Mesothelioma is primarily caused by asbestos exposure. Though the exact way asbestos causes mesothelioma is currently being researched, medical professionals have a number of theories:
- Asbestos causes irritation and inflammation of mesothelial cells, which results in irreversible scarring, cellular damage, and eventually cancer.
- Asbestos fibers enter cells and disrupt the function of cellular structures that are essential for normal cell division, causing cellular changes that lead to cancer.
- Asbestos causes the production of free radicals. These molecules damage DNA, and cause cells to mutate and become cancerous.
- The presence of asbestos causes cells to produce oncoproteins. These molecules cause mesothelial cells to ignore normal cellular division restraints, and this can lead to the development of cancer.
Though no known cure currently exists for mesothelioma, many patients elect to undergo treatment to make living with the cancer more comfortable. Treatment options for mesothelioma may include:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation
- Experimental procedures such a gene therapy and immunotherapy
Patients may also elect to be part of a clinical trial, a study conducted to test up-and-coming treatment options and medications. Clinical trials are often explored by mesothelioma patients who qualify for various studies and wish to participate in an effort to help medical professionals search for a mesothelioma cure.
In most cases, a patient is not diagnosed with mesothelioma until the cancer has progressed to later stages of development because of the long latency period associated with the disease. Once a doctor suspects that a patient may have mesothelioma, one or more diagnostic tests are typically ordered. These tests include medical imaging tests such as X-rays, CT and MRI scans and biopsy procedures that test fluid samples and tissue for the presence of cancerous cells. Diagnostic tests also reveal the cancer’s progression and whether it has spread to other parts of the body.
The symptoms of mesothelioma typically arise 20 to 50 years after initial exposure to asbestos occurs. The commonality of the symptoms, which, in the case of pleural mesothelioma, often resemble less-serious conditions such as influenza, can make mesothelioma very difficult to diagnose. Symptoms include:
-Shortness of breath
-Chest pain
-Persistent coughing
-Fatigue
-Night sweats or fever
-Unexplained weight loss
- Pleural mesothelioma :
is the most common type of malignant mesothelioma, comprising approximately 75 percent of all mesothelioma cases. This type develops in the lining of the lungs, called the pleura.
- Peritoneal mesothelioma :
develops in the abdomen’s peritoneum, a layer that covers the abdominal cavity and surrounds abdominal organs.
- Pericardial mesothelioma :
develops in the pericardium, a membrane that surrounds the heart and provides protection and support to this organ.
- Testicular mesothelioma :
the rarest form of mesothelioma, develops in the lining surrounding the testicle, called the tunica vaginalis.
Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive cancer that develops in the mesothelial cells that line many organs and body cavities. The cancer typically attacks the thin lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart, known as the mesothelium. Each year an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of malignant mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States.
Over the course of the past century, millions of people have unknowingly been exposed to asbestos, a class of fibrous minerals known to cause a variety of cancers.
Often referred to as "asbestos cancer," mesothelioma is the most common form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
