This article will explain everything you want to know about mesothelioma. What is it? Who's at risk? What are the symptoms? What type of treatments are available? What you should know and questions you should ask your doctor, as well as how to chose an attorney if you are diagnosed with mesothelioma.
What is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a very rare form of cancer that is caused by breathing in asbestos particles. In the last twenty years, cases of mesothelioma have increased, but reported cases of the cancer are still fairly rare.
Mesothelioma strikes the membrane that covers and protects our internal organs. The membrane is known as the mesothelium – hence the name. The cancer is usually detected in the most advanced stages, as it takes anywhere from ten to fifty years and more to be detected. Mesothelioma is a very difficult to diagnose. Therefore, the mortality rate of those who contact the cancer is very high. Most people with the disease usually die within two to five years.
Depending on where in the body mesothelioma strikes, it has different names. Most cases affect the pleura, which is the membrane that covers and protects the chest cavity and lungs. A lesser affected area is the peritoneum, which is the membrane that is found in the abdominal cavity. The rarest form is mesothelioma pericardium, which strikes the membrane that covers and protects the heart.
Though scientists aren’t one hundred percent sure of what causes mesothelioma, most agree that asbestos fibers become lodged in the mesothelium and cause the cells to mutate, which causes the cancer.
Those at Risk
Research shows that most people who contact mesothelioma have worked at a job where they were exposed to asbestos particles in the air for a number of years. Mesothelioma strikes those who work in asbestos fabrication plants, asbestos mines, home renovation businesses, handling asbestos insulation or cement products and construction. Seventy to eighty percent of people who have been stricken with mesothelioma report that they worked with asbestos and were exposed to particles in the air. Other victims are family members of those exposed to asbestos particles through dirty laundry and hair of individuals who were exposed to asbestos particles on a daily basis.
The longer that individuals were exposed to asbestos particles and the heavier the exposure, the more likely they are to contact mesothelioma. However, even those exposed for very short periods of time have developed the disease. Other trades people who are at risk include boilermakers, brake mechanics, insulation installers, maintenance workers, pipe fitters, ship fitters and steel workers.