Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma, more accurately malignant mesothelioma, is a unusual type of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers many of the body’s internal organs, the mesothelium. It is nearly always caused by contact with asbestos.

Its most frequent site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and inner chest wall), but it may also take place in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart, the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos dust, or they have been subjected to asbestos particles and fiber in other ways. It has also been suggested that washing the clothes of a people who worked with asbestos can put a individual at risk for developing mesothelioma. different from lung cancer, there is no relationship between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking seriously increases the danger of other asbestos-induced cancers. Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).

The symptoms of mesothelioma consist of shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. The analysis may be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is established with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (puting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space (called pleurodesis), which stops more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or occasionally surgery, the disease carries a unfortunate prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early discovery of mesothelioma is ongoing.

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms or signs of mesothelioma may not emerge until 20 to 50 years (or more) after contact to asbestos. Shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to a buildup of fluid in the pleural space (pleural effusion) are often signs of pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma consist of weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Other symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma may comprise of bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has traveled beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, difficulty swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

These symptoms may be due to mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions.

Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these signs and symptoms:

  • Chest wall discomfort
  • Pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
  • Shortness of breath
  • low energy or anemia
  • Wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
  • Blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemoptysis)

In serious cases, the person may have numerous tumor masses. The person may develop a pneumothorax, or collapse of the lung. The disease can metastasize, or reach, to other parts of the body.

Tumors that have an effect on the abdominal cavity often do not cause symptoms until they are at a late stage. Symptoms include:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Ascites, or an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen
  • A mass in the abdomen
  • Troubles with bowel function
  • Weight loss

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

  • Blood clots in the veins, which might cause thrombophlebitis
  • Disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing serious 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
  • Serious ascites

A mesothelioma does not usually travel to the bone, brain, or adrenal glands. Pleural tumors are frequently found only on one side of the lungs.