CANCER (means mesothelioma )

Mesothelioma is a very rare type of cancer caused mainly due to exposure to asbestos. It may take about 20-40 years for the symptoms to start showing and hence this makes it difficult to diagnose since the symptoms are similar to those of other common diseases and not many people associate something that happened so long ago with the symptoms they feel at that moment.

Mesothelioma attacks the protective lining that covers the internal organs of the human body which is known as mesothelioma. Usually it attacks the protective lining around the lungs, heart and abdomen. During the disease the mesothelioma cells multiply rapidly and end up overgrowing and have a longer life span. Exposure to asbestos causes this abnormal development of mesothelioma cells. The people most prone to get this disease are those that have work in asbestos industries or lived near them

Mesothelioma is of three types: peritoneal mesothelioma attack the abdomen, pericardial mesothelioma attacks the heart and pleural mesothelioma affects the lungs. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of the disease affecting around 75% of all those who contract mesothelioma where as 20% of the cases are accounted for by peritoneal or pericardial and the remaining 5% is accounted for by rare types of mesothelioma. It must be noted, however, that these statistics only represent documented cases and there are thousands of cases that remain undiagnosed and hence undocumented.

Pleural Mesothelioma:

This accounts for almost 75% or three-fourths of all mesothelioma cases it causes fluid to accumulate between the mesothelioma lining and the chest.

Symptoms:

Shortness of breath, panting, fever, coughing up blood, loss of weight and breathing difficulties are some of the symptoms of this disease. Patients who have contracted pleural mesothelioma suffer from severe chest pains. The symptoms of this disease are akin to other common diseases, such as pneumonia and thus it is often confused to be that instead of mesothelioma. The diagnosis for this disease is difficult as well. As of now, there are no proven cures for it. Pleural mesothelioma can either be cancerous or non-cancerous. When it is non-cancerous it is called as a benign form where as when it is cancerous it is called a malignant form.

Since, mesothelioma patients don’t start showing symptoms of this disease till at least 20-50 years after exposure to asbestos not many people are able to link the symptoms to its actual cause.

Inhalation of asbestos fibers causes pleural mesothelioma. These fibers get lodged into the lungs and then travel through tissues and finally when they settle on to the mesothelioma lining, the abnormal behavior of mesothelioma cells starts showing. The disease causes tumors to be formed in mesothelioma and lungs and may also extend to other parts of the body.

Being difficult to identify they may cause a lot of harm before they are detected. In several cases of mesothelioma the diagnosis was made too late and most of the patients were already in the final stages of the cancer. Mesothelioma is a fatal disease and hence the medical fraternity music undertakes the proper tests and efforts required to detect this disease as soon as possible.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma:

Peritoneal mesothelioma only accounts for 10-20% of mesothelioma cases. Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the abdomen causing cells to behave abnormally. The disease is caused by dangerous asbestos fibers being inhaled and traveling through the digestive tract before eventually settling down in some area of the organ. This disease causes tumors to form in the abdomen and may end up spreading to other parts of the body. The main symptoms of this form of mesothelioma include chest pains, fever, constipation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, breathing difficulties and loss of weight, swollen stomach, constipation and loose motions. The disease can be diagnosed using the following: MRI, IT scans X-Rays, Thoractomy, Laparotomy, Laparoscopy and PET. The main causes of it include inhalation of asbestos fibers but some of the following factors may increase the chances of someone getting peritoneal mesothelioma