Mesothelioma is a very rare form of cancer that develops in the protective lining of the internal organs or mesothelium. The most common areas where mesothelioma develops can be on the outer lining of the lungs and internal chest cavity. It can also occur in the lining of the abdominal cavity, the area that surrounds the heart as well as the sac that surrounds the testis in men. It doesn’t really spread to skeletal system, brain or adrenal glands; mostly the lungs and stomach lining which are the most detectable areas for various forms of cancer.
Mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure on the job or through asbestos dust or fiber that is found or often used in the workplace or even in homes or apartment spaces. Since the early 1940s, many Americans have been exposed if not to the asbestos material itself, but the dust and those materials that go with it. This is especially true with workers who were exposed to the material in the shipyards, in asbestos mines and mills, which produced the product, and in the heating and construction industry. Even if workers wear protective gear to lessen their exposure to mesothelioma, the length of the exposure can still be minimal or maximum and thus that kind of exposure can be very costly.
As for the types of asbestos that one can be exposed to when diagnosed with mesothelioma, it can come in various forms, varieties and colors. These forms of asbestos can be found anywhere depending on the industry and its usage. There is the common “white asbestos which comes from serpentine rocks and is used in many industries. It also known as Chrysotile and can be woven into fabric that is often found in theatre curtains, mud and texture coatings, vinyl floor and ceiling tiles, plasters, stuccos, putty, countertops, roofing materials, and firefighter suits. Amosite or brown asbestos is commonly found in Africa in their building materials. Blue asbestos or Riebeckite/Crocidolite is considered to be the most dangerous type of asbestos that is not often found in materials but still used in some chemical and other industries. Because of the chemical makeup of all forms of asbestos, it is considered a human carcinogen by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the EPA, and the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer. Knowing this should be alarming to anyone who has had some form (if known) of asbestos exposure and need to take some action right away to see if mesothelioma or other forms of asbestos disease have infected the body.
Being aware of all the forms and varieties of asbestos can
help determine what kind of exposure involved in mesothelioma diagnosis. From
the very minimal to the very maximum, it can determine the lifestyle and outcome
of such exposure depending on the severity of t
he
mesothelioma itself. Once this occurs then it is possible to file a lawsuit
against the company in which the exposure occurred. It is a process that starts
with discussing options with a specialized mesothelioma lawyer. From there,
and depending on the information being discussed and investigated, a lawsuit
claim can be filed against those who knowingly or unknowingly used asbestos in
their products or building materials. These lawsuits can take a while to
process, but once they do, the mesothelioma patient can rest at ease at the
thought of financial rewards that will come forth in order to help pay for
expensive treatments, job loss compensation, and other factors related to the
treatment of the disease.
As a result of all the different lawsuits cropping up due to asbestos exposure and mesothelioma diagnosis, laws and regulations have been implemented in order to curb asbestos exposure. One of them is the Asbestos Ban and Phase out Rule from 1989 that the EPA was able to pass through Congress. However, due to challenges within the court system of the EPA, it was soon overturned in 1991, leaving many consumers, workers, and others in industries to still have costly exposure to asbestos in varying amounts (even if it is a trace) on legal grounds due to this ruling.
Thus, while there are U.S. regulations in regards to exposure to asbestos, there
are literally no adequate ways proposed in how to prevent mesothelioma from
occurring. In England, they state that any form of exposure to asbestos, even
if at a low level is technically not safe. Others have stated that there is no
evidence for cause of contracting mesothelioma; even with low exposure thus
there is no risk in contracting it. In other words, no one really knows what is
safe when it comes to being exposed to asbestos at all, and thus more
experimentation and research needs to be implemented.
While asbestos is the main cause of contracting mesothelioma, some mesothelioma victims have been reported to contract the disease without that exposure. In other cases, mesothelioma victims have been associated with the inhalation of fibrous silicates, a variation of thorium dioxide, or SV40 virus. This is what makes this form of cancer so unique and why it is so rare, even in the diagnosis stage.
The symptoms of mesothelioma can vary from a shortness of breath to fluid in the lungs or chest pains. There can be some weight loss involved but it’s general and rare. Other symptoms of mesothelioma include: fatigue, anemia, coughing and wheezing, coughed up blood, abdominal swelling and pain, and problems with bowel movements. If the symptoms are severe the patient can develop tumors, develop a collapsed lung, blood clots, jaundice, low blood sugar, and severe ascites.
When it comes to diagnosing the signs and symptoms of mesothelioma, they may be rare or not appear at all until 20 or 30 years later. In essence, mesothelioma is a highly latent disease. However, if one is suspected of exposure to it, a chest X-ray or CT scan is advised along with a biopsy and more detailed medical examinations. Even with detailed treatments, prognosis is poor and early detection and screen is constantly being researched and is ongoing and should be done even if symptoms of mesothelioma do not show.
