The Dangerous Mesothelioma

By Erin Mullins

When a person gets exposed to asbestos for longer durations of time, it leads to the development of a certain type of cancer called mesothelioma. Dangerous cells are formed inside protective lining which is the covering of our vital organs called mesothelium, in this variety of cancer. This fatal cancer normally affects the pleura, that is the peripheral lining with the lungs and internal chest wall. It may well also occur in the lining from the abdominal cavity called the peritoneum and the sac protecting the heart referred to as the pericardium.

Most of the victims of this disease are the persons working in an asbestos factories and the communities living or situated near an asbestos factory. Another possibility is that asbestos dust and fiber must have entered their system by means of some other ways. The fatal condition does not even spare the family members in the workers. They also might get exposed by means of the particles which are trapped in the workers' hair or cloths. The gravity from the disease is enhanced by the habit of smoking.

Wide range of symptoms is there for this disease, which includes shortness of breath, weight-loss, pain in the chest wall, fever etc. Many a times the illness is detected when the patient goes to the physician for treating some other disorders. If the doctor finds something to be suspicious, he advises a biopsy which might confirm the fatal illness.

This disease is really very hard to determine and manage because it's signs are very much similar to other diseases. This may possibly confuse the physician. At the same time, the signs and symptoms appear quite late after exposure to asbestos. In many cases, the initial signs appear as late as five decades. Both the conditions negatively affect the chances for a cure.

Mesothelioma isn't just an ordinary type of disease that's why it should be managed seriously. The stage of the disease, location in the cancer, overall health and age from the patient are some with the determining elements. The conventional treatment options available are radiation, chemotherapy and surgery, though a combination of these would be done by the doctors as per the requirement.

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