Mesothelioma Cancer in Modern Society

Mesothelioma Cancer in Modern Society

Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma is only caused by exposure to asbestos, though cases have been documented in children or other individuals with no asbestos history. Asbestos is a microscopic and naturally-occurring mineral that lodges in the pleural lining of the lungs and the peritoneal lining of the abdominal cavity. In most cases, several years will pass (up to 60) before mesothelioma develops in those who had been exposed to asbestos.

In many cases, those individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma that have been known to be exposed to asbestos may be eligible for financial compensation from asbestos manufacturers for their illness. Those who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and were exposed to asbestos should fill out the brief form on this page. We'll rush you a complimentary mesothelioma and asbestos exposure information kit detailing new mesothelioma treatments, active clinical trials, top doctors, as well as how to obtain compensation for asbestos-related health conditions like mesothelioma.

  Mesothelioma is diagnosed through a comprehensive combination of biopsy and imaging scans.

Mesothelioma can be a difficult malignancy to diagnose because the symptoms and pathology of the disease closely resemble other respiratory conditions. For this reason, misdiagnosis is not uncommon in mesothelioma patients. Symptoms of mesothelioma include chest pain, chronic cough, effusions of the chest and abdomen, and the presence of blood in lung fluid.

Diagnostic surgeries, including a biopsy, will typically be required to determine the type of malignant cells that are present in the body. Typically a body imaging scan, including a magnetic resonance image (MRI) or computer topography (CT scan) will be required to determine the extent and location of the disease.

Mesothelioma patients are generally referred by their personal physicians to one of the many renowned mesothelioma doctors in the United States. These oncologists are well versed in the disease behavior and pathology and are the most familiar with cutting-edge mesothelioma treatment options. Dr. David Sugarbaker of the Brigham and Women's Hospital, an extension of Harvard University and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, is at the forefront of mesothelioma treatment through the International Mesothelioma Program.

While mesothelioma is typically advanced at diagnosis, treatment options are available.

Mesothelioma, while certainly an aggressive disease, is a manageable malignancy. While there is no cure for the cancer, mesothelioma treatment options including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are available for many patients. While a combination of Alimta® and Cisplatin is currently the only FDA approved chemotherapy regimen, several clinical trials are currently in progress utilizing other drugs including Gemcitabine and Onconase, with many showing dramatically improved results in certain cancer patients.

Radiation therapy is also utilized, but typically in conjunction with other treatment methods like surgery and chemotherapy. Surgical resection of mesothelioma is possible in early-stage-diagnosed patients. Aggressive surgeries such as extrapleural pneumonectomy can extend survival rates far beyond previously-thought timeframes. Diagnostic and palliative surgeries such as pleurocentesis and pleurodesis are also common in patients of malignant mesothelioma cancer.

Alternative therapies have also been used effectively by many mesothelioma patients to assist in managing symptoms of the disease and conventional treatments. These treatments are mainly preferential but can be extremely valuable to many patients.

 

What Causes Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a cancer that occurs in the mesothelium, a thin membrane encompassing the body’s internal organs and cavities. Mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure. Asbestos fibers that are inhaled through the mouth and nose may eventually become embedded in the lining of the lungs, causing harmful inflammation of the pleura and resulting in mesothelioma or asbestosis (scar tissue formation in the lungs). It has also been found that swallowing asbestos fibers could contribute to a form of the malignancy originating in the abdomen known as peritoneal mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma generally results from occupational asbestos exposure but there are instances of environmental exposure that can also cause the disease. Oftentimes a family member can be affected indirectly by second hand exposure from an asbestos worker’s soiled work clothes.

Asbestos was an effective insulation material. It was used liberally in commercial and industrial products in the United States until being regulated in a joint effort between the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency in 1989. Occupational exposure was common among workers who encountered these products in many industries including shipbuilding, power plants, and other industrial settings.

Asbestos insulation workers appear to have the highest rate of asbestos related disease. One study reports that almost six percent of asbestos workers fall victim to mesothelioma or experience respiratory symptoms. Asbestos insulation workers are over 300 times more likely to be diagnosed with mesothelioma than those with no exposure history.

Mesothelioma Symptoms

Mesothelioma develops many years after exposure to asbestos. Sometimes, it may be 30 to 40 years before symptoms occur.  Unfortunately, in the early stages of the disease, symptoms may be vague or not noticeable. Thus, if you have been exposed to asbestos in the past, even for a very brief time, it’s important to have regular check-ups to detect any lung abnormalities, even if you don’t have symptoms.

Benign lung disease, such as asbestosis is common in people who have been exposed to asbestos.  The symptoms can be very similar, and only a complete medical exam can provide an accurate diagnosis.

Early detection of mesothelioma allows doctor to use more effective and more powerful treatments. For this reason, you should watch carefully for any of the symptoms of mesothelioma. 

Symptoms of Mesothelioma may include:

•        Coughing

•        Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

•        Difficulty Sleeping

•        Weight Loss

•        Pain in chest and abdomen

•        Fluid in the chest

Usually, difficulty breathing and a lingering cough bring patients into the doctor for evaluation.  This occurs because tumors of the mesothelium make if hard for the lungs to expand smoothly.   Large tumors, or tumors that spread to the chest wall can cause chest pain.   When fluid builds up in the pleura, breathing can be even more difficult while lying down, making it hard to sleep.   The spread of cancerous cells takes a toll on your body, causing weakness, extreme fatigue.  Changes in your body’s ability to absorb nutrients as a result of invasion into the abdomen can cause weight loss. 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.

