Mesothelioma Rare But Serious

Mesothelioma Rare But Serious
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the lining of
the lung (pleural mesothelioma) or the lining of the
abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma). The only known cause of
mesothelioma in the U.S. is exposure to asbestos.
Mesothelioma has a long latency period, the time between
first exposure to asbestos and the diagnosis of the
disease. In rare cases the latency period has been as short
as 10 to 15 years after the first exposure to asbestos;
however, generally mesothelioma occurs between 20 and 40 or
more years after an individual's first exposure. Diagnosing
mesothelioma is often difficult because the symptoms are
similar to those of a number of other conditions.

Benign mesothelioma is a non-cancerous tumor of the pleura
(lining of the lung and chest cavity). Nonmalignant
mesothelioma is usually a localized tumor that affects men
more frequently than women. The tumor may grow to a large
size and compress the lung, which then causes the following
symptoms: chronic cough, shortness of breath, chest pain,
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.

Approximately half of mesothelioma patients are
asymptomatic (show no symptoms of disease). During a
physical examination, a health care provider may notice a
clubbed appearance of the fingers in a patient, which is an
indication of the exposure/disease.The health care
professional may run tests that identify mesothelioma.
These tests include a chest x-ray, CT scan of the chest
and/or and open lung biopsy.

There is no universally accepted protocol for screening
people who have been exposed to asbestos. However some
research indicates that serum osteopontin levels might be
useful in screening asbestos-exposed people for
mesothelioma. The level of soluble mesothelin-related
protein is elevated in the serum of about 75% of patients
at diagnosis, and it has been suggested that assessing
soluble mesothelin-related protein levels may be useful for
screening.

Surgery is usually generally necessary for a solitary tumor
(if found); however, according to current statistics, the
outcome of the surgery is expected to be good with prompt
treatment. One of the most common complications though is
pleural effusion (fluid escaping into the membranes around
the lungs), which can be very serious.

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs
where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed
to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways, such as by
washing the clothes of a family member who worked with
asbestos, or by home renovation using asbestos cement
products.

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