Incidences of Mesothelioma-Can We Control this Menace?

The growth of this menace is mainly attributed to asbestos exposure. Because of this mapping to the disease, it is easy to identify target groups that experience a higher than normal incidence of mesothelioma. It is often identified with industrial businesses of western countries. These types of industrial manufacturing processes over the years have exposed more people to the dangers of asbestos exposure.While numerous industries use asbestos in their products, some make it more common to use rather than others, putting workers in those fields at higher risk for a rising problem.

Workers that are characteristically vulnerable and at a higher risk for contracting this cancer include:

1.Shipbuilders
2.Insulators
3.Construction workers
4.Auto mechanics
5.Power plant Workers
6.Steamfitters
7.Pipefitters and plumbers
8.Electricians

Even non-business incidences can manifest themselves due to so-called "secondary exposure".
These are the people who develop the disease due to exposure to the asbestos fiber that is brought home on the clothes and skin of family members who have been working in proximity to the asbestos. Incidence among family members of asbestos workers is becoming more common and as such, has become a source for concern.

Diagnosing mesothelioma can often be difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other medical conditions.

Analysis begins with an evaluation of the patient's medical history, and record of asbestos exposure that may increase suspicion for this diagnosis.

Currently there is no cure for Mesothelioma. Treatments will be much determined by the stage of the cancer and options will be discussed and determined by your physician.

Because of the demographics of the exposure to asbestos in industrial areas men are more prone to this type of disease. However, fatalities may even occur from related impediments, such as heart problems, lung failures, and even stroke.
Like any serious illness, early detection of this disease provides the best possible chance at prolonging the quality of life for someone afflicted.

If you, or anybody you know who are experiencing the symptoms of mesothelioma, a proactive and early check up is an absolute must.

Pericardial Mesothelioma Symptoms and Misdiagnosis

Pericardial mesothelioma is a mesothelioma cancer that starts perilously close to the heart. Misdiagnosis is common, and treatment options are slim. The tumor can be benign, allowing for easier removal, or malignant - fast spreading and deadly. There are many cancers and diseases that affect the pericardial space around the heart, and pericardial mesothelioma is one of the rarest. However, it is the most common primary malignant pericardial tumor. It can also be secondary to malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Five to ten percent of all mesothelioma cases are pericardial mesothelioma, and the failure to diagnose pericardial mesothelioma early enough contributes to its low life expectancy from a few months to less than two years. The failure to detect the disease can also contribute to its statistical status. Early detection of pericardial mesothelioma provides a faint hope for prolonged survival, but only in the rarest and perhaps most medically advanced of mesothelioma cases is this possible.

Exposure to asbestos is the primary cause of pericardial mesothelioma and other mesotheliomas, such as the abdominal peritoneal mesothelioma, and the more common pleural mesothelioma of the lungs. The lungs, the abdomen and the heart are surrounded by a membrane. The cancer tumors of mesothelioma attack these membranes that are made out of mesothelium cells. If you can visualize your heart hanging within a sac, you can visual the membrane that is the subject of pericardial mesothelioma.

Pericardial mesothelioma, pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma all involve the fluid that is retained with the membrane. This fluid is necessary for proper functioning of the heart, lungs and other vital bodily systems. Excess fluid interferes, and even halts normal organ functions. The excess fluid is what is responsible for many of the mesothelioma symptoms of pain.

Chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, and severe sweating at night have all been recorded as symptoms of malignant pericardial mesothelioma. These are more likely to be symptomatic of a non-cancer pericardial disease such as an inflammation of the pericardium - which is called pericardiocentesis and has identical symptoms. There have been cases where a misdiagnosis of lupus and even tuberculosis turned up as being malignant pericardial mesothelioma. Secondary cancers from lung cancer, breast cancer, lymphoma and leukemia can also attack the pericardium. Malignant mesothelioma in the pericardial region is often not discovered until surgery.

To further complicate matters, a CT scan can be interpreted as fluid, rather than the malignant tumor it is. This happened in 1979 with a 17 year old boy. Computed tomography has fortunately made significant advances since 1979, but CTs, MRIs and PETs must be done quickly. Poor detection and recognition still exist, and a second and third opinion should always be pursued. A patient should persist to find the source of pain and mesothelioma symptoms whenever a physician suggests an unknown etymology.

Pericardial mesothelioma treatment is in its infancy. Research continues in the areas of combination chemotherapies to reduce mass, intracavitary chemotherapy and irradiation, vaccines, molecular therapy and other mesothelioma treatment and preventative measures. As mesothelioma cases increase, so will effective mesothelioma treatments. It may be a long time before a cure for pericardial mesothelioma and other mesotheliomas are discovered. For now, advocacy work to ban asbestos use world wide is one of the best preventative medicines for the future that even a non-scientist can pursue.

Pericardial mesothelioma is often misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed in traditional tests and not found until heart surgery. The pain of pericardial mesothelioma and other malignant mesothelioma cancers can be quite severe. If a patient has pericardial mesothelioma with severe pain, the chances of survival and mesothelioma life expectancy is under two years. In 2004 a pericardiectomy was performed on a 19 year old boy and he died soon after surgery. A case study on a 54 year old man reported in the 2008 publication of the Annals of Thoracic Cardiovacular Surgery concluded that pain been shown to be reduced with resectioning the tumor and a pericardiectomy, which removes the pericardium, or a section of the pericardium.

Pericardiectomies are used more frequently to reduce constriction. However this barely touches the surface of the disease. The surgery is risky, but as knowledge of the cancer increases, so does the effectiveness of surgery. The earlier the pericardial mesothelioma tumor is found, the less risky the surgery. Pericardial mesothelioma does not respond to radiotherapy. Chemotherapy is used to reduce the cancerous mass.

Common Factor Between Mesothelioma And Money

Apart from the common “m”, is there anything else in common between Mesothelioma and money? This is no kidding. Mesothelioma is as valid as a legal issue as it is one of the biggest medical concerns since the last century. The first so called diagnosed case of Mesothelioma came forward from this whole world in the 1890s. And the first ever legal step to compensate for the cause of Mesothelioma was taken in 1929. Within a gap of around forty years the medical case took a new dimension to form a legal case as well.

Till date the Medical reports have given this record yet several researches are taking place across the globe to combat Mesothelioma from its roots. But does it allow you smell something legal in it? Not yet! Mesothelioma becomes legal because Mesothelioma can be checked completely through some preventive measures. The industries don’t maintain the pollution control measures and compel their workers to suffer from the asbestos dust. Most of the consequences result out of negligence from the authority’s side and ignorance from the patient’s part.

Thus a legal case can always be filed and fought. If you as a patient can prove that you are a victim of such a situation that was forcefully imposed on you and you were unaware of the ill consequences, you can earn even millions of dollars as compensation. So did you get the justified way to find the connection between the “m” factor between money and Mesothelioma?

Detailed Information on Chrysotile Asbestos-main cause of Mesothelioma

Chrysotile is a serpentine mineral belonging to the asbestiform sub-group. It is a material from which asbestos is produced. It can be found in Canada, South Africa, Russia and in four states in the U.S. Some controversy has been equated with the production and use of chrysotile because asbestos is known to be a carcinogen and is the prime contributor to thoracic mesothelioma. In fact, half of reported cases of mesothelioma have been attributed to professional and industrial use of asbestos.

The effect of high levels of asbestos exposure was recognized in South Africa in 1960. Since then, more studies and research have followed suit. It is estimated that each year, about 4 people out of one million die from mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure. Unfortunately, the figure is not considered accurate because mesothelioma is not easily diagnosed and is often mistaken for another disease.

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a cancerous tumor that can be found in the thoracic (chest) or abdominal cavities. It affects the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers several organs in the body. Mesothelioma is often attributed to exposure to asbestos. It is considered rare and affects only about 2,000 individuals in the U.S. each year. It is also more often found in men than in women.

The connection between mesothelioma and chrysotile:

Chrysotile is one of the forms of asbestos. It has caused some concern because asbestos has been proven to cause cancer in humans and is blamed for many cases of mesothelioma. However, chrysotile can only increase the risk of mesothelioma if it is inhaled and absorbed in very large quantities. This is because chrysotile appears as rolled phyllosilicate, compared to other forms which are bladed amphiboles. Because it is flexible, chrysotile is less likely to cause cancer if absorbed in small quantities. It also does not imbed itself in the body and can be easily eliminated.

