Mesothelioma Cancer Treatment

Mesothelioma Cancer Treatment: The struggle against Asbestos

Approximately 2,000 – 2,500 new cases of Mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. This numbers of Mesothelioma cases are rising at exponential sizes because of the big Asbestos exposure that the citizens have in our days. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. With the Mesotheliomas Cases growing exponential the requirements of trustful information are vast.

Mesothelioma is a exceptional form of cancer (malignancy) that most frequently arises from the cells lining the sacs of the chest (the pleura) or the abdomen (the peritoneum). Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these signs and symptoms: chest wall pain pleural effusion or fluid surrounding the lung shortness of breath exhaustion or anemia puffed, hoarseness, or cough blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up. Mesothelioma is described as localized if the cancer is found only on the membrane surface where it originated. Mesothelioma development in rats has been demonstrated following intra-pleural inoculation of phosphorylated chrysotile fibres. Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women at any age. Mesothelioma is not contagious and cannot be passed from one person to another. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and cachexia, abdominal bulge and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may consist of bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. These symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions.

Many people with malignant mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they breathed asbestos. Others have been exposed to asbestos in a household atmosphere, often without knowing it. An disclosure of as little as one or two months can result in mesothelioma 30 or 40 years later. People exposed in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma because of the long latency period of asbestos disease. Since epidemiologic studies have shown that more that 80% of mesotheliomas may be associated with asbestos exposure, documented mesothelioma in a worker with occupational exposure to asbestos may be compensable in many parts of America.

Mesotheliomas, both pleural and peritoneal, are also associated with asbestos exposure. In contrast to lung cancers, these tumors don not appear to be associated with smoking. Relatively short-term asbestos exposures of 1to 2 years or less occurring some 20 to 25 years in the past have been associated with the development of mesotheliomas (an observation that emphasizes the importance of obtaining a complete environmental exposure history).  Since maximum exposure took place in the United States between 1930 and 1960, peak incidence of disease in men occurred in 1997, with a total of 2300 cases. Incidence is expected to decline over the next 30 years to about 500 cases per year.  With this in mind the mesothelioma cases can increase in the next years. The information it's an important active. To be informed about mesothelioma and other cancer related topics could be useful in terms of prevention. Be an active reader, it's a great investment to your health.