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mesothelioma cancer
Exposure to asbestos has proven to result in a wide range of health conditions, including mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs, heart, or abdomen. This rare form of cancer is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure.
Due to a long latency period, mesothelioma symptoms shortness of breath, severe cough, chest pain may not appear for 20 or more years. For this reason, mesothelioma is often diagnosed in later stages of development, which severely complicates treatment and chances of survival.
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.
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.
Abdominal pains, abdominal weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal swelling are all abdominal mesothelioma symptoms. Patients exhibiting these symptoms are usually scheduled for further examinations to search for other abdominal mesothelioma signs. If an Xray or CT scan indicates signs that the patient indeed may have abdominal mesothelioma, a biopsy is conducted, allowing the physician to determine the malignancy level. Any abdominal mesothelioma treatment will be determined by the physician and patient, taking into account the stage of the abdominal mesothelioma, the location and sizes of any tumors, and the age and health of the patient. Abdominal mesothelioma has a very high mortality rate, and in many cases, diagnosis occurs when the abdominal mesothelioma has already progressed too far. In such cases, all actions focus on making the abdominal mesothelioma as comfortable as possible, often removing portions of the tumor to relieve pressure.
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.
Abdominal mesothelioma patients may be able to recover part or all of the costs of treating abdominal mesothelioma, due to its strong links to asbestos exposure.
Although reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. 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.
1929 began the very first of the lawsuits that were brought against employers and asbestos manufacturers. The case was settled, however the lawyer agreed not to pursue any more cases. In 1960, an enlightening article was the first to point out asbestos as the main cause of Mesothelioma. The article actually referred to over 30 case studies of people who had suffered from Mesothelioma in South Africa. In Western Australia where the miners were tracked, mine waste containing asbestos was used to cover playgrounds and schoolyards.
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