Mesothelioma and Asbestos
If you are like me, you’ve probably seen the commercials on TV talking about mesothelioma cancer and its connection to Asbestos.
Mostly these commercials are from mesothelimoa lawyers trying to find clients for a class action lawsuit of some type to build a case so they can cash in; much like the lawyers did when they were going after “Big Tobacco”. But what the commercials fail to explain is exactly what mesothelioma is and what’s its connection to asbestos?
What is Mesothelioma
In simple terms, mesothelioma (malignant mesothelioma) is a fairly rare type of cancer.
It’s found on the meothelium, the protective lining covering our internal organs and has been linked to the exposure of asbestos, an insulation material previously used in ship and building construction for its sound absorption, resistance to heat, electrical and chemical damage.
The most common areas of the body to develop this cancer is the outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall but it has also been found in the lining of the abdominal cavity as well as the protective sac that surrounds the heart.
Causes and Symptoms of Mesothelioma
In the United States, the major cause of mesothelioma is from working with and inhaling asbestos. From the 1940s, people in the ship building industry, heating and construction industries, asbestos mines and other related fields who have been exposed to asbestos dust is at the most risk. Although OSHA and the EPA started to ban the use of asbestos in the 70’s and 80’s the damage has already been done for millions of Americans.
The tricky part of this cancer is that even with as little as 1 to 3 months of exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma cancer and its symptoms may not develop for 15 years and usually reach their peak at 20 to 50+ years post exposure.
Depending on which part of your body has developed the cancer the symptoms can vary from:
- Weight loss and low blood sugar levels
- Chest wall pain
- Fluid surrounding the lungs
- Shortness of breath, fatigue or anemia
- Coughing up blood and wheezing
- Blood clotting, bowel obstruction, abdominal swelling
- Severe bleeding in many body organs
Mesothelioma Treatment
Unfortunately, cures for mesothelioma are rare and the prognosis for those suffering from this cancer is still rather low. This is due to the fact that the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions coupled with the extreme length of time from exposure to development and the patient’s age (usually 50 to 70 years old) and current health all pose problems for a favorable outcome.
The typical treatments for mesothelioma range from:
- Surgery
- Radiation
- Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy
- Heated intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy
- and Multimodality Therapy
