How Asbestos Exposure Affects the Body and Causes Mesothelioma

The naturally occurring mineral asbestos was used in a variety of construction materials throughout much of the twentieth century. This unique mineral is fire-resistant and acts as an excellent insulator. Because to these qualities, manufacturers of construction materials mixed asbestos into paints, glues, cements, fiberboard, insulation, roofing, siding, flooring, and paper in order to enrich such building materials with asbestos’ advantageous characteristics.

However, when asbestos-containing materials are damaged or disturbed, the toxic fibers that make up asbestos can be released into the air. If inhaled, these fibers can cause significant damage to the lungs and result in lung cancer, asbestosis, or mesothelioma.

Unfortunately with mesothelioma, other areas of the body can be affected as well, including the abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma) and heart (pericardial mesothelioma).

When most unwanted particles become inhaled or ingested, microscopic hairs called cilia will typically catch and expel them from the body. If these particles fail to be expelled, they will eventually reach the small air sacs in the lungs called the alveoli. Once this occurs, it is up to the immune system to break them down.

Asbestos fibers, however, are not easily expelled or removed from the body. In many cases, the fibers will attach themselves to the lining of the lungs and remain there for several decades. While attached, the alveoli often become inflamed and scarred.

In time, a person exposed to asbestos will become short of oxygen as carbon dioxide builds up in the blood. The increased stiffness of the lungs will also make it more difficult to breathe in and out.

Evidence has proven that inhaling asbestos on just one occasion can cause the development of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Someone who smokes and is exposed to asbestos is at an even greater risk of contracting lung cancer or another respiratory disease.

Those who have been exposed to asbestos should seek the advice of their medical doctor and schedule routine examinations and tests. Such tests would include X-rays and CT scans, which are two of the common ways to detect mesothelioma. If an asbestos-related disease is diagnosed during the early stages of development, treatment is much more likely to have a positive effect.

Kind of mesothelioma - Pleural, Peritoneal N Pericardial

Mesothelioma can attack the pleural lining around the lungs. It can also attack the peritoneum, a tissue that surrounds the GI tract. Mesothelioma can attack the stomach lining, other internal organs, or even the pericardium (the tissue sac covering the heart). Thus, mesothelioma can be generally classified into the following types:

* Pleural — 75% of all mesothelioma cases
* Peritoneal — 10%–20%
* Pericardial — 5%

Mesothelioma can also be classified by the cancer type rather than the location of the cancer:

* Epithelioid — most common, best survival rate
* Sarcomatoid — most severe, but more rare
* Mixed/biphasic — a mixture of epithelioid and sarcomatoid cancer

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

The symptoms of mesothelioma differ somewhat according to the location of the cancer cells. In addition, each mesothelioma patient may have a different combination of mesothelioma symptoms. Tumors that affect the pleura may result in the following signs:

* Wheezing, cough, and/or hoarseness
* Anemia, fatigue
* Bloody sputum
* Shortness of breath
* Chest wall pain, or pain under the rib cage
* Pleural effusion (fluid surrounding the lung)

Mesothelioma in the abdominal cavity often doesn’t show symptoms until it’s at a late stage. These symptoms may include:

* A mass in the abdomen
* Abdominal pain and/or swelling
* Weight loss
* Bowel problems
* Ascites (an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen)

Treatments for Mesothelioma

Research into new and more effective mesothelioma treatments is ongoing. There is no cure as yet for mesothelioma. The standard treatments that attempt to hold back the progression of this cancer are:

* Surgery — to remove part of all of the affected body tissues
* Radiation therapy — to target and kill the mesothelioma cells
* Chemotherapy — the use of drugs, injected or taken orally, to kill or stop the growth of the cancer cells

Mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the skin, protection, including the most inner layers of the body’s internal organs. The most common is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and the chest wall), but can also occur in the peritoneum (abdominal lining), heart, pericardium (a sac around the heart) or tunica vaginalis.

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked, which is inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibers in other ways. Who washes the clothes of a family with asbestos can also be a person at risk of developing mesothelioma. Lung cancer, mesothelioma, and there is no association of smoking, but smoking increases the risk of cancer induced by asbestos. Asbestos compensation funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).

Mesothelioma symptoms include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. Diagnosis can be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and confirmed by biopsy (tissue) and microscopic examination. Arab-Israeli mirror (camera chest tube insertion) biopsy can be taken. Allows the introduction of materials such as talcum powder obliterate the pleural space (called pleurodesis), to avoid further accumulation of fluid and the urgency of lung cancer. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease of poor prognosis. Research on early detection of mesothelioma in the course of selection.