What is Mesothelioma

What is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is one of the types of cancer that developed from the protective lining that covers many of the body’s internal organs which called mesothelium. In other words Mesothelioma is a disease in which cells of the mesothelium becames abnormal in nature and divides without control or without order and it can invade and damage other tissues and organs of the body. About 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma 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 at any age.Mesothelioma is usually caused by exposure to asbestos. 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.
Symptoms of mesothelioma
Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleura are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Common symptoms of mesothelioma are:
• Problems in breathing
• Pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
• Weight loss
• Abdominal swelling
• Wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
• Low blood sugar level
• Pleural effusion
• Chest pain
• Blood clotting abnormalities
• Anemia and fever
• Swelling of neck or face.
Treatments of Mesothelioma
Treatment of malignant mesothelioma at earlier stages has a better prognosis, but cures are exceedingly rare. Clinical behavior of the malignancy is affected by several factors including the continuous mesothelial surface of the pleural cavity which favors local metastasis via exfoliated cells, invasion to underlying tissue and other organs within the pleural cavity, and the extremely long latency period between asbestos exposure and development of the disease. The histological subtype and the patient's age and health status also help predict prognosis.Treatment for mesothelioma depends on the location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient's age and general health. Standard treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, Chemotherapy or combined of all this treatment.