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 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, or by home renovation using asbestos cement products. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking.

Signs and Symptoms of Mesothelioma

Symptoms of mesothelioma include:

# Shortness of breath
# Chest or abdominal pain
# Cough
# Difficulty swallowing
# Hoarseness
# Blood in sputum coughed up from the lungs
# Significant weight loss.

Treatment for Mesothelioma

There is no cure for mesothelioma. Supportive treatments to help thin or remove lung secretions, postural drainage, oxygen and painkillers can only relieve distressing symptoms for a short time.

Prognosis and Mesothelioma

75% of people who develop malignant mesothelioma die within 1 year. A few survive for 18 months.

Preliminary mesothelioma detection can be achieved through a chest imagery scan (CT scan, x-ray); however, mesothelioma is often misdiagnosed as viral pneumonia at this stage because of certain symptomatic similarities between the two. The only way to definitively verify a suspected case of malignant mesothelioma is through a biopsy.

A biopsy is a relatively minor procedure (dependent on the location of the tumor) during which a small section of suspect tissue is removed. The removed section is examined by a histopathologist, an expert in the study of diseased tissue. Histopathological examination can confirm a case of malignant mesothelioma while also typing and staging it. Understanding the type and stage can help doctors suggest the best of treatment.