Mesothelioma causes

Mesothelioma causes are not plenty. This disease is difficult to cure and can spread to other organs thus making the recovery very difficult. Since prevention is better than cure let us discussed about mesothelioma causes here.

The incidence of the mesothelioma is more in western countries than the developing countries. The reason is industrialization of the western countries. The triggering factor for mesothelioma is asbestos exposure.


Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos exposure is more in industrial areas than the other. Mesothelioma is not sex specific, but still the men are more prone than women. Likewise mesothelioma is noticed in all age groups but the older people are easily susceptible because of the reduced immune level.

Exposure to the asbestos is the major mesothelioma cause. In almost all cases of mesothelioma the asbestos exposure finds a place. But there are cases of mesothelioma in which the sufferer has no direct or indirect exposure to asbestos. As a rare possibility mesothelioma is triggered by even radiation.

Fibrous silicates inhalation is also found to be another cause for mesothelioma but the incidences are very, very rare. Like fibrous silicate induced mesothelioma, thorium dioxide triggered mesothelioma is once in blue moon affair.

How Asbestos Induces Cancer?

Let us try to understand the asbestos, as that is the primary mesothelioma cause. Asbestos belongs to mineral classification and is present in flexible fibrous form in nature. These fibers can be easily separated.

The asbestos is very widely used in industrial products. Asbestos finds a place in cement, lining of the brake in automobiles, flooring products, roofing products, insulation and textile products etc. during the asbestos manufacture the particles starts floating in the air.

These tiny asbestos particles are swallowed or inhaled by the people who are near the manufacturing area. The asbestos thus inhaled results in so many health complications and the major problem is mesothelioma. The other health complications can be cancer of the kidney, lung cancer, larynx cancer, asbestosis etc.

The smoking and the exposure to asbestos is deadly combination and as discussed earlier this is the primary cause for Asbestos lung cancer.

In the mid 19th century Kent brand of cigarettes had asbestos at filtering point. That was found to be the mesothelioma cause during that period. Current cigarettes are not having asbestos but still the damage caused to the respiratory system by the smoking habit very much.
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Types of Asbestos

Asbestos is a group of six fibrous minerals that occur naturally in metamorphic deposits located around the world. Of the hydrous magnesium silicate variety, the six types include tremolite asbestos, actinolite asbestos, anthophyllite asbestos, chrysotile asbestos, amosite asbestos and crocidolite asbestos. Asbestos is a chemically inert mineral that is fire resistanct and does not conduct heat or electricity (making it a commonly used insulator), is insoluble and is without odor. Asbestos' combination of properties made it a valuable resource, regularly used in buildings, automobiles, shipyards and a variety of household products.


Tremolite Asbestos

Tremolite asbestos was not often used industrially or commercially; though it could be found (uncommonly) in products such as certain talcum powders in limited amounts.

Actinolite Asbestos

Actinolite asbestos was not often used industrially or commercially. Airborne actinolite fibers are easily inhaled and severely damaging to the lungs.

Anthophyllite Asbestos

Like tremolite and actinolite, anthophyllite was not often used industrially or commercially; though it could occasionally be found in certain vermiculites.

Chrysotile Asbestos

Also called white asbestos, chrysotile asbestos is unique in that it has a serpentine fiber-formation (curled fibers) compared to the amphibole fiber-formation (straight, needle-like fibers) of the other five asbestos types. Chrysotile asbestos is less friable (less-likely to be inhaled) than other types of asbestos. Chrysotile asbestos is less likely to be inhaled and therefore viewed by many to be the safest of the asbestos types.

Amosite Asbestos

Also called Grunerite or brown asbestos, amosite asbestos is an amphibole originating in Africa. Amosite was used industrially for various purposes such as cement sheet and pipe insulation.

Crocidolite Asbestos

Also called blue asbestos, crocidolite asbestos is an amphibole mineral that can be found in Africa and Australia. On the opposite end of the spectrum than chrysotile asbestos, crocidolite is viewed to be the most dangerous type of asbestos.
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Mesothelioma Treatment

The conventional therapies are not very successful for the mesothelioma treatment. The survival time for the patients is only 6 -12 months. The malignancy of the mesothelioma is affected by many factors. One such thing is the long latency period between disease development and exposure to the asbestos.

