Mesothelioma Facts

Mesothelioma is an uncommon form of cancer that takes place in the mesothelium. The mesothelium is made up of visceral and parietal membranes which surround organs and body cavities, such as the lungs or abdomen. The visceral membrane immediately surrounds the organ, and the parietal membrane is a sac covering the visceral membrane. There is a lubricating fluid between these membranes that make up the mesothelium. This fluid helps organs move easily between surrounding structures. In the case of the lung, it helps reduce friction between the lung and chest wall during normal breathing as the lung expands.

Here are more facts about mesothelioma:

There are different types of mesothelioma
In the abdomen, it is called peritoneal mesothelioma; on the lungs, it is called pleural mesothelioma; and if it develops on the heart, pericardial mesothelioma.

It develops mostly on the lungs:

The most common location for mesothelioma to develop is on the lungs. About two-thirds of all mesothelioma cases develop in the pleural mesothelium. This mesothelioma on the lungs is called malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). The remaining cases develop in the peritoneal mesothelium in the abdomen. A tumor in the abdominal mesothelium is called peritoneal mesothelioma. Rarely, mesothelioma occurs in other mesothelial tissue, such as on the heart or on the reproductive organs.

It may have other causes:

Although asbestos is the major cause of mesothelioma, up to 30–50% of all cases are not clearly related to previous asbestos exposure. Other possible reasons include previous exposure to radiation or to particular minerals closely related to asbestos that are found in the soil. Smoking has not been shown to be a cause of mesothelioma. However, if a smoker has also been exposed to asbestos, this significantly increases his or her risk of developing other types of lung cancer.

It has a long development time:

It has a long latency period, which means that symptoms don’t develop for 20–50 years after environmental exposure. The average age at which symptoms usually start to appear is around 60 years old.

It occurs more in men than in women:

Mesothelioma affects men about three times more often than women in the US. Occurrence rises gradually with age. In other parts of the world, where exposure comes primarily from other environmental sources, such as in Turkey, mesothelioma occurs about equally in men and women.

It is a rare disease:

An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the US. In other countries, the number of cases varies. Overall, the number of cases reported each year seems to be increasing.

Mesothelioma Cure:

Doctors and researchers are searching and working hard to find solutions pertaining to a cure for Mesothelioma but have not discovered any yet.

Joyce Richards writes for http://www.mesotheliomahealth.net

All Pericardial Mesothelioma Information FAQ

What is the prognosis for pericardial mesothelioma? This is highly dependent on how early and how aggressively the cancer is treated.

Usual symptoms include persistent coughing, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain and palpitations. It is possible to get pericardial mesothelioma from as little as a couple of months of exposure to asbestos although on average it would take a couple of years for enough asbestos fibres to build up to cause cancer. Aggressive surgery is a very difficult procedure and consists of removing large chunks of cancerous cells in an attempt to gain long term control over the cancer. What is pericardial mesothelioma? Pericardial mesothelioma is a serious heart condition which consists of cancerous cells building up on the lining of the heart.

Therefore those at risk are those who are most likely to have inhaled these deadly fibres such as construction workers and asbestos manufacturers. If pericardial mesothelioma is treated when it has fully developed and matured then the chances of a patient's survival is very small. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, dual therapy and surgery are the treatment methods available. Surgery comes in two forms; aggressive surgery and palliative procedures. Palliative procedures just attempts to lessen the symptoms for the patient.

What are the symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma? The symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma change from patient to patient. The prognosis could be only a couple of months. What are the treatments available for pericardial mesothelioma? There are various different treatments for pericardial mesothelioma although none of these have a high success rate. Dual therapy is a treatment combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy includes using drugs to kill off cancerous cells and radiation therapy uses doses of radiation to kill cancer cells although this is difficult in the case of pericardial mesothelioma due to the surrounding vital organs such as the heart and lungs.

Those in contact with these people also have a chance of getting pericardial mesothelioma because these people may have asbestos fibres stuck to their clothes or hair. So far, research has been mostly unsuccessful. Is there any promising research into cures for pericardial mesothelioma? Research into cures of pericardial mesothelioma and all other forms of mesothelioma is being done in numerous research labs all over the USA. Similarly to pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, this is a terminal illness due to the importance of the area on which it grows. How much exposure to asbestos is needed for there to be a possibility of getting pericardial mesothelioma? This depends on how strong and resistant the person is to disease and on the concentration of asbestos in the environment around him.

Many pharmaceutical companies are also working hard to research new drugs for chemotherapy. Other symptoms patients may experience are nausea, weight loss, vomiting and loss of appetite. What causes pericardial mesothelioma and who are most at risk? The primary cause of pericardial mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos dust and fibres.