Depending on the type of mesothelioma, slightly different symptoms can occur.  Peritoneal disease has an effect on the intestines, liver and other structures in the abdominal cavity. As fluid builds up, the abdomen can become very expanded.  Because the liver plays a big part in manufacturing the substances needed to control bleeding, there is often a change in your ability to make blood clots.  Weight loss occurs for several reasons, and is more dramatic in this form of the disease. 

The pleural form of mesothelioma can also cause damage to the upper airway.  Swallowing can become difficult, and voice changes can occur if the larynx is affected. 

Specific symptoms of Peritoneal mesothelioma:

•        Weight loss

•        Abdominal pain

•        Buildup of fluid in the abdomen

•        Bowel obstruction

•        Abnormal blood clotting

•        Abdominal mass

•        Fever

Specific symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma:

•        Pain in the lower back

•        Pain in the side of chest

•        A persistent cough

•        Shortness of breath

•        Husky voice

•        Difficulty swallowing

•        Fever

Regardless of the location, malignant mesotheliomas occur in three forms.  The epithelioid type is the most common, accounting for 50-70% of all mesotheliomas. Between 20-35% of mesotheliomas are sarcomatoid.  The remaining 7-20% of tumors are classified as mixed/biphasic.  Epithelioid mesothelioma has the best outlook for survival.

If your symptoms suggest you may have mesothelioma, you doctor will order a number of tests. Imaging studies like X-rays, CT scans and MRI show any abnormalities within the lungs. A complete blood count and levels of specific proteins can help make the diagnosis. However, the diagnosis of mesothelioma cannot be made by blood work and imaging studies in every case. Other more common diseases such as benign asbestos-related pleural disease and metastatic adenocarcinoma can have very similar appearances on imaging studies. Biopsy, and the use of special staining are often necessary for the accurate diagnosis of mesothelioma. 

Promising studies on the early detection of mesothelioma may soon provided more accurate methods for diagnosis. If you have these warning signs you should consultant a qualified medical professional immediately.  Only a doctor can make a diagnosis. 

Mesothelioma Types

How are different types of mesothelioma classified?

Types of Mesothelioma by Site

Pleural Mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma often originates within the chest cavity and can, at times, involve the lung. This particular form of mesothelioma can metastasize to numerous organs in the body - even the brain - and tends to do so more frequently than not.

Pleural mesothelioma is not always easily detectable. Frequently, in the early stages of the disease, such as stage 1 mesothelioma, symptoms may be mild. Patients usually report pain in one area of the chest that never seems to go away, weight loss and fever. Occasionally, other symptoms are more severe and include problems with breathing due to fluid build up in the chest. A CT Scan of the chest area has proven to be the best test for identifying how far along the disease has progressed.

Frequently serum markers are used to diagnose of various forms of cancer. Mesothelioma cannot be diagnosed using this method as no serum markers currently exist. If high levels of hyaluronic acid are present it may be possible to distinguish mesothelioma types from other types of cancer or to determine the effectiveness of a treatment protocol.

The mesothelioma survival rate for patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma typically is not high as patients often do not live beyond seventeen months from the onset of symptoms. Only 8% of those with a mesothelioma diagnosis will live three to five years from the onset of mesothelioma symptoms.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Peritoneal mesothelioma originates in the abdomen and will frequently spread to other organs in area including the liver, spleen or bowel. Severe abdominal pain is the most common complaint that patients present to mesothelioma doctors. There may also be a discomfort level with fluid buildup in the abdomen as well. Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include difficult bowel movements, nausea and vomiting, fever and swollen feet.

The survival rate is even worse for those diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma with patients typically surviving only ten months from the time that they first started experiencing the symptoms noted above.

Pericardial Mesothelioma

Pericardial mesothelioma is the least common form of mesothelioma. Pericardial mesothelioma, as the name suggests, involves the heart. This rare type of mesothelioma cancer invades the pericardium, the sac that surrounds the heart. As the cancer progresses, the heart is not able to deliver oxygen as efficiently to the body causing further decline in health at an increasingly rapid rate. The symptoms most commonly associated with pericardial mesothelioma mimic those of a heart attack: nausea, pain in the chest and shortness of breath.

Types of Mesothelioma Tumors

Malignant Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is an uncommon form of cancer and of all asbestos related diseases, the most serious. The symptoms associated with the disease make it difficult for doctors to diagnose. Often, by the time that a proper diagnosis is made, the disease has progressed to a point where patients do not respond well to treatment therapy. Malignant mesothelioma is caused almost exclusively by the inhalation of airborne asbestos particles. Another unique factor associated with the disease is that there can be a long latency period between the time of asbestos exposure and the actual manifestation of the disease in the form of malignant mesothelioma.

Benign Mesothelioma

Benign mesothelioma, or non-malignant mesothelioma, is much easier to treat than the malignant form of the cancer and can be treated successfully in many cases.

Mesothelioma Cell Types

Epithelial Mesothelioma

Epithelial Mesothelioma is the most common cell type and accounts for approximately 50-75% percent of all diagnosed cases each year. These cells are uniform in shape, with an elongated pattern that makes them easily distinguishable when viewed under high magnification. These types ofcancercells are adenocarcinomas, malignancies which are more commonly associated with pure lung cancers as opposed to cancers of the mesothelium.

Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma

Sarcomatoid mesothelioma is a less common cell type, accounting for between 7 and 20% of mesothelioma cases each year. These cells grow forth out of supportive structures, such as muscles and bones.

Biphasic Mesothelioma

Biphasic mesotheliomas are those with a mix of epithelial and sarcomatoid cell types. Mesothelioma treatment options do not vary greatly for different cell types, but often sarcomatoid mesotheliomas are more difficult to treat as a result of the surrounding affected tissues that they spread from.