Know What Is Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a lethal form of cancer that attacks the thin layer of cells surrounding the lungs, heart, and abdominal cavity. This rare disease has been associated with asbestos exposure. Over 80 percent of individuals suffering from mesothelioma have worked with asbestos products for extended periods of time. Because the first symptoms appear decades after initial exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma is diagnosed in late stages. There is no known cure for this aggressive disease.

* Asbestos : Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit, long, (1:20) thin fibrous crystals. The inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious illnesses, including malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma ( a formerly rare cancer strongly associated with exposure to amphibole asbestos ), and asbestosis (a type of pneumoconiosis). Long exposure to high concentrations of asbestos fibers is more likely to cause health problems.This is most common among the miners of asbestos, since they have the longest exposure to it. The European Union has banned all use of asbestos and extraction, manufacture and processing of asbestos products.

Asbestos became increasingly popular among manufacturers and builders in the late 19th century because of its sound absorption, average tensile strength, and its resistance to fire, heat, electrical and chemical damage. It was used in such applications as electrical insulation for hotplate wiring and in building insulation. When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat, the fibers are often mixed with cement ( resulting in fiber cement ) or woven into fabric or mats. Commercial asbestos mining began in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada and the world's largest asbestos mine is located in the town of Asbestos, Quebec.

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Its most common site is the pleura ( outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall ), but it may also occur in the peritoneum ( the lining of the abdominal cavity ), the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart), or the tunica vaginalis ( a sac that surrounds the testis ).

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways. It has also been suggested that washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking greatly increases the risk of other asbestos-induced cancers. Those who have been exposed to asbestos have collected damages for asbestos-related disease, including mesothelioma. Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in law practices regarding mesothelioma ( see asbestos and the law ).

The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion ( fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. The diagnosis may be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy ( tissue sample ) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space ( called pleurodesis ), which prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing.