Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma affects the outer lining of the lungs or lung pleura (a membrane structure). Most people develop Mesothelioma through breathing in asbestos fibers or by getting exposed to asbestos dust.

Anyone diagnosed with Mesothelioma with no previous exposure to asbestos may have inhaled asbestos fibers from someone’s clothes who worked in a place where asbestos dust was found.

Mesothelioma types

Mesothelioma affects lungs and its surrounding tissues. Pleural mesothelioma is a type of this cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and it is the most common variation of mesothelioma. Symptoms of Pleural mesothelioma include swallowing and breathing difficulties, fever, coughing and weight loss. Abdomen can also be affected by this cancer and this variation is called peritoneal mesothelioma and it is not very common. Another type of this cancer is called peritoneal mesothelioma; a patient suffering from this cancer shows the symptoms of weight loss, nausea, vomiting, swelling and pain of the stomach area and bowel obstruction. The last type of the cancer is called pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the heart and the surrounding tissues. This type is rare and its symptoms include breathing difficulties, palpitations and persistent coughing.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Due to a number of reasons diagnosing mesothelioma in its early phases becomes extremely difficult. The latency period for symptoms of mesothelioma to occur is between twenty to fifty years after the initial asbestos contact. It means that the cancer is already advanced by the time symptoms start to show.

The successful treatment of mesothelioma depends on the stage where the cancer is found. Because mesothelioma is not found until its last stages, the treatment for this disease is often said to be “unsuccessful”. Researches show that when mesothelioma is found in stage 1 or 2, its treatment with the help of radiation and chemotherapy is successful and patient’s life can be extended for about five years. There are also other forms of therapies that have been found to be successful in decreasing the size of mesothelioma in a patient.

How mesothelioma became popular

Asbestos has been used in industrial products and household for many years because of its multiple benefits and uses. In 1900’s mesothelioma started to appear, people lived in towns would develop this disease and workers who worked with asbestos died at a young age.

The popularity of mesothelioma is caused by the employers with no awareness of the danger. Although companies that were aware of the result of asbestos exposure have shown no regard to their workers and this resulted in fast spreading of this cancer.