Mesothelioma is a very rare form of cancer that are found in the protective sacs that over the majority of the body’s internal organs. It is caused by exposure to asbestos whether it is the most legally minimal or a lot depending on where the discovery of asbestos exposure has been found. The asbestos that causes mesothelioma can be found in most buildings whether construction or residential wise as well as in most of the house hold items used for home improvement and other decorative ideas.
There are varying ways to treat mesothelioma depending on where the cancer has been located, at what stage it is at, and the general health and age of the cancer victim. Mostly, mesothelioma is treated the way any form of cancer is treated: surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Sometimes these are combined into a more aggressive form of treatment. Oftentimes, there are also alternative forms of mesothelioma cancer treatment that can be available in case the standard option is not.
When it comes to the prognosis and outcomes of mesothelioma treatments, they seem to have mixed results depending on what doctor or trial is being tested or considered. If treated early, there is better prognosis as to the lifespan of the patient depending on their therapy. This is also true of the patient’s chemical make-up which can also affect the outcome of treatments.
Below is an explanation of some of the more standard methods used in treating mesothelioma:
Surgery --- For the most part, while surgery is one of the more standard options and procedures for mesothelioma treatment, it has proven to be one of the more disappointing cures, but is still used. The most common form of surgery is a pleurectomy and decortication. This is when the affected lining of the chest is removed in order to help the patient to be more comfortable when dealing with tumors that could reoccur at any time after the surgery. Another kind of surgery for the mesothelioma patient is the extra pleural pneumonectomy (EPP for short). In some rare and even sever cases of mesothelioma; this type of surgery involves the total removal of the lung, chest lining, the hemi-diaphragm, and the pericardium. It is believe that this second form of surgery can improve the reoccurrence rate of mesothelioma; however the percentage is pretty low from that. The choices in using these operations are unique because it depends on the size of the tumor or at least the volume of it. In any case, the idea is to make sure that the visible tumor is removed. However, when surgery is combined with other standard or alternative treatments, the chances of survival and success are doubled and have been found to be the best choice in treatment.
Radiation --- Radiation is often used for those patients who have more of a localized form of mesothelioma, and especially at the post-op stage of treatment and especially when treating the chest area in order to prevent repeated tumor growths. When given by itself, radiation has been shown to not to increase or improve the mesothelioma survival rate, but to at least increase chances of surviving. It is often combined with chemotherapy to improve maximum healing and other such results. It is important to note that if some of the radiation that was given to the patient has not be removed after the next surgery in a matter of time, it can create a dangerous toxicity in the affected organs as well as the body itself.
Chemotherapy --- Of the three most significant and successful standards treatments of mesothelioma, chemotherapy have been prove to do its job through experiments and trials. When chemotherapy patients are given different treatments separately or in combination, they have very high response rates using a variety of chemotherapy medicines such as doxorubicin, cisplatin, premetrexed, folate, and vitamin B12. The side effects of these drugs, whether together or in combination can vary such as: nausea and vomiting, stomatitis, and diarrhea. There is also an alternative form of chemotherapy for mesothelioma called heated intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy in which a tumor is removed with the direct administration of a chemotherapy agent that can be heated along with drainage of fluids in order to rid any malignant cancer cells as quick as possible. However, no matter what form of chemotherapy is used, questions are still asked about when to stop and start chemotherapy as well as how much of it to give because each patient is different depending on their body make-up and their healing capacity.
Multimodality Therapy ---- While the standard approaches to treating mesothelioma exist by themselves as options, they are most often more affected when used in combination with each other (otherwise known as a multimodality therapy). In fact, survival rates of mesothelioma patients have doubled between 2-15 years causing a very positive prognosis. This is hopeful new for those patients who have recently been diagnosed with mesothelioma and are still dealing with the unknown developments and other information.
While standard treatments for mesothelioma exist, the medical community has become open enough to look into some forms of alternative forms of therapies that could possibly be added to the standard forms of chemotherapy in order help patients deal with their medical circumstances better. One of these therapies is something called immunotherapy in which a bacteria is released into the body to help boost the immune system. While only few of the results of this therapy have proven to be pretty fruitful, they have been such major side effects that trial runs of the treatment had to be suspended because of it.
With most physicians, it seems as if any forms of mesothelioma therapy have not shown significant proof of increased survival and quality of life for the patient. Even radical forms or combinations of treatments are look at with skepticism. In fact, even after good treatments of any form have been taken by the mesothelioma patient, some significant portion of the cancer can come back in a matter of months to which more of the same or sometimes aggressive cancer treatment needs to be undertaken.