Mesothelioma

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ASBESTOS & MESOTHELIOMA GUIDE: Asbestos & Mesothelioma, ASBESTOS, Asbestosis, Asbestos Cancer, Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos Materials, Asbestos Safety, Lawsuits & Litigation, MESOTHELIOMA, Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Pleural Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Risk, Mesothelioma Symptoms, Mesothelioma Treatment, AHERA, ASHAA, NESHAP

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Mesothelioma is a relatively rare form of cancer in which malignant (cancerous) cells are found in the thin lining (membrane), called the mesothelium, a protective sac that covers most of the body�s internal organs including the lungs, chest, abdomen, and heart.

Malignant Mesothelioma Illness

Several hundred cases are diagnosed each year in the United States, and most cases are linked with exposure to asbestos. About 2 percent of all miners and textile workers who work with asbestos, and 10 percent of all workers who were involved in the manufacture of gas masks containing asbestos, develop mesothelioma. This disease may not show up until many years (generally 20 to 40 years or more) after asbestos exposure.

What is the mesothelium?

The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. It is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart and the expanding and contracting lungs) to glide easily against adjacent structures.

The mesothelium has different names, depending on its location in the body. The peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that covers most of the organs in the abdominal cavity. The pleura is the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity. The pericardium covers and protects the heart. The mesothelial tissue surrounding the male internal reproductive organs is called the tunica vaginalis testis. The tunica serosa uteri covers the internal reproductive organs in women.

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma (cancer of the mesothelium) is a disease in which cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and divide without control or order. They can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. Cancer cells can also metastasize (spread) from their original site to other parts of the body. Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura or peritoneum.

How common is mesothelioma?

Although reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. About 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women at any age.

What is Pleural Mesothelioma?

Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer of the cells that make up the pleura or lining around the outside of the lungs and inside of the ribs. Its only known cause in the United States is previous exposure to asbestos fibers, including chrysotile, amosite or crocidolite. This exposure is likely to have happened twenty or more years before the disease becomes evident, since it takes many years for the disease to "incubate." It is the most common type of mesothelioma, accounting for about 75% of all cases.

Pleural mesothelioma is of two kinds:

Cancerous - Diffuse and Malignant
Non-cancerous - Localized and Benign

Benign mesotheliomas can often be removed surgically, are generally not life-threatening, and are not usually related to asbestos exposure. Malignant mesotheliomas, however, are very serious. Fortunately, they are rare - about two thousand people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the U.S. each year.

What is Peritoneal Mesothelioma?

Many of the organs in the abdomen are enveloped by a thin membrane of mesothelial cells, known as the peritoneum.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is a tumor of this membrane. Its only known cause in the United States is previous exposure to asbestos, but it can be many years after exposure before the disease appears. Peritoneal mesotheliomas account for about one-fifth of all mesotheliomas.

Like pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma can be either benign or malignant.

Other Mesotheliomas

While the great majority of mesotheliomas are in either the pleura or the peritoneum, malignant mesotheliomas sometimes occur in other parts of the body, including the testicles (a variety of peritoneal mesothelioma) and the heart (a variety of pleural mesothelioma.) These are also caused by exposure to asbestos fibers.

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