Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that begins in the mesothelioma tissue. The mesothelioma tissue is responsible for protecting organs by making a special fluid that allows the organs to move. Mesothelioma surrounds the lungs, the stomach and the heart, which means benign or cancerous mesothelioma tumors can start in any of these places.
There are three main types of cancerous mesotheliomas. The most common type is epithelioid, which responds the best to treatment and has the best outlook. The other two types, mixed/biphasic and sarcomatoid, are less common.
The disease has occurred in most people who have worked in jobs where they have breathed in asbestos fibers, or those who have been exposed to asbestosis fibers in their homes. Asbestos is a mineral fiber that was commonly added to many products to strengthen them and provide heat insulation and fire resistance. It has been found that over time, asbestos becomes damaged and can then turn hazardous for those breathing in the fibers. It can cause scarring in the lungs and gradual destruction of the lung tissue, which eventually can turn into mesothelioma.
The risk of developing this type of cancer increases with the number of fibers inhaled. Mesothelioma usually occurs in people who have been exposed to high levels of asbestos over a long period of time, but the symptoms don't usually appear until 20-30 years after the first exposure. The risk is also greater if you smoke. Many people who are being diagnosed with mesothelioma today were exposed anywhere from the 1940s through the 1970s.
Some of the early symptoms of mesothelioma, which may occur only two to three months prior to being diagnosed, include pain in the lower back or at the side of the chest, shortness of breath, trouble swallowing, cough, fever, sweating, fatigue, weight loss, hoarseness, coughing up blood, swelling of the face and arms, muscle weakness and sensory loss, nausea and vomiting.
Mesothelioma is treated depending upon how far the cancer has advanced, the location and the patient's age. There are three types of treatments -- surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Surgery is a common treatment for mesothelioma, and it usually involves the doctor removing part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some of the surrounding tissue in order to get all of the cancer out. Radiation therapy involves the use of high-energy X-rays, which kill cancer cells or reduce the size of the tumor. Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill the cancer cells. For patients that don't respond to the three most common treatments, there are some new therapies and drugs that are currently being evaluated in clinical trials.
The average survival time for someone diagnosed with mesothelioma is about one year because the disease is often very advanced by the time the symptoms appear and the cancer is diagnosed. If the cancer is found early and treated aggressively, patients can live from two to five years.
While mesothelioma is fairly rare with only an estimated 2,000-3,000 new cases each year in the United States, the figures appear to be increasing.
