Mesothelioma is a form of rare cancer which is unfortunately not rare anymore and affects people who have been affected and exposed to asbestos in some way or the other. This form of exposure can be direct or indirect. Thus someone who is coming into daily contact with someone who is being or has been exposed to asbestos in some way or the other stands a very good chance of contracting mesothelioma as well. Mesothelioma gets its name from the areas in the body which it affects. The cancerous cells are developed in the mesothelioma and the latter is a protective lining which covers most of the vital internal organs of the body.
There is many types of mesothelioma depending on which part of the body, or rather which organ and its protective lining has been affected.
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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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Peritoneal mesothelioma is one of the types of mesothelioma cancer. Like the others, the source of this cancer is also asbestos and its products. Around ten percent of the mesothelioma patients suffer from peritoneal mesothelioma. The peritoneal cavity consists of the abdomen. The abdomen is lined by a membrane called peritoneum. This peritoneum membrane is affected by the cancerous cells in peritoneal mesothelioma. The function of peritoneum is to protect the organs in the abdominal region and to lubricate them to shift around and function correctly.
When this cancer spreads to the surrounding organs in the peritoneal cavity it is known as diffuse peritoneal mesothelioma. It is the second most common form of asbestos related mesothelioma after pleural
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Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer. It arises due to the inhalation of asbestos or coming in contact with it. In mesothelioma a malignant tumor develops in the mesothelial tissues of the lungs and the abdomen. A number of people are not aware of this deadly disease. Many people and even the physicians are not able to diagnose its symptoms as they are analogous to the symptoms of other diseases. It takes decades to develop mesothelioma, almost forty to fifty years. This cancer is already in the advanced state, when the symptoms are evident. According to the stages of cancer the treatment choices differ. The extent of the disease and its different stages must be known to the patient.
Pleural mesothelioma (lungs) includes two stage systems: TNM system and Continue reading
