Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer. It develops from transformed cells which the mesothelium,.The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. Mesothelioma is a disease in which cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and divide without control or order. They can affect  and damage nearby tissues and organs.

Common Causes and Risk Factors:

It is usually caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a mineral fiber that has been used commonly in a variety of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire-retardant. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked in jobs where they inhaled asbestos, or were exposed to asbestos dust and fibers in other ways. It has also been suggested that washing clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos increases their risk for developing mesothelioma. Unlike lung cancer, there seems to be no association between mesothelioma and tobacco smoking, but smoking greatly increases the risk of other asbestos-induced cancers. Some people who were exposed to asbestos have collected damages for asbestos-related disease, including mesothelioma. Compensation via asbestos funds or class action lawsuits is an important issue in law practices regarding mesothelioma.

Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma:

• shortness of breath due to pleural effusion(fluid between the lung and the chest wall) 
• chest wall pain
• unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue or anemia
• Wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
• Blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemoptysis)

Diagnosis:

Diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions.

•  chest X-ray and 
• CT scan
• lung function tests
• confirmed pathologically with a biopsy (removing a sample of the suspicious tissue) and microscopic examination.

The disease may metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body. Mesothelioma is described as localized if the cancer is found only on the membrane surface where it originated. It is classified as advanced if it has spread beyond the original membrane surface to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, lungs, chest wall, or abdominal organs.

Symptoms in severe cases of the disease:

§   Blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis (hrombophlebitis is swelling (inflammation) of a vein caused by a blood clot)

§  Disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body       organs

§       Jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin

§         Low blood sugar level

§          Pleural effusion(buildup of fluid between the layers of tissue that line the lungs and chest cavity)

§          Pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs

§       Severe ascites(excess fluid in the space between the tissues lining the abdomen and abdominal organs)

Treatment:

Conventional treatments for mesothelioma typically consist of:

• Surgery(any surgical procedure)
• chemotherapy(various drugs that are considered toxic because they work by killing both healthy and cancerous cells)
• radiation therapy(radiation such as x-rays or gamma rays may be delivered externally via external beam radiation)