What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers much of the internal organs (known as mesothelium).The most common area is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less frequently, the lining of the abdomen and rarely the sac surrounding the heart  or the bag surrounding the testicle may be affected. Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma may include shortness of breath due to fluid around the lung, swollen abdomen, chest pain, cough, fatigue and weight loss. These symptoms usually appear slowly. 
 
More than 80% of mesothelioma cases are caused by exposure to asbestos. The higher the exposure, the higher the risk.  In 2013, about 125 million people were exposed to asbestos at work . High rates of illness occur in people who extract asbestos, produce products from asbestos, work with asbestos products, live with asbestos workers or work in buildings containing asbestos . Often there is about 40 years between exposure and cancer. Washing clothes of someone who has worked with asbestos also increases the risk. Other risk factors include genetics and infection with simian virus 40. Diagnosis may be suspected based on pulmonary radiography and CT scan results and is confirmed either by examining the Liquid produced by cancer, or by tissue biopsy of cancer .

Prevention centers around the reduction of exposure to asbestos. Treatment often includes surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. A procedure known as pleurodesis, which involves the use of substances such as talc to heal the pleura, can be used to prevent the formation of more fluid around the lungs. Chemotherapy often includes cisplatin and pemetrexed medications. The percentage of people who survive five years after diagnosis is on average 8% in the United States. 
 
In 2013, about 50,000 people had mesothelioma and 34,000 died of the disease. Mesothelioma rates vary in different regions of the world. Rates are higher in Australia, the United Kingdom and lower in Japan. This occurs in about 3,000 people a year in the United States. It occurs more often in men than in women. Disease rates have increased since the 1950s. Diagnosis generally occurs after age 65 and most deaths occur around 70 years of age. The disease was rare before the commercial use of asbestos.