All About Mesothelioma Cancer Symptoms & Causes!
According to research at the The National Cancer Institute, malignant mesothelioma, a somewhat rare form of cancer, is a serious disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the sac lining the chest (the pleura) or abdomen (the peritoneum).
Most people with malignant mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they breathed asbestos, thus becoming an asbestos victim!
Mesothelioma (cancer of the mesothelium) is a disease in which cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and divide without control or order. They can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. Cancer cells can also metastasize (spread) from their original site to other parts of the body. Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura or peritoneum.
Asbestos Fibres?
Asbestos dust and asbestos fibers are microscopic and float in the air for extended time periods when asbestos is disturbed. If microscopic asbestos fibres are inhaled, they tend to easily get trapped in organs, especially the lungs. Asbestos fibers have been are associated with a number of deadly cancers, including malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma, larynx cancer (cancer of the voice box), esophagus cancer and surprisingly colon cancer too, as well as asbestosis which is an extremely serious lung disease.
How Effective is Mesothelioma Treatment and its Curability?
Unfortunately, most asbestos exposure related diseases are incurable with too few good treatment options available. The dismal curability rate is a major reason for approval and implementation of the new “asbestos victims compensation fund.”
Exactly How Common is Mesothelioma?
Although reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. More than 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma lung cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women and at any age.
How Many Asbestos Related Deaths are Attributable to Mesothelioma?
Roughly 21,000 asbestos related deaths are estimated to occur each year. Some time ago the US Government made a prediction that more than 5-million Americans ultimately may die of cancer and other diseases caused by asbestos exposure. That amazing death toll originates from a common and widely used material. Unfortunately, evidence exists the Johns-Mansville Corporation, the largest manufacturer of asbestos products, and other asbestos manufacturers were well aware as long ago as 70-years that asbestos fiber was a hazard to humans but failed to take steps to limit asbestos exposure or make public its extreme danger.
What are the Causes of Mesothelioma?
Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma. A history of asbestos exposure at work is reported in about 70 percent to 80 percent of all cases. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos.
Asbestos is the word used to identify a group of minerals occurring naturally as groups of strong, flexible fibers that can also be separated into threads and finely woven, even making cloth-like material. Asbestos has been widely used in a wide number of industries, consumer and commercial products, including cement, car, truck and airplane brake linings, roof shingles, commercial floor tile and other flooring products, misc fire resistant products, textiles, cloth, residential home and commercial building weather insulation.
If tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, they may be inhaled or swallowed, and can result in serious long-term health problems. In addition to mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis (a non-cancerous, chronic lung ailment), and other forms of cancers, such as those of the larynx and even kidneys.
Cigarette smoking does not seem to to increase the risk of getting mesothelioma. However, medical research indicates the combination of smoking combined with asbestos exposure significantly increases a person’s risk of developing cancer of the lung air passageways.