Mesothelioma -
Information
According to The National Cancer Institute
malignant
mesothelioma types
are a rare form of
cancer in which malignant cells are found in
the sac lining the chest called the pleura,
in the lining of the abdominal cavity called
the peritoneum or in the lining around the
heart, called the pericardium.
The lining
of the chest, the abdominal cavity and the
heart is called the mesothelium which is
where the name “mesothelioma” comes from.
Malignant
mesothelioma is also known as “asbestos
cancer” because approximately 75% of all
mesothelioma patients have a known exposure
to asbestos. Because tumors of the
mesothelium are rarely benign or
non-cancerous, malignant or cancerous
mesothelioma is usually referred to by the
shorter name of "mesothelioma".
Even with all of the recent
history of
mesothelioma and its
proliferation throughout the news media and
the spawning of numerous
legal issues,
mesothelioma is still a relatively rare
cancer; even though new cases have certainly
increased in the past 20 years. Every year
in the United States approximately 2,000 new
cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed.
Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than
in women and the risk of occurrence
increases with age, but this disease can
certainly appear at any age and can appear
in either men or women.
Because so many of the
symptoms of
mesothelioma are very similar to those of
other conditions, including lung cancer, it
can be quite challenging to diagnosis
mesothelioma. Also, once malignant
mesothelioma takes hold it can be a very
aggressive disease and so early diagnosis
and treatment of is critical.
Although a small number of people who of
have contracted mesothelioma
have never been found to have been exposed to
asbestos, approximately 75% of mesothelioma
cases have
actually been linked to some level of asbestos
exposure. Working
with asbestos is the major
risk factor for
eventually being diagnosed with
mesothelioma.
Most
incidence of
mesothelioma stems from people
who have
worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos
particles, or have been exposed to asbestos
dust and fiber in other ways, such as by
washing the clothes of a family member who
worked with asbestos, or by home renovation
using asbestos cement products. One of the
biggest challenges with this rare disease is
that this cancer may not even begin to
demonstrate symptoms until 20, 30, 40 or
even 50 or years after the first exposure to
asbestos.
Although
malignant mesothelioma is rare, it is a
serious, deadly disease. But with the ever
emerging new
treatments for cancer, there is
hope for patients diagnosed with malignant
mesothelioma.
More Resources
Articles
Incidence Of Malignant
Mesothelioma
It is thought that the
number exposed between 1940 and 1980 exceeds
25 million. |
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Asbestos Exposure
After asbestos fibers are breathed in, they can easily enter and become trapped
in the airways and lung tissue and the body has difficulty removing the fibers. |
Diagnosing Pleural Mesothelioma
Diagnosing pleural
mesothelioma is a challenge. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common of all
mesothelioma cancers. |
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Pleural Mesothelioma
Pleural
mesothelioma is the most common of all mesotheliomas and diagnosing this
rare cancer can be a challenge. |
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