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Mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the tissue surrounding the chest, lungs, heart and abdomen.
Whatever tissue is affected becomes the mesothelium. This affected tissue becomes abnormal and starts to uncontrollably divide. At this point, it invades the organs closest and damages them as well.
Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. These asbestos fibers are carcinogenic or cancer causing. These fibers become airborne when disturbed and become lodged in the lungs. Scarring is the usual result as the body tries to deal with the foreign body. The scarring is called asbestosis and in itself it is not cancerous. However, this scarring can become tumors decades later. If the asbestos fibers are swallowed and enter the abdomen, the resulting condition is called peritoneal mesothelioma. The most common form of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma. It affects the lining of the chest cavity.
Unfortunately mesothelioma doesn’t get diagnosed until the cancer is advanced, as the symptoms usually don’t show up until many years after exposure. If it’s not caught until the advanced stages then the prognosis isn’t very good. The survival rate for the cancer is usually one year.
The symptoms are similar to other pulmonary and heart conditions, aggravating early diagnosis. The symptoms are coughing, problems breathing and stomach pain.
There are many treatments available for mesothelioma. Treatments like:
Surgery – may remove the entire lung and a part of the chest lining, the diaphragm and part of the sac surrounding the heart.
Chemotherapy – used to stop the cancer cells from growing and dividing.
Radiation Therapy – is used to kill cancer cells.