An Introduction to Mesothelioma Cancer from asbestos.net

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An Introduction to Mesothelioma Cancer

Although it shares some similarities with lung cancer, mesothelioma is actually a distinct disease. A diagnosis of mesothelioma, however, can be just as devastating to the patient and her friends and family members.

Commonly associated with asbestos exposure, mesothelioma targets the thin sheath which both surrounds the lungs and lines the chest cavity. This mesothelium is particularly vulnerable to asbestos's jagged, microscopic fibers, which can penetrate the cells and cause them to divide uncontrollably, leading to a tumor. Because the disease has a long incubation period, however, it may be years or even decades after the contact with asbestos for symptoms to surface. By the time the mesothelioma is correctly diagnosed, it is often advanced to the latest stages of cancer, making surgery to remove the tumor virtually impossible.

Other treatments may be useful for mesothelioma, and several new and exciting chemotherapy combinations are currently being investigated. Radiation is also a possibility. Most cases of mesothelioma respond most favorably to a multi-modal approach, in which two or more therapies are combined. Additionally, many patients turn to complementary or alternative approaches, either as stand-alone therapies or to help alleviate the side effects that typically accompany chemo and radiation.

Although asbestos exposure is most often occupational in nature, it can also occur on a secondhand basis. More and more secondhand exposure mesothelioma cases are coming to light, most of them in wives or children who may have been exposed to the fibers on the clothing of asbestos workers.

Anyone who has worked as a plumber, lagger, pipefitter, mechanic, mill operator, metalworker or shipbuilder—to name just a few of the most at-risk occupations—or anyone who may have lived with such a worker, should make their physician aware of the possible asbestos connection, so that if any symptoms of mesothelioma arise, the patient can be quickly evaluated. This disease is sometimes misdiagnosed as lung cancer, asthma or emphysema, delaying treatment and making the cancer harder to combat. The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath or breathlessness, especially after normal exertion; a cough that will not go away; a cough which produces bloody sputum; pain in the chest, ribs or back; swelling of the neck or face; and difficulty swallowing.

In the United Kingdom, 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of this asbestos cancer are diagnosed each year. Annually, some 20,000 people die from the disease worldwide. Sadly, these numbers are expected to rise within the next decade, owing to its long latency period combined with the fact that the peak usage of asbestos occurred in the mid-20th Century.