Mesothelioma and Asbestos

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer in which malignant (cancerous) cells are found in the mesothelium, a protective sac that covers most of the body’s internal organs. Most people who develop mesothelioma possess worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles.

# What is the mesothelium?

The mesothelium is a membrane that covers as well as defends most of the internal organs of the body. It is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it. The mesothelium makes a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart as well as the expanding as well as contracting lungs) to glide easily against adjacent structures.

The mesothelium has dissimilar names, depending on its location in the body. The peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that covers most of the organs in the abdominal cavity. The pleura is the membrane that surrounds the lungs as well as lines the wall of the chest cavity. The pericardium covers as well as defends the heart. The mesothelial tissue surrounding the masculine internal reproductive organs is called the tunica vaginalis testis. The tunica serosa uteri covers the internal reproductive organs in women.

# What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma (cancer of the mesothelium) is a disease in which cells of the mesothelium become abnormal as well as divide without control or order. They can invade as well as damage nearby tissues as well as organs. Cancer cells can as well as metastasize (spread) from their original site to other parts of the body. Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura or peritoneum.

# How ordinary is mesothelioma?

Although reported incidence rates possess increased in the done 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. About 2,000 recent cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women as well as risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women at any age.

# What are the risk factors for mesothelioma?

Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma. A history of asbestos exposure at work is reported in about 70 percent to 80 percent of all cases. But, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of powerful, flexible fibers that can be separated into light threads as well as woven. Asbestos has been widely used in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, as well as insulation. Incase tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, they may be inhaled or swallowed, as well as can cause humorless health problems. In addition to mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis (a noncancerous, chronic lung ailment), as well as other cancers, such as those of the larynx as well as kidney.

Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma. But, the combination of smoking as well as asbestos exposure significantly increases a person’s risk of developing cancer of the air passageways in the lung.

# Who is at increased risk for developing mesothelioma?

Asbestos has been mined as well as used commercially since the unhurried 1800s. Its take greatly increased during World War II. Since the beginning 1940s, millions of American workers possess been exposed to asbestos dust. Initially, the risks associated with asbestos exposure were not known. But, an increased risk of developing mesothelioma was later found among shipyard workers, people who work in asbestos mines as well as mills, producers of asbestos products, workers in the heating as well as construction industries, as well as other tradespeople. Today, the U.S. Occupational Safety as well as Health Administration (OSHA) sets limits for acceptable levels of asbestos exposure in the workplace. People who work with asbestos wear personal protective equipment to lower their risk of exposure.

The risk of asbestos-related disease increases with heavier exposure to asbestos as well as longer exposure time. But, some individuals with only brief exposures possess developed mesothelioma. On the other hand, not all workers who are heavily exposed develop asbestos-related diseases.

There is some evidence that family members as well as others existing with asbestos workers possess an increased risk of developing mesothelioma, as well as possibly other asbestos-related diseases. This risk may be the result of exposure to asbestos dust brought home on the clothing as well as hair of asbestos workers. To lower the chance of exposing family members to asbestos fibers, asbestos workers are usually required to shower as well as change their clothing before leaving the workplace.

# What are the symptoms of mesothelioma?

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath as well as pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleura are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss as well as abdominal pain as well as swelling due to a buildup of fluid in the abdomen. Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, as well as fever. Incase the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

These symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less humorless conditions. It is substantial to see a healthcare professional about any of these symptoms. Only a healthcare professional can make a diagnosis.

# How is mesothelioma diagnosed?

Diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions. Diagnosis begins with a review of the patient’s health examination history, including any history of asbestos exposure. A total material examination may be performed, including x-rays of the chest or abdomen as well as lung function tests. A CT (or CAT) scan or an MRI may as well as be useful. A CT scan is a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body created by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. In an MRI, a powerful magnet linked to a computer is used to make detailed pictures of areas inside the body. These pictures are viewed on a monitor as well as can as well as be printed.

A biopsy is needed to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma. In a biopsy, a surgeon or a health examination oncologist (a healthcare professional who specializes in diagnosing as well as treating cancer) removes a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope by a pathologist. A biopsy may be done in dissimilar ways, depending on where the abnormal area is located. Incase the cancer is in the chest, the healthcare professional may perform a thoracoscopy. In this procedure, the healthcare professional makes a tiny incision through the chest wall as well as puts a light, lighted tube called a thoracoscope into the chest between two ribs. Thoracoscopy allows the healthcare professional to look inside the chest as well as obtain tissue samples. Incase the cancer is in the abdomen, the healthcare professional may perform a peritoneoscopy. To obtain tissue for examination, the healthcare professional makes a tiny opening in the abdomen as well as inserts a distinguished instrument called a peritoneoscope into the abdominal cavity. Incase these procedures dont yield enough tissue, more extensive diagnostic surgery may be essential.

If the diagnosis is mesothelioma, the healthcare professional will want to learn the stage (or extent) of the disease. Staging involves more tests in a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread as well as, incase so, to which parts of the body. Knowing the stage of the disease helps the healthcare professional plan treatment.

Mesothelioma is described as localized incase the cancer is found only on the membrane surface where it originated. It is classified as advanced incase it has spread beyond the original membrane surface to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, lungs, chest wall, or abdominal organs.

# How is mesothelioma treated?

Treatment for mesothelioma depends on the location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, as well as the patient’s age as well as common health. Standard treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, as well as chemotherapy. Sometimes, these treatments are combined.

* Surgery is a ordinary treatment for mesothelioma. The healthcare professional may remove part of the lining of the chest or abdomen as well as some of the tissue around it. For cancer of the pleura (pleural mesothelioma), a lung may be removed in an operation called a pneumonectomy. Sometimes part of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing, is as well as removed.

* Radiation therapy, as well as called radiotherapy, involves the take of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells as well as shrink tumors. Radiation therapy affects the cancer cells only in the treated area. The radiation may come from a machine (external radiation) or from putting materials that make radiation through light plastic tubes into the area where the cancer cells are found (internal radiation therapy).

* Chemotherapy is the take of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body. Most drugs used to treat mesothelioma are given by injection into a vein (intravenous, or IV). Doctors are as well as studying the effectiveness of putting chemotherapy directly into the chest or abdomen (intracavitary chemotherapy).

To relieve symptoms as well as control pain, the healthcare professional may take a needle or a light tube to drain fluid that has built up in the chest or abdomen. The procedure for removing fluid from the chest is called thoracentesis. Removal of fluid from the abdomen is called paracentesis. Drugs may be given through a tube in the chest to halt more fluid from accumulating. Radiation therapy as well as surgery may as well as be helpful in relieving symptoms.