs is called the pleura and in the abdomen it is known as the peritoneum. Our body’s internal organs often require the ability to move within the chest and abdominal cavity. These are normal bodily motions of expansion and contraction. For organs to move freely in the body they require the lubrication of the mesothelium. Not only does it spread easily to other parts of the body, mesothelioma initiates within these areas, causing a serious health consequence to the normal body functions.

Mesotheliomas are uncommon cancers, although they are becoming more frequent. Currently, about 3000 people in the USA are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. For every person with peritoneal mesothelioma there will be about 12 people who have pleural mesothelioma. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos, or by home renovation using asbestos cement products. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking, but the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure greatly increases the risk of lung cancer.

Among types of mesothelioma, there are generally three recognized forms in which it can manifest. The first and most common is pleural mesothelioma, which develops in the pleural lining of the lung. The second and less common variety is malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, a cancer of the abdominal lining. The rarest form of mesothelioma is malignant pericardial mesothelioma, a cancer of the pericardial lining of the heart.

The only known cause for each of these three forms is exposure to asbestos. While there have been instances in which a patient’s history did not include, or did not directly include asbestos exposure, it is blamed in the vast majority of cases. There is no known cure for mesothelioma and prognoses are generally poor. Treatments are readily available in most cases, the most widely used being chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Surgery may be an option but by the time mesothelioma manifests itself in terms of symptoms, stage at diagnosis may have already ruled this treatment route out. New treatments are being diligently pursued, including multi-faceted treatment programs incorporating two or more of the above treatment programs into a single patient’s care. Through awareness of mesothelioma, asbestos, and the potential health consequences we can begin ridding ourselves of this unfortunate disease.

Unfortunately, the early mesothelioma symptoms are often ignored or mistaken for minor ailments because they are not specific to the disease.

Therefore, it is critical to investigate one’s exposure to asbestos. While pain in the lower back or at the side of the chest, shortness of breath, trouble swallowing, cough, fever, sweating, fatigue and weight loss may be common to many minor ailments, it is the knowledge that these mesothelioma symptoms are present in a person with a high likelihood of asbestos exposure that should raise a red flag. Mesothelioma symptoms and signs from mesotheliomas depend upon location of the mesothelioma, its size and whether it is benign or malignant. Benign forms of the disease are generally asymptomatic.

The symptomatology of malignant mesotheliomas is due to tumour growth resulting in invasion of surrounding structures and/or the production of fluid (pleural effusion, ascites, or pericardial effusion). Chest pain may be caused by invasion of the chest wall. Pleural effusion causes collapse of adjacent lung and shortness of breath.
Mesothelioma symptoms of distant spread are possible, but uncommon since the tumour is usually a local problem and blood borne spread is uncommon.
Patients with more advanced disease may be ill generally with fever, night sweats and weight loss
Involvement of the membrane around the heart (pericardium) may cause heart rhythm disturbances.

• In the United States, 2,000-3,000 patients are diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma each year.

• Mesothelioma affects men more frequently than women and is more common in white Americans.

• The median age of onset of symptoms is 70.

• Seven percent of workers exposed to asbestos become affected.

• The latent period between exposure to asbestos and the onset of symptoms can be 20-40 years.

• The median survival time is between 4-12 months, depending on the stage of presentation. The three-year survival is 10 percent and the overall five-year survival is approximately 5 percent.

Continue to pleural mesothelioma.

Continue to peritoneal mesothelioma.

Continue to pericardiral mesothelioma.