Mesothelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma is an uncommon form of cancer in which the average life span of a patient from the time of diagnosis until death is less than 6 months. Therefore, it is considered as one of the deadliest diseases known to man. According to The National Cancer Institute, "Malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the sac lining the chest (the pleura), the lining of the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum) or the lining around the heart (the pericardium)."

The only known cause for this disease is exposure to the deadly mineral, Asbestos. When particles of asbestos dust are inhaled, they decay inside the lungs, eating away at the mesothelial cells that make up the mesothelium – the outer lining that protects the body’s major organs such as the heart, stomach and lungs. Mesothelial cells protect these organs by producing a minute amount of lubricating fluid that helps the lungs expand and allows movement of the abdominal organs against one another freely. Mesothelioma occurs when these cells grow and spread uncontrollably. The tumor continues to grow around the lungs (pleurae), beginning first as a flat white plaque, and may also originate around the abdominal cavity.

Mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer though reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20-30 years. Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and risk increases with age. However, this disease can appear in either children or women at any age too. The cause of the disease is not very well understood in the latter two groups, but evidence of possible asbestos exposure does exist for some of these cases as well.

Only one or two months of exposure to asbestos can result in mesothelioma 30 or 40 years later. Hence, workers in factories and mines, constantly exposed to the dust and fibers from the asbestos, are most susceptible to this form of cancer. People exposed to this mineral 30 or 40 years ago are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma. This long latency period also makes this form of cancer very difficult to diagnose.

Malignant mesothelioma is divided into three main types. About 50% to 70% of mesothelioma occurrences are the epithelioid (relating to the membranous cellular tissue that covers free surface or lines of a tube or cavity) type. This type has the best prognosis (outlook for survival). The other two types are the sarcomatoid (resembling a malignant tumor arising from connective tissues) type (7%-20%), and the mixed/biphasic (having two phases) type (20%-35%). These are the variations associated with mesothelioma - Pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lungs, and the most common variation of this cancer. Symptoms include breathing and swallowing difficulties, coughing, shortness of breath, fever and weight loss. The abdomen is another area affected by this cancer, and this variation is known as peritoneal mesothelioma. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma can include nausea and vomiting, weight loss and loss of appetite, fever, bowel obstruction and pain or swelling of the stomach area. The last variation of the cancer is pericardial mesothelioma, which is where the cancer affects the heart and the tissue surrounding it. This variation is rare, and symptoms can include palpitations, breathing difficulties, and persistent coughing.

Mesothelioma was recognized as a tumor of the pleura, peritoneum and pericardium in the late 1700's. However it was only in the 1960s, that this particular type of tumor was described in more detail. This was the period when J.C.Wagner described 32 cases of workers in the Asbestos Hills in South Africa.

Symptoms associated with mesothelioma are very similar to a number of other diseases which are more common. Therefore, it is not unusual for patients to be misdiagnosed when they display any or all of mesothelioma symptoms. The current treatments for mesothelioma include surgery, radiation therapy, palliative therapy and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, these treatments do not have a high success rate particularly on patients in whom the cancer is in its later stages. Like most cancers, the faster it is diagnosed and treated, the higher the chances of recovery. Treatment for mesothelioma is still being investigated through clinical trials and research, but as a rule, it responds poorly to the treatments that are currently used.