Mesothelioma cancer-A simple overview
Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos without adequate protection over one's mouth and nose. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral which was discovered in the 1860s but later became popular in the 1930s. Asbestos was used hugely in construction due to the fact that it is fire resistant even at high temperatures. It was not until much later in the 1960s that it became evident that asbestos was causing a number of diseases. These diseases include mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.
Asbestos - the main cause of mesothelioma:
When exposed to asbestos without sufficient protection,
a person will inhale many tiny asbestos fibers that are suspended in the air. These will pass into the respiratory system and get most probably get lodged in the lining of the lungs. An accumulation of these fibers can cause the cells around it to become abnormal and this can lead to mesothelioma. When this asbestos fibers get into the lymphatic system they can be transported to and eventually lodged in the lining of the abdomen or in the lining of the heart.
The symptoms of mesothelioma:
The symptoms of mesothelioma vary depending on what type of mesothelioma a patient has. However, there are several common symptoms of all types. These include chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, coughing up blood, weight loss and loss of appetite. These symptoms usually take affect only when the mesothelioma cancer has advanced and is well developed. Due to the fact that these symptoms also occur in a number of other common diseases such as pneumonia, mesothelioma is very difficult to diagnose in its early stages.
Treatment:
As yet, mesothelioma has no cure and all the presently available treatments have a very low success rate. The effectiveness of treatment depends largely on how aggressively and early the cancer is treated. If treated in its later stages when it has fully developed, it is extremely difficult, almost impossible to cure. Treatments include surgery which comes in two forms, aggressive surgery and palliative procedures, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and dual therapy which is a combination of all three main treatments combined. Dual therapy has shown the most promising signs so far as a curer for mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma research:
Research is currently going on in several laboratories all over the world, United States in particular, but up till know there has not been any major breakthrough. There are also a lot of pharmaceutical companies trying to find new chemotherapy drugs to improve on the quality and efficacy of the ones available presently. There are many researchers who believe that long awaited new effective treatment will soon be found.
