An overview of Mesothelioma

Before you go on to read this article, you should first know what mesothelioma is. It is a form of cancer which is caused due to long and sustained exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a mineral which occurs naturally in the form of fibers and is used in flooring, roofing, insulation, etc. Mesothelioma is an incurable form of cancer and derives its name from the mesothelioma which it affects. The mesothelioma is the inner lining of most of the organs of the body and is like a protective lining of the body. Thus mesothelioma most commonly affects the lining of the lungs, heart and abdominal cavity. The lung is the most common area of infection.

The asbestos fibers can enter the body through different ways. The most common way is through breathing. The exposure to asbestos fibers can cause the person to breathe in the fibers which then enter the lining of the lungs which is called the pleura. The presence of these fibers in the pleura causes a mutation and the cancerous cells are formed. The other way is when the fibers are consumed and ingested and then lodges themselves in the gut or the abdominal cavity. The rarest occurrence is of the fibers entering the cardiac cavity and mutating there.

Depending on the location, there are three types of mesothelioma that are seen to occur. First is the most common form of mesothelioma which is found to occur in 75 percent of the mesothelioma patients. That is pleural mesothelioma and occurs in the lining of the lung, in the pleural cavity. The second most common form of mesothelioma is peritoneal mesothelioma which is seen in 10 to 20 percent of the cases. This kind occurs in the abdominal cavity. The third and the rarest form of mesothelioma is the pericardial mesothelioma. This occurs in less than 5 percent of the cases and here the cavity and the lining of the heart is affected by the asbestos fibers.



There are three different ways in which mesothelioma is treated. These treatments aim at trying to slow down the growth of the cancer and prevent it from spreading too fast all over the body. Since mesothelioma is an incurable cancer, it basically means that there are no standardized and permanent cures for the disease. Thus the usual treatments for mesothelioma are more palliative and aim at trying to reduce the pain and discomfort rather than curing the cancer completely. Research in this field is still on and researchers are trying to find cures for the condition which will enable the doctors to completely eradicate the disease from the system of the patient. Thus mesothelioma is treated the way cancerous diseases are usually treated. The three systems of treatment are chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy or radiation therapy. Thus the trimodality system is used for mesothelioma patients. Though this mode of treatment has not been able to eradicate mesothelioma from the system permanently, it has been able to increase the survival time of the patients from a mere one year to five years.

Source : newmesotheliomapatient.com