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When I was going sightseeing at a trade mall a few months ago, a girl gave me brochure about mesothelioma. I felt very curious especially when I know the fact that 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. Here I want to share to you more about mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer. It is a cancer of mesothelial cells. These cells cover the outer surface of most of our internal body organs, forming a lining that is sometimes called the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects 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 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.

The mesothelium has different 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 and lines the wall of the chest cavity. The pericardium covers and protects the heart. The mesothelial tissue surrounding the male internal reproductive organs is called the tunica vaginalis testis. The tunica serosa uteri covers the internal reproductive organs in women.

Many people with malignant mesothelioma have worked or lived in places where they inhaled or swallowed asbestos. Asbestos has been used in hundreds of applications and products over the past 4,500 years. The ancient Greeks wove it into oil lamp wicks, funeral shrouds and ceremonial tablecloths. After being exposed to asbestos, it usually takes a long time for malignant mesothelioma to occur. Other risk factors for malignant mesothelioma include living with a person who works near asbestos or being exposed to a certain virus.

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos.

• Shortness of breath and 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 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.

• If 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 serious conditions.

Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer. It is important to see a doctor about any of these symptoms. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis.

To diagnose mesothelioma, the following tests and procedures may be used:

• Physical exam and history: An exam of the body to check general signs of health, including checking for signs of disease, such as lumps or anything else that seems unusual. A history of the patient’s health habits, exposure to asbestos, past illnesses and treatments will also be taken.

• Chest x-ray: An x-ray of the organs and bones inside the chest. An x-ray is a type of energy beam that can go through the body and onto film, making a picture of areas inside the body.

• Complete blood count (CBC): A procedure in which a sample of blood is drawn and checked for the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, the amount of hemoglobin (the protein that carries oxygen) in the red blood cells, the portion of the blood sample made up of red blood cells.

• Sedimentation rate: A procedure in which a sample of blood is drawn and checked for the rate at which the red blood cells settle to the bottom of the test tube.

• Biopsy: The removal of cells or tissues from the pleura or peritoneum so they can be viewed under a microscope by a pathologist to check for signs of cancer. Procedures used to collect the cells or tissues.

• Bronchoscopy: A procedure to look inside the trachea and large airways in the lung for abnormal areas. A bronchoscope (a thin, lighted tube) is inserted through the nose or mouth into the trachea and lungs. Tissue samples may be taken for biopsy.

• Cytologic exam: An exam of cells under a microscope (by a pathologist) to check for anything abnormal. For mesothelioma, fluid is taken from around the lungs or from the abdomen. A pathologist checks the cells in the fluid.

There are treatments for all patients with malignant mesothelioma. The kinds of treatment that have been used are:

• Chemotheraphy (using drugs to fight the cancer).

• Surgery (taking out the cancer).

• Radiation therapy (using high-dose x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells) chemotherapy (using drugs to fight the cancer).

Not all patients are cured with standard therapy, and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired. Clinical trials, therefore, are designed to find better ways to treat cancer patients and are based on the most up-to-date information. Clinical trials are ongoing in many parts of the country for many patients with malignant mesothelioma. These new approaches often combine two or more traditional treatments or consist of other promising innovations.

There is a long latency period between initial exposure to asbestos and the development of malignant tumors. On average, 35-40 years elapse before the onset of disease. So, you better move everything about asbestos near your house in order to prevent something bad in the next years. To prevent is not as expensive as to cure.

mesothelioma-lawyer photo taken from mesothelioma-reference-guide.com

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