Mesothelioma Cancer
Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Inhaling asbestos fibers can cause pleural cancer, and swallowing asbestos can cause peritoneal cancer.
Symptoms can appear between 10 and 50 years after the initial diagnosis. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, chest pain and breathlessness.
Risk Factors
Mesothelioma occurs when asbestos fibres enter the body. Pleural mesothelioma forms in the linings of the chest cavity or the lungs. Mesothelioma can also form in the peritoneum (the membrane surrounding the heart) or the pericardium. The cancer may take up to 50 years to develop before it manifests symptoms. These symptoms are often misinterpreted as flu-like symptoms. Mesothelioma is more common in older people and is more prevalent in males than females.
Exposure to asbestos is the biggest risk factor in mesothelioma. Asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral that is made up of tiny fibres, was used as a building material, for example, in walls and ceilings. It is impervious to heat and fire. It was also extensively used in the manufacture of goods such as pipes, insulations shingles, and cement. Workers in industries where asbestos was prevalent like construction, mining or shipbuilding are at risk of developing mesothelioma. Even those who have only had secondary exposure to asbestos, such as family who brought home asbestos-covered clothing and skin are at risk.
A small proportion (less than 5%) of mesothelioma can be traced to an alteration in the BAP1 gene. This genetic change can increase the risk of developing mesothelioma among those who have been exposed to asbestos.
The age of the patient is also an indicator of risk. Mesothelioma typically affects those who are over 45 and two-thirds of those diagnosed are aged 65 or older. This is partly due to the long latency period associated with asbestos exposure, however, it could also be because the disease tends to impact older patients who have experienced longer-term and more intense exposure to the cancer-causing substance.
Mesothelioma is more common in white males than in women or those belonging to any other race. This is due to the fact that historically more white males have been employed in occupations which put them at a higher risk of asbestos than other groups. Mesothelioma is most often afflicted by those who were exposed to asbestos before the 1980s, a time when more strict regulations were in place.
Signs and symptoms
Mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos, is found in the protective linings of various organs. The cancerous tumors that develop in the tissue can cause damage and severe pain. The malignancy can be spread to other parts of the body via the bloodstream or lymphatic system.
The symptoms of mesothelioma can be similar to other illnesses like pneumonia or influenza. It usually takes between 10 and 50 years to appear after exposure to asbestos. The latency period can make it difficult to detect the disease in the early stages and symptoms could be misinterpreted as signs of other diseases.
In the majority of cases, malignant tumors originate in the chest cavity and lungs (pleura). Mesothelioma is also able to develop in the linings around the abdomen and heart. In rare instances, the disease can even affect the testes' lining, or the sac that surrounds the heart (pericardium).
Asbestos is minerals in a grouping that forms long, thin fibres. These fibers are so durable that they are unable to be broken down by chemical or water, or even bacteria. These materials were widely used in a range of construction and household products before scientists realised the dangers they posed to people's lives.
The majority of patients with mesothelioma were exposed to asbestos in the workplace or at home, and the majority of those who were exposed were employed in the US Navy and the air force, the construction or shipbuilding industries. Men are more likely to develop mesothelioma than women. Veterans account for approximately 30% of all cases.
When honolulu asbestos lawsuit is diagnosed doctors can detect it by performing imaging scans and medical tests. These include X-rays, CT scans, MRIs and PET scans. The doctor could also take a sample of the tissue and send it to a laboratory to be tested.
The results will help doctors determine the mesothelioma type and stage of the disease, which influences prognosis and treatment options. The majority of mesothelioma types are epithelioid and sarcomatoid. Between 10% and 15 percent of cases are biphasic or mixed. Epithelioid mesothelioma is usually less aggressive and has the highest survival rates. Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma is harder to diagnose and has a less favorable prognosis.
Diagnosis
Mesothelioma is difficult to identify, especially in its early stages. Patients should first visit their primary care physician if they are experiencing any symptoms like chest pain or coughing. The doctor will listen to the patient's breathing through an stethoscope, and record their work and health history. This includes any previous asbestos exposure, which is essential for diagnosing mesothelioma.
Doctors must rule out other diseases before they can make the diagnosis since mesothelioma symptoms are similar to other diseases. For example mesothelioma is a cancer that usually spreads to a person's lungs from other parts of their body, like the chest wall or abdomen. Asbestos-related lung diseases, like pneumonia, are common among asbestos sufferers. Pleural mesothelioma can also be mistaken for other respiratory diseases.
Imaging tests, blood tests and biopsy can all be used to detect mesothelioma. These tests can aid doctors in identifying the cancerous site which is usually located in the lungs, but could also be found in the stomach or testicles. These tests can also help doctors determine how much of the cancer is spreading throughout the body.
A CT scan or MRI could reveal the mesothelioma-related signs, such as calcium deposits in the pleura (known as plaque) and the accumulation of fluid between the lungs and the chest wall. These tests can also determine whether a person's lungs are more prominent on one side or the other.
In many instances, a biopsy is necessary to confirm the diagnosis of mesothelioma. This procedure involves taking small portions of tissue and analyzing them in the laboratory for mesothelioma.
Some patients might require additional tests, such as FDG-positron emissions tomography (PET), allowing doctors to look at the lymph nodes in the middle of the chest and to sample the lymph nodes, or endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) using sound waves to study the lungs and mesothelium. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer and doctors are still learning to treat it effectively. Therefore patients diagnosed with the cancer must consider their options carefully and decide what treatment is best for them.
Treatment
Mesothelioma may affect the lung linings or abdomen (peritoneal cancer), or heart (pericardial cancer). Symptoms usually do not appear for a long time after exposure to asbestos. It is important that people who have been exposed to asbestos should be examined if they exhibit any strange symptoms.
A doctor will go over your medical history in order to determine if you have mesothelioma risks. This is based on how long and how frequently you were exposed to asbestos. A doctor may also conduct an examination to determine mesothelioma-related symptoms like fluid accumulation in the chest cavity. The type of cells in the mesothelium, and the location of those cells, are used to classify mesothelioma. Epithelioid mesothelioma accounts for 60 to 80% of mesothelioma. Other types of mesothelioma are sarcomatoid mesothelioma and biphasic that represent between 10% and 15% of mesothelioma cases.
There are a myriad of treatment options for mesothelioma. The type of treatment depends on the type of mesothelioma and the stage of the disease.
In some cases, the mesothelioma is treated using radiation or chemotherapy. During these treatments doctors use powerful cancer-fighting drugs or equipment to destroy tumors. This lowers the risk of mesothelioma returning.
Other types of mesothelioma can be treated through surgery that eliminates a part of the lining from the affected organ. This may also help alleviate breathing difficulties and other symptoms.
If someone is diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, their doctor may perform VATS, a procedure that involves the use of a camera into the lungs to eliminate part of the lung and pleura. This can improve breathlessness caused by fluid build-up in the lungs, but does not cure the condition.
Other treatment options may include support and pain management. It is crucial that those with mesothelioma get as much information about the disease as they can and the best ways to treat it. The more informed they are, the better they can plan for a future that includes a wide range of wellness and health activities.