Asbestos And Mesothelioma

Firstly lets analyze the symptoms of Mesothelioma. It is far more likely to effect ex workers in asbestos factories than residential home owners who have had a bit of a scare removing asbestos fibre.

Secondly, symptoms of Mesothelioma may not appear up to 30 or 40 years after you have been exposed to asbestos.

The most common form of Mesothelioma is Pleural Mesothelioma which has the following symptoms:

Persistent dry or raspy cough; trouble swallowing; cough that produces blood; painful breathing; shortness of breath; chest or rib pain; night sweats/fever; and unexplained weight loss. Fatigue and lumps under the skin of the chest have also been reported in patients with pleural mesothelioma.

If you spent some time in your life exposed to asbestos and now have any of these symptoms then its time to go see a Mesothelioma Doctor for caution sake at least. You may simply have a common virus but Mesothelioma is so serious that you must be diagnosed to be certain.

Even if you don’t display the above symptoms but have had exposure to asbestos in a working environment at some stage of your life, particularly the 1970′s and 1980′s then it’s best to see a Mesothelioma Doctor at least once a year and receive a chest x-ray at the same time.

The result of pleural mesothelioma is pleural thickening which is a fluid build up between membrane layers and this will put pressure on the lungs resulting in respiratory problems.

Before choosing your mesothelioma doctor you may want to first find out their experience in dealing with Mesothelioma and how many cases they have handled and also if they take your insurance. You might be best to join a mesothelioma group first to get first hand experience of what practitioners they recommend.

It’s a good idea to find a Mesothelioma Group anyway. In this way you can share so many experiences and also along with medical advice that they may have you’ll also have a group that are almost certainly going to or have taken legal action or litigation against the many asbestos manufacturers that were around in the 70′s and 80′s and still are.

Incredibly the US passed a law in the 80′s banning asbestos production but it was overturned in the 90′s so that asbestos could still be manufactured in limited products. The sad thing is though that asbestos has been banned permanently in every other western country but now developing countries governments are buying it in quantities and using it in houses in impoverished areas.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer which affects the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a thin membrane which covers the heart, lungs and other internal organs. You normally get this disease from being exposed to asbestos fibers at some point in your life.

Types of mesothelioma

Pleural mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form is pleural mesothelioma which develops within the mesothelium. Pleural mesothelioma will develop in the pleural membrane which is the lungs lining.

Breathing in asbestos fibers is the cause of pleural mesothelioma. Upon entering the lungs, the asbestos fibers will work their way into the lungs pleural membrane. Once in there, the body will find it almost impossible to get rid of them. Over a period of several decades, the asbestos fibers will cause the pleural cells to change. These changes may lead to the lungs becoming scarred and, eventually, tumors forming.

Once the cells of the pleural membrane turn cancerous, they will continuously divide, leading to a reduction in lung capacity and causing fluid to buildup between the layers of the pleural membrane.

Because pleural mesothelioma is usually not caught until the later stages of the disease, the prognosis for the patient is normally poor. But, if the disease is caught in the early stages, then the patient’s prognosis as well as the life expectancy will be much improved.

Peritoneal mesothelioma
Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma – this is a very rare form of cancer which strikes the peritoneum (the cell walls surrounding the abdominal cavity. The peritoneum lubricates the abdominal cavity which allows the surrounding internal organs and body structures to expand and contract. Peritoneal mesothelioma is very rare with fewer than 500 people contracting this form of cancer each year.

Several decades after asbestos fibers are breathed in or ingested; cancer will develop in the patient’s abdomen. Modern tests can diagnose whether or not a patient has peritoneal mesothelioma. Despite the fact that it is not usually diagnosed until it is in the later stages, there are still some treatment options.

Although some patients may qualify for surgery and other curative treatment options, other patients may simply choose palliative measures. Most patients with peritoneal mesothelioma survive for less than a year. However, with the proper treatment, life expectancy could increase. A mesothelioma specialist can help patients find the best treatment options for their cancer, which might improve the patient’s prognosis.

According to some studies, the average life expectancy of a man diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma is 7 months, although a few men have survived for almost 100 months. Women usually survive for approximately 9 months after being diagnosed, with a few women surviving for a maximum of 49 months. Patients whose mesothelioma was caught early and with less severe symptoms naturally have a better prognosis.

Mesothelioma treatment options
When it comes to treating cancer, doctors focus on killing the malignant cells and saving the healthy ones. There are several ways to do this.

Doctors will utilize chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation or a combination of all three as the most effective way to treat mesothelioma. The treatment that will be recommended is dependent on several issues:

The type and location of the mesothelioma
How big are the tumors?
How much the cancer has metastasized?
What stage the cancer is in.
The patient’s age
The patient’s overall health

Several types of doctors will be involved in treating the cancer such as an oncologist or cancer specialist, a radiologist, and a pulmonologist or lung specialist. It can take time to figure out the precise location and variety of the cancer, but determining these factors will enable the oncologist to prescribe the most effective mesothelioma treatment.