The same is not true with other asbestos forms such as amosite, tremolite, actinolite, anthophyllite and crocidolite. When these forms of asbestos are inhaled, they embed in the lung tissue and become a source of irritation. Later on, the irritated tissues become cancerous. Chrysotile is also different in chemical composition to other forms of asbestos, which probably explains in part its reduced potency.

However, chrysotile can still cause cancerous tissues to grow in the lungs with prolonged exposures, but only to very high concentrations of the material. Other forms of asbestos need only a moderate exposure to increase the risk of someone developing mesothelioma. In fact, many asbestos experts agree that forms of asbestos affect predominantly those individuals who experience sustained exposure to asbestos as part of their occupation.

Evidence of the risk of developing mesothelioma due to chrysotile exposure:

Although there is a weak connection between chrysotile and the risk of mesothelioma, there is a risk of getting exposed to tremolite which is found in certain chrysotile ore. This exposure poses a potential risk for people who work in chrysotile mines.

A McDonald & McDonald mesothelioma study of chrysotile workers conducted in 1995 showed that there were more workers in certain areas of the mine that were affected. Analysis of lung tissues in post-mortem cases also showed that the workers in those areas had 4 times the amount of tremolite in their lungs compared to workers in other areas. This suggests that it wasn't chrysotile which caused the workers to develop mesothelioma but tremolite. The study further noted that the mesothelioma cases were the result of prolonged high exposures for many decades.

Aside from tremolite, crocidolite also significantly increases the risk of mesothelioma compared to amosite. This has been repeated and proven in many studies.

What does the future hold for Chrysotile?

All asbestiform materials are heavily regulated in many countries, including the U.S. and Canada. In fact, there has been a significant decrease in the exposure of humans to chrysotile because regulations mandate that chrysotile fiber must be maintained at a level that provides very low risk in affecting health negatively, especially the risk of mesothelioma. It still doesn't change the fact the chrysotile can pose serious health risks, although industries are constantly ensuring that human exposure is kept at a minimum. At present, chrysotile is still being mined, the only form of asbestos to be produced commercially.

Say 'No' to Mesothelioma

Dear reader mesothelioma is a very dangerous disease and it is a disease which is unfortunately spread due to men's own carelessnes and selfishness. This disease is not something on which we have no control. So let us say 'No' to Mesothelioma and try to figure out here its causes and cure.

Mesothelioma is the medical name for cancer of the lung or the abdomen lining, and is usually caused by exposure to asbestos.Asbestos is actually just a commercial name for a naturally occurring, fibrous mineral found in the ground and mined all over the world. It is so small it can only be identified under a microscope. Asbestos is a type of building material used in thermal insulation products and ceiling tiles. In the past, asbestos was added to various products such as insulation to increase fire resistant properties. Asbestos is a fibrous silicate that was commonly used in insulation and construction materials, as well as electrical insulation, fireproofing materials, roofing, and filters, because it offered high heat resistance. This mineral was also used to make automobile brakes at one time.

Asbestos usage peaked during the 1950s - 1970s, but during the late 1960s, concerns over the health consequences of asbestos exposure began to arise, thereby decreasing the amount of asbestos manufactured over the following two decades.

If a person worked for a company that made asbestos-containing products, or if he lived or lives in a house that still has asbestos insulation, that is probably the source of his illness.

Like other asbestos diseases, the development of mesothelioma is dose dependent—the greater the asbestos exposure, the greater the risk of developing mesothelioma.In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart, the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.

Critics have charged that asbestos manufacturers knew of the dangers of asbestos exposure many years before alerting the public of potential health risks. Despite the dangers associated with asbestos, the substance can still be found in thousands of products today. Because of its airborne mobility, its microscopic size and harmful properties, professional assistance is required to remove asbestos. There are professional abatement services that will remove asbestos from homes or other buildings. Asbestos is most harmful when the structure containing it is disturbed, releasing asbestos fibers into the air.