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If you are like most people, you may have been curious about all those law suit commercials and cases about mesothelioma from asbestos. Have you wondered exactly what is mesothelioma, how does one get it, what are the symptoms of mesothelioma, and what can one do about it?
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer. In the US, almost all cases are a result of exposure to asbestos. Even a minimal exposure to asbestos can put a person at risk. It can happen 10-50 years after exposure. In almost every case, mesothelioma is going to be fatal with a prognosis of 12-18 months after diagnosis, however there are exceptions to that rule and a lot of the chances of survival depend on immediate treatment, early diagnosis, general good health, and a strong will to survive.
The mesothelium is a protective sac that covers most of the body’s internal organs: the pleura (thoracal cavity), peritoneum (abdominal cavity) and pericardium (heart sac). Mesothelial tissue also surrounds the male reproductive organs (the tunica vaginalis testis) and the reproductive organs of women (the tunica serosa uteri). In mesothelioma, cancerous cells develop in one of these areas.
The mesothelium is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart and the expanding and contracting lungs) to glide easily against adjacent structures.
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles. Often, those who do work on their own home without realizing they have asbestos in their walls have stumbled upon that nasty surprise.
Asbestos fibres can also be carried into the home on clothing, inadvertently exposing the deadly fibres, and the risk of mesothelioma, to family members.
Inhalation is the principal route of exposure to asbestos. Other routes are dermal contact and ingestion. Workers who breathe in asbestos may develop a slow buildup of scar-like tissue in the lung and membrane that surrounds the lungs, a disease called asbestosis. It may make breathing difficult, decrease blood flow to the lung, and cause the heart to enlarge. It is often associated with a dry cough.
Asbestos fibers do not evaporate into air or dissolve in water, and do not have any detectable odor or taste. They cannot move through soil, and are not broken down to other compounds in the environment. All asbestos fibers are solids, are insoluble in water and organic solvents, and are nonflammable. The basic chemical structure of asbestos is (SiO4).
Asbestos has been widely used in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation.
Mesothelioma is simply cancer of the mesothelium where the cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and divide without control or order and eventually invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. These cancer cells can spread (metastasize) from their original site to other parts of the body.
Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura or peritoneum because asbestos usually enters your body through breathing the particles or having these particles land over food, hands, utensils and other points of entry into your mouth.
Although rates of mesothelioma have increased in the past 20 years, it is still a relatively rare cancer. About 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year.
Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women at any age.
Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma in about 70 percent to 80 percent of all cases. However, it has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos.
Symptoms of pleura mesothelioma include shortness of breath and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the lining of the lungs.
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and abdominal pain and swelling due to a buildup of fluid in the abdomen. Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever.
Pericardial mesothelioma is the rarest form of this asbestos-related cancer. Symptoms include persistent coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, and palpitations.
Diagnosing mesothelioma can be hard because its symptoms mimic numerous conditions. Quite often, mesothelioma is misdiagnosed because it looks like so many other conditions and is very rare. To properly diagnose mesothelioma, the doctor must review the patient’s medical history and ask about any exposure to asbestos.
The person will be given a full physical exam which includes x-rays of the chest or abdomen along with lung function tests.
A CT, CAT scan, or an MRI is used to make detailed pictures of areas inside the body depending on the resources of you and your doctor.
The doctor may look inside the chest cavity with a thoracoscope. A cut will be made through the chest wall (don't worry, you would be given a local anesthetic) and the thoracoscope will be put into the chest between two ribs. This test, called thoracoscopy, is done in the hospital. There is some pressure, but usually there is no pain.
The doctor may also look inside the abdomen with a peritoneoscope to perform a peritoneoscopy. The peritoneoscope is put into an opening made in the abdomen. This test is also done in the hospital.
Only if abnormal tissue cells are found will the doctor cut a piece of it out to perform a biopsy to review the cells under a microscope.
If it turns out to be one of the rare cases of mesothelioma, your doctor will get back to you to find out at what stage the cancer is at and to see if it has spread beyond the mesothelium tissues to the other organs.
If contained within the mesothelium, the mesothelioma is described as localized and is easier to treat. It is classified as advanced if it has spread beyond the original membrane surface to other parts of the body. In that case aggressive treatment will start.
Treatment depends on the location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient's age and general health.
Treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Sometimes these treatments are combined.
With surgery, the most common treatment for mesothelioma, the diseased tissue is removed and sometimes non-vital parts of the organs may also be removed.
Radiation therapy uses high energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. The radiation may come from a machine (external radiation) or from putting materials that produce radiation through thin plastic tubes into the area where the cancer cells are found (internal radiation therapy).
Chemotherapy uses of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body by IV (in the veins).
The patient will often have a lot of fluid build up which can be quite painful that can be drained using a needle or a thin tube. Drugs will also be given to help deal with the pain and side effects of the treatment chosen.
Although there is no cure for mesothelioma and almost all cases will result in death within 18 months, there is no reason to lose all hope. If you keep up a positive frame of mind, try to stay as fit as possible, and follow the doctor's instructions, you can extend your life for a longer period of time than if you just give up.
People interested in taking part in a clinical trial should talk with their doctor. Information about clinical trials is available from the Cancer Information Service at 1–800–4–CANCER. If you are considering clinical trials, you may be interested in the NCI booklet Taking Part in Clinical Trials: What Cancer Patients Need To Know.
If you were exposed to asbestos on the job or through a defective product or moved into a home where asbestos was not disclosed before the transaction, you may be eligible for a law suit or at least a quick settlement if suing someone who has been previously sued on this issue.
The specific actions available will vary depending on where you live. Be sure to contact a lawyer who specializes in mesothelioma cases. Feel free to use the search engine below to look up "mesothelioma lawyers" or "mesothelioma" for more information on this cancer.
