Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that develops from cells of the mesothelium, the protective lining that covers most of the internal organs of the body.mesothelioma is dangerous but many people still don't know. this disease called mesothelioma can be prevented but the means of prevention available is what many don't want to adhere to. sometimes i wonder why people know that something is not good for their health and yet they still go close to that thing. mesothelioma is caused mostly by asbestos and this same asbestos is what many people still use and come in contact with everyday. mesothelioma has very many dangerous effects to human health apart from its main effects that will be discussed soon. people  in the united states and some other parts of the world are more at risk of the disease and this is because asbestos which is the major cause of mesothelioma is used mostly by Americans in the construction of houses. mesothelioma is not well known by many people, some people have never even heard about it in their entire life. in the country where i come from, i doubt if there is an individual that knows much about this disease called mesothelioma. mesothelioma kills and yet not many people know about it and the most painful thing is that some doctors never give advice against constant contact with asbestos, the primary cause of mesothelioma. this disease called mesothelioma is a slow killer that gradually shortens the life span of the individuals that it affects. my number one of writing this page about mesothelioma is to enlighten people more on mesothelioma and this page will cover areas such as how to prevent mesothelioma, how to reduce the risk of being infected by mesothelioma, how mesothelioma is diagnosed, treatments for mesothelioma and other aspects that will enlighten people on the in and out of the dangerous disease called mesothelioma. first, I'd like to discuss how mesothelioma starts and the process and stages of mesothelioma.

                                              How Mesothelioma Starts
As we all know, mesothelioma(or malignant mesothelioma) is a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers the internal organs of the body. the major cause and start of mesothelioma is constant exposure to asbestos. the most commonly affected part by mesothelioma is the pleura, which is the outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall but it can also occur in the peritoneum which is the lining of the abdominal cavity, the pericardium which is the sac that surrounds the heart or the tunica viginalis which is the sac that surrounds the testis. majority of the people suffering from mesothelioma have worked in jobs where they inhaled or swallowed asbestos fibers or were exposed to airborne asbestos dust or fibers in other ways. handling the clothes or any other property taken always to work by a friend or family member who works with asbestos also creates a risk for getting infected by mesothelioma. mesothelioma has no association with tobacco smoking unlike lung cancer, but smoking increases the risk of other cancers caused by asbestos.


                                             Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma
common symptoms of mesothelioma includes shortness of breath and this is because of the pleural effusion(the fluid between the lung and the chest wall), chest pain and other signs such as unexplained weight loss even if the patient is not dieting. mesothelioma may be suspected based on x-ray and CT scan findings, but it must be confirmed either by examining serous effusion  cytology or with a biopsy(the removing of the suspecting tissue). despite the numerous treatments for mesothelioma(which sometimes include surgery), it still has a poor prognosis. there is ongoing research about screening tests for early detection of mesothelioma. the above listed symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50yrs after exposure to asbestos. shortness of breath, cough and pain in the chest are due to the accumulation of fluid in the pleural space and are most times the symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. another type of mesothelioma called peritoneal mesothelioma comes with symptoms such as weight loss and cachexia, swelling in the abdominal region and pain due to ascites(buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity), other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma includes fever, bowel obstruction, anemia and blood clothing abnormalities. if mesothelioma spreads to other areas of the body, the symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing and swelling of the neck or face. mesothelioma do not spread to the bone, brain or adrenal glands. despite mesothelioma being caused mainly by exposure to asbestos, it has also been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos. in some rare cases, mesothelioma has also been associated with irradiation, throrotrasts and inhalation of other fibrous silicates such as erionite. simian virus 40 may also act as a co-factor in the development of mesothelioma and this have been confirmed through animal studies, studies in humans are inconclusive. for now, there is no known safe level of exposure to asbestos as it relates to the increased risk of mesothelioma. the duration of exposure to asbestos, capable of causing mesothelioma is short. some cases of mesothelioma have been with just 1-3 months of exposure. cases of mesothelioma had been discovered to be high in populations living near naturally occurring asbestos. for example, in a small village in turkey, mesothelioma causes 50% of all deaths.at first, people thought the deaths were caused by erionite, a zeolite material with very similar properties to asbestos but that have been proved to be wrong by recent investigations which shows that erionite mostly causes mesothelioma in families with a genetic predeposition. like i said before a person may be exposed to asbestos fibers if his or her relation works in an asbestos company. to reduce the risk of exposing family members to asbestos fibers, asbestos workers should always take a shower and change their clothing before leaving the workplace. diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult because the symptoms of mesothelioma are similar to those of some other conditions. mesothelioma diagnosis always begin with a review of the patients medical history and suspicion for mesothelioma may increase if a history of exposure to asbestos is found. a physical examination is then performed followed by chest x-ray. the stages of mesothelioma is based on the recommendation by the international mesothelioma interest group. there is no globally agreed protocol for screening people who have been exposed to asbestos but the best way to know if mesothelioma is present in a patient is through screening tests which might diagnose mesothelioma  earlier than conventional methods thereby increasing the survival chances of patients. the process leading to the development of peritoneal mesothelioma remains unresolved  despite the fact that it has been proposed that asbestos fibers from the lung are transported to the abdomen and associated organs through the lymphatic system. also, asbestos fibers may be deposited in the gut after the ingestion of sputum that have been contaminated with asbestos fibers. this disease is very dangerous and yet not many people know about it.

                                            prevention of mesothelioma
mesothelioma can only be prevented by avoiding contact or exposure to asbestos or any product related to asbestos.