What is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a cancerous disease that is becoming increasingly common. Affecting the mesothelial cells that make up the mesothelium - the outer layer that protects the body's major organs such as heart, stomach and lungs - this type of cancer is the direct result of regular exposure to asbestos without protection and . The symptoms and the latency of this disease is that it is difficult to diagnose. Treatment for mesothelioma is still being studied in clinical trials and research, but as a rule, responds poorly to currently used treatments.
Those most vulnerable cons being carriers of this cancer are those who worked with asbestos in the past thirty to fifty years. Thus, the disease is more common in men aged between sixty and seventy as this is the group that has often worked with asbestos in these years. Due to the lack of protection and regulations these days, these workers were constantly exposed to dust and asbestos fibers, causing the cells of the mesothelium become abnormal. But because the disease takes decades to develop fully and manifest, many of them were unaware of what thirty to fifty years later. These are men who are now multi-million dollar lawsuits against unscrupulous companies that expose them to the dangers of asbestos, even if they were aware that this could cause injury to employees.
There are other people at risk of disease, namely those who had regular contact with a person who worked with asbestos. Because these workers regularly carried dust and fibers from clothing, skin and hair, fibers and dust can be ingested by family members who were at risk of developing mesothelioma, respiratory problems or another asbestos related diseases.
The organs most affected by mesothelioma are the lungs and surrounding tissues. pleural mesothelioma, which is the type that affects the lining of the lungs, is the most common variant of this cancer with symptoms including difficulty breathing and swallowing, coughing, difficulty breathing, fever and weight loss. The abdomen is another area affected by this type of cancer, and this change is called peritoneal mesothelioma. This type of mesothelioma is not as common as pleural mesothelioma. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma can include nausea and vomiting, weight loss and loss of appetite, fever, bowel obstruction and pain or swelling of the stomach area. The last variation of cancer is pericardial mesothelioma, which is when the cancer affects the heart tissue and surrounding areas. This variation is a rare and symptoms can include palpitations, shortness of breath and persistent cough.
The symptoms of mesothelioma are very common to a number of other diseases that are better known in society. Therefore, it is not uncommon for the patient to an erroneous diagnosis when he or she will show some or all of these symptoms. People who worked with asbestos should always inform your doctor so the doctor is more aware and conscious of the possibilities if symptoms occur. Rapid diagnosis is important for effective treatment of malignant mesothelioma, and unaware of the facts, your doctor may not be able to diagnose it early if he is aware of the situation.
Although there are treatments for mesothelioma, they have a high success rate, especially in patients in whom the cancer is advanced. More mesothelioma is diagnosed and treated, the better chance of success, so it is important to obtain an earlier diagnosis possible.
Current treatments for mesothelioma include surgery, radiation therapy, palliative care and chemotherapy. National Cancer Institute and a number of other organizations and sponsors are currently on mesothelioma research and conduct clinical trials to try to find a treatment that will not only more effective but will enable the successful treatment of the disease, even in its later stages.