Surgery

Surgery is one of the treatments on mesothelioma. The surgery can be performed alone or in combination with post and pre operative adjuvant therapy. But the results of the surgery attempted either alone or with post and pre operative therapy is found to be disappointing because the survival rate of the patients [five years] is less than 10%. The most common surgery is pleurectomy. Here the lining of the chest is completely removed. Extra pleural pnemorectomy is not very common.


Radiation Therapy

Mesothelioma is highly resistant to radiation therapy. But still this treatment is attempted to reduce the sufferings that arise because of mesothelioma growth. This radiation therapy is applied chest drain insertion site most commonly. This prevents the tumor growth along the wall of the chest.

Chemotherapy

Pemetrexed is the drug that was approved by the food and administration of United States of America in the year 2004 for the treatment of pleural malignant mesothelioma. Pemetrexed is administered with cisplatin. In order to reduce the side effects of the pemetrexed, folic acid is used.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is the other treatment option for mesothelioma. Immunotherapy produces variable results. Bacillus calmette- Guerin is found to effective in boosting the immune response for the cancer of the urinary bladder. But the same therapy attempted for mesothelioma provides no relief to the patients. Vitrolysis by LAK cells [followed by interleukin- 2 activation] is effective in destroying the mesothelioma cells.

But the biggest disadvantage here is that the suffering of the patients because of the side effects of this therapy. This treatment was really stopped because of the very serious side effects of the interleukin-2 toxicity. The most common side effect is cachexia and fever. Interferon alpha is really producing encouraging results of late. There is nearly fifty percent reduction in the tumor mass. The side effects are very, very less in this therapy.
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What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a group of minerals with long, thin fibrous crystals. The word "asbestos" is derived from a Greek adjective meaning inextinguishable. The Greeks termed asbestos the "miracle mineral" because of its soft and pliant properties, as well as its ability to withstand heat. Asbestos became increasingly popular among manufacturers and builders in the late 19th century due to its resistance to heat, electricity and chemical damage, its sound absorption and tensile strength. When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat, the fibers are often mixed with cement or woven into fabric or mats.


Asbestos is used in brake shoes and gaskets for its heat resistance, and in the past was used on electric oven and hotplate wiring for its electrical insulation at elevated temperature, and in buildings for its flame-retardant and insulating properties, tensile strength, flexibility, and resistance to chemicals.

This "miracle material" is now known to be highly toxic. The inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious illnesses, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. Since the mid 1980s, many uses of asbestos have been banned in many countries.
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Risk factors

Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is now known to occur in those who are genetically pre-disposed to it. A history of asbestos exposure exists in almost all cases. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos. In rare cases, mesothelioma has also been associated with irradiation, intrapleural thorium dioxide (Thorotrast), and inhalation of other fibrous silicates, such as erionite.


Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong, flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and woven. Asbestos has been widely used in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation. If tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, they may be inhaled or swallowed, and can cause serious health problems. In addition to mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis (a noncancerous, chronic lung ailment), and other cancers, such as those of the larynx and kidney.

The combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's risk of developing cancer of the airways (lung cancer, bronchial carcinoma). The Kent brand of cigarettes used asbestos in its filters for the first few years of production in the 1950s and some cases of mesothelioma have resulted. Smoking modern cigarettes does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma.
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Symptoms of mesothelioma

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include 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 include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

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

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

- chest wall pain

- pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung

- shortness of breath

- fatigue or anemia

- wheezing, hoarseness, or cough

- blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemoptysis)



In severe cases, the person may have many tumor masses. The individual may develop a pneumothorax, or collapse of the lung. The disease may metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.

Tumors that affect 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

- problems with bowel function

- weight loss



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

- blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis

- 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

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

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart).

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking. Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).

The symptoms of mesothelioma include 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 diagnosis can be made with chest X-rays and a CT scan, and confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting 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 prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing. Read more!