Title: 
Mesothelioma Cancer – An Overview

Word Count:
412

Summary:
Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos without sufficient protection over one’s mouth and nose.  Asbestos is a fibrous mineral which was discovered in the 1860s but not properly used until the 1930s.


Keywords:
mesothelioma, cancer, asbestos, pericardial, peritoneal, pleural, malignant, symptoms, treatment


Article Body:
The cause of mesothelioma cancer:

Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos without sufficient protection over one’s mouth and nose.  Asbestos is a fibrous mineral which was discovered in the 1860s but not properly used until the 1930s.  Asbestos was used hugely in construction due to its property of being fireproof even at high temperatures.  It was not until the 1960s that it became clear that asbestos was causing a number of diseases.  These diseases include mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.

Asbestos as the cause of mesothelioma:

When exposed to asbestos without sufficient protection, a person will inhale many tiny asbestos fibres that are suspended in the air.  These will pass into the respiratory system and get most probably get lodged in the lining of the lungs.  An accumulation of these fibres can cause the cells around it to become abnormal and this can lead to mesothelioma.  Through the lymphatic system, asbestos fibres can become lodged in the lining of the abdomen or in the lining of the heart.

The suffering endured by patients of mesothelioma:

The symptoms of mesothelioma vary depending on what type of mesothelioma a patient has.  However, there are several common symptoms of all types.  These include chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, coughing up blood, weight loss and loss of appetite.  These symptoms usually take affect only when the mesothelioma cancer has fully matured and developed.  Due to the fact that these symptoms are frequent for a number of more common diseases such as pneumonia, mesothelioma is very difficult to diagnose in its early stages.

The treatments available for mesothelioma:

As yet, all treatments for mesothelioma have a low success rate.  The effectiveness of treatment depends largely on how aggressively and early the cancer is treated.  If treated in its later stages when it has fully developed, it is extremely difficult, almost impossible to cure.  Treatments include surgery which comes in two forms, aggressive surgery and palliative procedures, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and dual therapy which is a combination of all three main treatments combined.  Dual therapy has shown the most promising signs so far as a curer for mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma research:

Research is being undertaken in numerous research labs all across the United States although so far no breakthroughs have been made.  Many pharmaceutical companies are also endeavouring to find new drugs for chemotherapy.  Researchers have recently predicted that a long awaited new treatment method for mesothelioma is on the way to being discovered.