What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is cancer of the mesothelium. Like most cancers, mesothelioma involves the abnormal dividing of cells of a particular part of the body — in this case, the mesothelium. Mesothelioma is so deadly simply because it remains dormant for many years and subsequently begins to rapidly expand. The cancer subsequently begins to invade and damage nearby tissue, including the vital organs.

What is the mesothelium?

Many of the internal organs of the body are protected by a membrane called the mesothelium. This membrane actually consists of two layers of cells. The inner layer surrounds the organs, and the second is a sac surrounding the inner layer. When organs within this membrane must move, expand or contract — just like the heart, lungs, bladder, and so on, they are able to do so simply because the mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid between the two layers.

Mesothelioma in most cases begins in the pleura or peritoneum. The pleura surrounds the lungs and covers the chest cavity. The peritoneum covers most of the organs within the abdominal cavity. Other mesothelium tissue is at the same time vulnerable to mesothelioma. These include the pericardium that surrounds and protects the heart; the tunica vaginalis testic which surrounds the internal male reproductive organs; and the tunica serosa uteri which is the membrane covering the internal reproductive organs in women.

Who is at greatest risk to develop mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma has a extremely specific cause – exposure to asbestos. During the first half of the previous century, right up until the mid 1970s asbestos was an crucial material used to insulate buildings, machines, heavy equipment, and a broad range of commercial applications. Mainly because it was plentiful and inexpensive to mine, asbestos was used in many building products such as home insulation, floor, ceiling and roof tiles. It was at the same time used in commonly found commercial products such as brake linings and pipe insulation.

This meant that millions of people were coming in contact with asbestos on a daily basis. And since the effects of exposure to asbestos fibre often usually do not become apparent for 30 or 40 years after prolonged exposure, companies and health officials were slow to recognize the dangers of asbestos. As a result, shipyard workers, men and ladies working in asbestos mines and mills, workers producing asbestos products, workers during the heating and construction industries, and virtually all other tradespeople were exposed to asbestos fibres for extended periods of time.

Today it’s understood that anyone working with or near asbestos has an increased risk of developing mesothelioma, so you’ll find strictly controlled limits of exposure in the work place. Nonetheless since the dormancy period of mesothelioma can often be 30 or 40 years, you will find millions of workers who are at risk because of their exposure in the decades before the safety controls were put in place.

What are the symptoms of mesothelioma?

Pleural mesothelioma – cancer of the pleura or lung lining – causes shortness of breath or chronic coughing. Other symptoms of pleural mesothelioma can include chest pain, chronic coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, wheezing, hoarseness, weight loss, or blood within the phlegm from the lungs when coughing.

Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the lining around the stomach and intestines and is normally just as dangerous. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include pain or swelling in the abdomen, weight loss, bowel obstruction, anemia, and fever.

Many of the symptoms of mesothelioma can simply be mistaken for allergies or a common cold. Mesothelioma is often discovered when patients think they have one of these other common illnesses.

How Serious is Mesothelioma?

By the time most infected people become aware they have mesothelioma, it is no longer dormant and becomes extremely aggressive. In its active phase, mesothelioma can travel quickly, and is almost impossible to stop. There are treatments used to keep the patient comfortable, but there’s currently no cure for mesothelioma. As many as 75% of those who develop the disease will lose their life within one year. The remainder can last for up to an additional six months.

This makes it extremely important to detect the disease before it enters its active phase.

How is mesothelioma diagnosed?

Mesothelioma is often not diagnosed until it reaches an advanced stage. This is because of its long dormancy period, and mainly because once it becomes active the initial symptoms are similar to much more common and less dangerous sicknesses just like colds or the flu. If a patient has a history of exposure to asbestos, then a complete physical examination is advised. This would normally include x-rays of the chest or abdomen and lung function tests. It might as well include a CT (or CAT) scan or an MRI. Both of these tests give detailed pictures of areas inside the body.

If these tests indicate the probability of mesothelioma, subsequently it is essential to perform a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. Doing a biopsy involves an oncology specialist taking a small sample of affected tissue and examining it under a microscope for signs of malignancy. Depending on the location of the affected tissue, carrying out a biopsy could be a relatively straightforward procedure. It normally involves the insertion of a small instrument into the suspect cavity. These surgical devices have both viewing and sample taking capabilities. So the oncologist or surgeon can look into the cavity from the inside, and subsequently take tissue samples from different areas.

If mesothelioma is discovered, the initial tests are followed up with what is called “staging”. This involves more tests to determine how far the disease has spread.

How is mesothelioma treated?

Standard treatments include the normal options available to cancer patients: surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. At times, these treatments are combined. In case the mesothelioma is discovered at an early enough stage these treatments can sometimes be effective.

Among the treatments which might be used in order to reduce the effects of the disease are oxygen, postural drainage and pain killers. Many alternative treatment methods are also being tested, including attempts to strengthen the body’s immune system. Gene therapy is also being tested in an attempt to attack the problem at the DNA level. Other treatments being tried and tested include homeopathy, herbs and acupuncture. Unfortunately none of these have been found to be quite effective once the disease reaches its aggressive stage.

As with all cancers, early detection is the best defense towards mesothelioma. Anyone who has been exposed to asbestos need to be alert for symptoms and contact a doctor immediately. Detecting mesothelioma at the earliest stage possible drastically increases the chances of beating the disease.

I’m Greg. Gardner, I’m surviving from Abestos Mesothelioma Cancer, and still defeating it everyday! You can read more about my write-up about Mesothelioma here! Also visit my site to learn more about Mesothelioma Lawsuits.

Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer of the lungs and the abdominal cavities. Unlike other diseases, the cause of mesothelioma is not natural. In most of the cases, it is a cancer of lungs inflicted on the human beings by the modern economic factors, which are also credited to bring prosperity to the corporate world.

The disease has left many dead and many more fighting for the failing health. The common symptoms related to the disease are breathlessness, dry cough and pain in the respiratory tracts followed by vomiting. The prime Cause of mesothelioma is the exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos is a natural fibrous material that was widely used in various industries and building materials because of its stability and heat resistant properties. However, asbestos is also a deadly contaminant and responsible for serious diseases such as asbestosis, mesothelioma cancers and lung cancer. Most of the diseases are caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers that could settle in the internal body organs and cause serious diseases.

Mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases can lie dormant in the body for decades before diagnosis. The worst part is that after diagnosis the patient has hardly any left for fighting these diseases.

Asbestos has extensively been mined in South Africa and exported to UK & US factories for reprocessing. For many years, the industrialists enjoyed the benefits of asbestos as a cheap substitute to wood in Building Material Industry and an integral part of Brake Lining material used extensively in vehicles during the World Wars. Asbestos was also widely used as an Insulation material in the buildings and industries in the US and Europe.

The victims of mesothelioma can file lawsuits for seeking compensation against the companies responsible for asbestos exposure. They can seek compensation for medical expenses, loss of income, lost earning capacity, pain and sufferings. The family members and relatives of the people who die because of mesothelioma cancers can also file lawsuits for compensation to recover the loss of consortium care. A dozen of companies who made an exit from the business decades ago are still fighting the huge compensation bills pending against them for causing a major biological disorder. The courts have ordered huge amounts as compensation in most of the mesothelioma lawsuits.

I’m Greg. Gardner, I’m surviving from Abestos Mesothelioma Cancer, and still defeating it everyday! You can read more about my story here! Also visit my site to learn more about Mesothelioma Lawsuits.

Mesothelioma is a man made cancer, caused by asbestos which is a naturally found silicate mineral. Asbestos is put to use widely in industries for cement manufacture, construction activities, ship building etc. It is found in mines and its requirement has increased greatly due to its qualities like resistance to heat, insulation capacity etc. But it has not been revealed for many years that the minute particles can cause the deadly form of cancer. Now it is proved beyond doubt, but many have fallen victims to the malicious disease. Hence a mesothelioma prognosis becomes totally shattering and useless in the present scenario.

Let us examine cures of mesothelioma, mesothelioma prognosis and researches in the field here. The inhaled asbestos particles corrupt the mesothelium, the membranous covering of our vital organs. This damage slowly become extensive and prevents normal functioning of the organs. Presently, there is no real cure to the cancer. Therefore, the prognosis of the disease is not too desirable. But researches are going on at various laboratories to find improved treatments for the killer cancer.

The traditional cures of mesothelioma are surgery, medicine based therapies like chemotherapy and radiation. These have found only limited success so far because the disease shows up only after the patient falls very ill. If detected and treated early, mesothelioma patients can hope of a successful counterattack against the tumor, but the very characteristics of the disease beats it.

Now more emphasis is given to prevention of the cancer due to the cited reasons. The immunity of the workers have to be improved and other practical measures are to be followed to avoid the deadly cancer. Masks and protective clothing are widely used in the workshops and asbestos mines. New therapies like photodynamic therapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy etc are developed by researchers to defeat the cancerous particles.

The joined efforts of various groups interested in the subject will help to overcome the disease. Though cures of mesothelioma, mesothelioma prognosis and prevention tactics are not fully developed now, vast improvements can be expected in the near future.

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The number of people suffering with cancer has increased over the last few decades. Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is caused by high level exposure to asbestos. It develops as tumors in the linings of the lungs and then if not controlled spreads to various other organs. Sadly, it is often not caught early enough to prevent it from being a terminal illness. If you think that you may be at risk then you will need to understand how to spot mesothelioma symptoms.

The hope for a cure is slim but there are techniques on offer that can improve the quality of life of mesothelioma sufferers. The following signs can often be taken to show the possible presence of this form of cancer -

1. Blood in mouth: Anytime that you cough up blood you should immediately contact your GP as it can be the sign of a serious medical condition such as mesothelioma. If the cancer is present then you may also experience difficulty swallowing your food.

2. Weight loss: Individuals that suffer from mesothelioma will be affected by a degree of weight loss. If you are shedding pounds and yet your diet and exercise regime stay the same then you should book an appointment with a doctor.

3. Pleural Effusion: As asbestos causes damage to the lining of the lungs, it is in this organ that symptoms may first arise. Pleural effusion occurs when there is a build up of fluid in the lungs. It may present itself in the form of chest pain and a difficulty in breathing.

4. Lumps: If you have mesothelioma then there is every chance that you will develop lumps or growths on your torso, specifically around the chest or abdomen areas. When you take a shower it is important to check for any abnormal lumps on your body.

5. Cough: Any problem with the lungs is going to produce a cough. Mesothelioma patients usually have a dry cough that produces no mucus. This is different than the type of cough associated with influenza or a cold that produces a lot of phlegm.

6. Aches: If the cancer spreads to other organs in your body that you are likely to experience widespread aches and throbbing sensations.

7. Bowel: If you have mesothelioma it can easily affect the stomach and bowel. If you have been experiencing alternate bouts of constipation and diarrhea then you have one of the signs of the disease. But be aware that bowel problems may be due to various conditions.

Whether you have only one or a number of the above conditions then you should seek medical guidance. Mesothelioma is a well studies illness and a professional health specialist should be able to make a correct diagnosis.

To Learn more about mesothelioma symptoms, please visit http://www.mesotheliomalawadvice.org.