Asbestos Mesothelioma Cancer - Mesothelioma Asbestos 

Asbestos Mesothelioma Cancer

Asbestos Mesothelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma, the type of cancer most usually linked with asbestos cancer exposure, is a malignancy that occurs in the lining of the lungs, abdomen, and heart. A mesothelioma cancer diagnosis is generally classified as one of the following three types: pleural mesothelioma which occurs in the lining of the lungs (the pleura); peritoneal mesothelioma which occurs in the lining of the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum); and pericardial mesothelioma which occurs in the lining of the heart (the pericardium).

Asbestos mesothelioma cancer , which has been used for, quite literally, thousands of years as a fire-retardant and insulation material has extended been connected to sickness, though not necessarily cancer until the last 50 years. Once asbestos cancer was classified as a known carcinogen, the Environmental Protection Agency and Consumer Product Safety Commission compulsory severe regulations on its use in commercial and industrial products. Unfortunately, many of the companies producing asbestos products were well aware of the hazards which asbestos posed and continued to expose workers and laborers to the harmful asbestos mesothelioma cancer fibers.

The diagnosis of asbestos cancer is often difficult due to the symptoms of the disease mimicking those of other illnesses.

Asbestos cancer diagnosis, including diagnosis of mesothelioma and lung carcinoma, can be hard because symptoms of the disease can closely mimic those of other, more minor, respiratory complications. Symptoms, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, or chronic cough, may lead physicians to suspect mesothelioma, particularly if the patient has a known asbestos exposure history.

Diagnostic tools include CT scans and MRIs for patients where asbestos cancer is suspected. In the majority cases, these imaging scans will be able to provide a picture of the tumor, but a biopsy will likely be required to determine a decisive diagnosis of mesothelioma rather than other lung carcinomas. In cases where pleural or peritoneal effusions have manifested in the patient, draining these and extracting the fluid through pleurocentesis can allow oncologists to test the fluid for the attendance of malignant cells.

Asbestos Cancer Treatment

Asbestos cancer treatment options typically include some combination surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation

Depending on the location of the cancer, normally asbestos related malignancies can be difficult to resect because the latency period over which the cancer goes undetected can often extend into the time period where the tumor develops through its preliminary stages. Later stage cancers, and mainly those related to asbestos, will often not be resectable malignancies. While diagnosis of early stage asbestos cancer is uncommon, certainly those eligible for surgical removal will often have the cancer resected. Adjuvant chemotherapy is often administered after surgery to complement the resection.

Pleurectomy and extrapleural pneumonectomy, both wide surgeries, are often used in the treatment of pleural asbestos cancer. Surgery is much less common in malignant peritoneal and pericardial cancer, as the origin of the tumor is difficult to access without endangering the survival of the patient.

Did you know that doctors diagnose an estimated 3,000 cases of mesothelioma annually in the U.S.? The majority of those are traced to job-related exposures to asbestos. Most people have the pleural type, which forms on the lining of the lungs, but the cancer can also form around the lining of the abdomen or heart.

Although asbestos use in this country has dropped in recent decades, a steady number of people are still getting mesothelioma. That's because this cancer can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years after asbestos exposure before symptoms appear, and an oncologist can make a ultimate diagnosis.

While there's no cure for mesothelioma and the outlook is usually poor, researchers have made significant progress in understanding the cancer and developing new treatment options and alternative therapies.

How Does Asbestos Cause Cancer?

Mesothelioma typically develops after people are exposed to asbestos in the workplace in industrial settings, shipyards, auto repair shops, old houses, schools and public buildings. While it usually takes long-term exposure to put someone at risk, short-term and one-time exposures are also known to cause asbestos mesothelioma cancer.