Malignant Mesothelioma - A Dreaded Disease

Malignant mesothelioma is cancer that starts in the cells that line most organs of the body, especially the chest, belly, and heart. The lining formed by these cells is called mesothelium. The mesothelium forms a protective sac that surrounds internal organs of the body. It consists of two layers: one layer of cells surrounding the organ and another forming a sac around it. These cells secrete a fluid that allows organs to move effortlessly and harmlessly within the space defined by the mesothelium.

Thus, moving organs like the heart and the lungs can function normally only with a functioning mesothelium. Mesothelioma is a disease in which the cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and multiply uncontrollably, invading the surrounding tissues affecting the very organs they are supposed to protect. In most cases of mesothelioma, the lungs are the organs that are affected. The mesothelium of the lungs is known as the pleura. Pleural mesothelioma is the most commonly diagnosed form of the disease.

Risk factors and risk groups

Mesothelioma is associated with asbestos. Around 70-80% of all cases of mesothelioma have a history of exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a group of minerals that has been widely used in industrial products such as cement, brake linings, flooring's, textiles and insulation. The first cases of mesothelioma occurred in the 1900s in Britain where workers at asbestos factories began experiencing a high level of lung disease. The disease was then referred to as asbestosis. It was only much later, in 1959, that the link between asbestos and lung cancer was made.

Mesothelioma can also arise as a result of secondary exposure to asbestos. A chance of developing cancer in families and other persons in contact with asbestos workers is great due to exposure to dust from the clothing and hair of the worker. People living in old buildings (prior to banning of asbestos in construction materials) are also at risk. The occupations that are most associated with mesothelioma include: construction industry workers, electricians, plumbers, shipyard workers, textile workers etc.

Incidence of mesothelioma

Most countries now specify the level of asbestos that can be safely present in the working environment of a person. Since the risk of asbestos-related disease increases due to heavy and longer exposure to asbestos, proper working environment led to a reduction in the cases of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is now a relatively rare disease; only 2000 cases arise every year in the United States.

Living with the disease

Like many other cancers, there is very little one can do where the diagnosis has not been made in the early stages of the disease. Unfortunately, most cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in its late stages. There is no cure for the disease. In some cases, tumors may be removed by surgery, in the hope that it has not already spread to other parts of the body. Surgery may aim to remove the tumor or the entire lung. Treatments by radiation and chemotherapy are mostly palliative (i.e. aiming to reduce the severity of symptoms rather than treating the disease).

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Mesothelioma Treatment Options Are Very Limited If The Disease Is Detected Too Late

If you suspect that you have any form of cancer, you really should schedule an appointment with your family doctor and have medical tests done immediately to confirm, or deny it. The mesothelioma treatment options for somebody that is in stage III of this disease are either very limited or nonexistent all together.

Mesothelioma cancer is a particularly deadly form of this group of diseases. Some survival rates for certain types of this disease, like either breast or prostrate, are very high if they are discovered soon enough and treatment is started straight away.

However, even if mesothelioma cancer is discovered almost immediately, your chances of living a normal lifespan are very remote. There really is not any good news when it comes to this kind of cancer, except that it can be prevented, if you know what to look out for.

That is exactly the problem also, after all, how many people have ever heard of mesothelioma cancer? Not too many is the easy answer to that question. So, if only a few people have ever heard of it, how is the entire population supposed to know what to do to prevent themselves from ever coming down with it?

Mesothelioma cancer is only contracted by coming in contact with a material, called asbestos. In most cases today, people who catch this disease, either work or live in a building that was constructed during the 20th century when it was widely used as a building material.

There are certain professions that are considered high risk groups, and they are construction workers, plumbers, electricians, and maintenance workers. The reason for this is very simple; most of them have never been trained about its dangers. In addition, the vast majority of the people who work in the above lines of work cannot even recognize asbestos.

Other high risk groups, included people who know somebody that has come down with mesothelioma cancer that either live or work in the same building as the patient. If you happen to fall into that category, it is recommended that you have test done to see if you have it, once a year for the rest of your life.

The most prevalent mesothelioma treatment options that are used today are the following; surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and palliative therapies. These alternatives can be used on their own, or in conjunction with each other, depending on what plan of action that your doctor believes is best for your particular case.

Without question, the patient that is treated for this disease when it is still in its very early stages has the best survival rates. If you suspect that you have it, or you are exhibiting its symptoms, you should setup an appointment to see your doctor as soon as possible to have medical test done.

The mesothelioma treatment options that are used today are at the very best extremely primitive. In addition, most of them will make you much sicker, before you ever get better.

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Mesothelioma Cancer Is An Extremely Rare and Fatal Form Of This Horrifying Disease

Today, there are many well known types of cancer, such as breast, lung, throat and a few others. There is another form of this deadly disease that not too many people know about, which is called Mesothelioma Cancer. It is just as deadly if not more so, than the most recognized types of this health condition.

Mesothelioma Cancer attacks the protective lining that covers many of our body's organs. Most of the time the people that come down with it came in contact with a substance called asbestos. It was widely used many decades ago in numerous kinds of products, and one of the main ones was in the construction industry, as an insulator and fire inhibitor.

This form of cancer often attacks the internal chest wall or the outer lining of the lungs. As terrible as this sounds, most people that come down with this disease did not need to, if they were better informed and educated on how harmful it actually is. You can catch Mesothelioma Cancer simply by breathing in dust or particles that contain asbestos.

It is very prevalent in old buildings, even to this day. If anybody that you know who either lives in your same building, or works where you do, happens to contact Mesothelioma Cancer, you need to be extra "special" careful, and take immediate action to safeguard yourself and your family.

This is a tell tale warning sign that they have come in contact with this deadly material. It is advised that you instantaneously have both your work and home thoroughly examined for this matter. If the people that you work for do not feel it is necessary to have their premises inspected, you can contact the local building inspector or Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) yourself. They will keep your name confidential, so you do not need to be worried about your job.

In addition, you need to try and figure out if there were any other places that your acquaintance frequented, that you also go to a great deal, and try to determine if that was the source of the problem. In the vast majority of the cases, a person does not get Mesothelioma Cancer without coming in contact with asbestos.

This is why, if you are close to the person, work with them, or live in the same building or area as they do, you need to take every preventative measure possible to protect yourself and your loved ones. Simply breathing in this substance a single time is enough to start a chain reaction, which could eventually lead to death.

Asbestos and Mesothelioma Cancer are certainly something to be feared and highly respected. Today, there are many construction companies working around the clock trying to remove it from as many structures as possible, as quickly as possible. But, even with all of the time and effort being spent on this critical project, people are still dying at alarming rates because of this once thought to be extremely safe and one of a kind manmade material.

Get all the information you could possibly ever need about Mesothelioma and the deadly Mesothelioma Cancer online at Mesothelioma.us right now.

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