Though this disease sounds like a very obscure and rare disease, it is currently becoming one of the biggest scourges in the 21st century. It is a rare form of an incurable cancer which is only caused sustained exposure to asbestos or any form of asbestos whatsoever. As of now, asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma, whatever type it might be. The name of the cancer gets itself from the fact that all the cancer cells are developed in the mesothelium which is the lining that covers most of the vital organs of the body.
There are many parts of the body that mesothelioma might occur in, but the most common place where mesothelioma cells develop is the pleura which is the outer lining covering the lungs and the cavity of the chest.
The asbestos fibers can enter the body through different ways. The most common way is through breathing.
Mesothelioma may be either ‘malignant’ – cancerous or ‘benign’ – non cancerous by nature. As mesothelioma does affect the ‘mesothelium’, so called “mesothelioma”. What exactly the mesothelium?
One kind of tissue lined with particular cells referred as mesothelial cells is the mesothelium. These mesothelial cells normally line the heart cavity, abdominal cavity, chest cavity and the outer most surface of most inner organs. Every cavity is having a particular name for the mesothelial enclosed cavity that is –
- ‘Pleura’ – chest cavity
- ‘Peritoneum’ – abdominal cavity
Mesothelioma, generally, the cancer of the mesothelium, is a highly aggressive form of cancer. This form of cancer is very difficult, both to diagnose as well as to treat. Each year, around three thousand cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the USA and around two thousand in the UK. Though rather a rare form of cancer with an average diagnosis rate of 1 per million, the number of cases diagnosed with it is on a rise from each year to the next. Mesothelioma is one of the many forms of cancer in which the malignant cells grow in the protective lining covering most of the internal organs of the body, known as the mesothelium. This growth of malignant cells is most common in the lining of the lungs, also known as the pleura, as well as the internal walls of the chest. It is, however, also known to occur along the lining of the heart, known as the pericardium, the peritoneum,
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1. Don’t give up hope. Do constant research on the disease, some of the new treatments have proved very effective. Search the Internet for information, there is always something that can be done.
2. Try to incorporate two systems of treatment – traditional as well as alternative.
3. Get involved in support groups. There are tons of support centers out there, if you take the time to look.
4. Ask for the support of your friends and family. It’s important that they provide you with hope.
5. Stay away from negative people. If people don’t have anything positive to enlighten you with, then they aren’t the best people you should be associated with in a time of sickness.
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The disease Mesothelioma is a kind of cancer that in most cases is caused by exposure to asbestos. The disease is characterized by the development of malignant cells in the protective lining of the body’s internal organs – this lining is called the mesothelium – hence the name Mesothelioma. However, it may occur in the heart, tunica vaginalis, or even in the pericardium (a sac surrounding the heart).
1. Prolonged exposure to asbestos can cause this disease, at least 30 to 40 years later.
2. The symptoms of Mesothelioma are shortness of breath (because of pleural effusion – which means accumulation of fluid between the lung and chest wall), chest wall pain, and weight loss.
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Mesothelioma is a rare type of tumour occuring from mesothelial lining of serous cavities, most often in the pleural cavity and uncommonly in peritoneal cavity and pericardial sac. There are 2 kinds- benign i.e. solitary and malignant i.e. diffuse. The biological activities of the mesothelioma’s may be generally guessed by their gross appearance; those appearing solitary, discrete bunches are generally benign, whereas those, which grow diffusely, are generally malignant.
BENIGN MESOTHELIOMA :
Benign i.e. solitary mesothelioma is also known as pleural fibroma. Asbestos exposure performs no role on the etiology of benign mesothelioma.
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