Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos. In this
disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers
most of the body’s internal organs.

The most common sites for this disease are as follows:

• Pleura – Outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall

• Peritoneum – The lining of the abdominal cavity,

• Heart

• Pericardium – The sac that surrounds the heart

• Tunica Vaginalis – The membrane covering the testis

People who develop Mesothelioma have worked in job locations where they inhaled
asbestos particles or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber. Research
also suggests that people who are working in close association with those handling
asbestos are also at risk of developing this disease. Unlike lung cancer, there is no
association between Mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking greatly increases risk
of other asbestos-induced cancer.

Symptoms

Symptoms of Mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to
asbestos. The symptoms are as follows:

• Shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the

chest wall)

• Chest pain

• Weight loss

• Anemia

• Fatigue

• Wheezing and hoarseness in throat

• Blood in the fluid coughed

In severe cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms may be present:

• Blood clots in the veins

• Disseminated intravascular coagulation: a disorder causing severe bleeding in

many body organs

• Jaundice or yellowing of the eyes and skin

• Low blood sugar level

• Pleural effusion

• Pulmonary emboli or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs

• Severe ascites that is an accumulation of fluid within the two membranes that

separate the organs in the abdominal cavity from the abdominal wall.

Diagnostic Methods

Diagnosing Mesothelioma is often tricky because the symptoms are similar to
those of a numerous other conditions. In most of the cases, diagnosis begins with a
review of the patient’s medical history to gauge whether the patient has been exposed
to asbestos or not. In order to better gauge the severity of a patient’s exposure to
asbestos, a physical examination is performed followed by chest X-ray and often lung
function tests. If the X-ray reveals pleural thickening, which is commonly seen after
asbestos exposure increases the suspicion of Mesothelioma in the patient.

To confirm this suspicion, a CT or MRI scan is scan is conducted. If the scan
confirms deposition of fluid in the lungs then the fluid is extracted and a biopsy is
conducted for tissue sample from this fluid. Once the biopsy confirms the presence of
malignant cells in the body the diagnosis of Mesothelioma is complete

Treatment

During early stages of malignant Mesothelioma, a treatment using conventional
therapies in combination with radiation or chemotherapy has proved to be successful
in more than 75% of cases. These treatments have helped in extending the patient’s
life span by five years or more that is the cancer has gone into remission as a result
of these treatments. Surgery which was proved to be helpful in alleviating the effects
of many other forms of cancer has largely proved to be ineffective in treatment of
Mesothelioma.