Mesothelioma

What is Mesothelioma Cancer?

This particular form of cancer affects the lungs and chest cavities by attacking the mesothelium cells within the pleura and peritoneum. It often occurs in individuals that have been exposed to asbestos over prolonged periods of time. Documented cases, state that the average length of time a person must be exposed to asbestos in order to develop mesothelioma cancer is at least 15 years. 

There have been isolated cases, however, where individuals had little to no exposure to asbestos whatsoever but showed mesothelioma symptoms anyway. This is mainly due to a genetic predisposition to mesothelioma in certain individuals, and the general consensus among cancer researchers is that these individuals are born with a poor mesothelium cells structure. 

As this form of cancer is only documented in countries that have a national mesothelioma registry, the exact number it effects on a global scale can only be approximated. Documented figures, however, show that there is an occurrence rate of 14.2 cases per million within the United States, 66 per million in Australia, and 55 per million in Spain.

Mesothelioma Causes

MesotheliomacancercauseThe main causes for the occurrence of mesothelioma seem to be the prolonged exposure to asbestos and asbestos-related fibers. Asbestos is responsible for cutting the surface of cells within the human body, thus compromising the cellular integrity of the organs containing them.

Although asbestos is also released into the air naturally, most mesothelioma cancer patients develop this condition by working in asbestos-related environments. This involves military service in the Navy as well as commercial Navy, working in construction, and working as insulators. By compromising the structural integrity of your cells, asbestos allows microbes to get inside the cells and cause the appearance of this form of cancer, thus making patients develop mesothelioma symptoms in a matter of months.

Mesothelioma Symptoms

Due to the fact that early mesothelioma symptoms involve chest pains, shortness of breath and coughing, mesothelioma is extremely difficult to diagnose. There are so many other afflictions responsible for these symptoms that medical personnel usually prescribe common treatments for what initially appears to be a common condition. 

It isn’t until 10-15 years later that patients start to develop more serious mesothelioma symptoms such as abdominal pain and swelling, nausea, and loss of appetite. Bowel and breathing obstruction is also to be expected in individuals who experience the later stages of mesothelioma.

Types of Mesothelioma Cancer

Among the different types of mesothelioma we find: epithelial mesothelioma, pleural mesothelioma, lung lining cancer, peritoneal mesothelioma, mesentery cancer, and pericardial mesothelioma.

Epithelial mesothelioma is a form of cancer that affects the membrane lining of the chest cavity, and it causes the appearance of a mesothelioma inside the heart of the lungs. A mesothelioma is a small tumor that appears as a result of the cancer affecting the mesothelium cells within a certain organ. The most common form of epithelial mesothelioma is the pleural mesothelioma.

The pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma cancer and it involves the pleura (thin membrane between the lungs and chest cavity). You see, the pleura are responsible for providing a lubricated surface to protect the lungs from rubbing against the chest walls. Pleural mesothelioma is generally fatal within the first year of being diagnosed, although it depends whether it is a “diffuse and malignant”, or a “localized and benign” form of pleural mesothelioma as the last one is not life-threatening and can be removed through surgery.

Lung lining cancer causes the thin membrane of the lungs surrounding the organs to get compromised. Being a by-product of pleural mesothelioma, lung lining cancer may not always be caused by exposure to asbestos, although it can be fatal due to the fact that it generally spreads to other parts of the body (lungs, chest wall, and lymph nodes) and it is rather deadly.

Peritoneum mesothelioma manifests itself through a mesothelioma in the peritoneum membrane. Although being quite rare, this type of mesothelioma is one of the deadliest forms of the disease, as it compromises a person’s abdomen in less than a year. 

There is no treatment for peritoneum mesothelioma, as the fact that it compromises a person’s mesothelium cells so quickly makes this strain of cancer very difficult to research.

Mesentery cancer is a form of territorial cancer. This mesothelioma causes different sections of the peritoneum to lose the grip it has on the organs inside the abdominal cavity. It includes all abdominal peritoneum extensions, and the tumors that appear as a result facilitate the spread of mesothelioma to other organs.

Pericardial mesothelioma has to be the rarest form of mesothelioma. It affects the pericardial sac (membrane surrounding the heart) by causing the appearance of solid masses on the pericardial sac, as well as the development of fluids around the pericardium. However, not all conditions causing the appearance of fluids around the pericardium are related to mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Treatment

Although there is no mesothelioma treatment with a 100% success rate, regular cancer treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy seem to work just fine in situations where the cancer is discovered early. In situations where the disease presents itself by the appearance of a mesothelioma on removable tissue, surgery is the preferred course of action. 

This is done after careful consideration regarding the spread pattern of the tumors, whether they are benign or malignant, and if surgery is 100% necessary. Judging by the fact that it sometimes takes 10-20 years for the patient to develop mesothelioma symptoms and manifest physical pain as a result, we are safe to assume that the metastasis of mesothelioma can be slowed down by more traditional methods such as healthy diets and reduced exposure to environments containing asbestos fibers. 

Most of the time, mesothelioma therapy involves a series of MRI’s, CT scans and x-rays, as well as a biopsy to determine what type of mesothelioma treatment should be used. At this point, an expert oncologist will determine what the best course of action is, and it may involve surgery, radiation treatment, and chemotherapy. They will choose the most suitable treatment according to the stage of the cancer, where its location is, whether the tumors are benign or malignant, the spread of the mesothelioma, and the patient’s age, before taking any course of action.