Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos without sufficient protection over one’s mouth & 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 few diseases. These diseases include mesothelioma, asbestosis & lung cancer.
Asbestos as the reason for mesothelioma:
When exposed to asbestos without sufficient protection, a person will inhale plenty of small asbestos fibres that are suspended in the air. These will pass in to the respiratory system & get most probably get lodged in the lining of the lungs. An accumulation of these fibres may cause the cells around it to become abnormal & 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 signs of mesothelioma vary depending on what type of mesothelioma a patient has. However, there's several common signs of all types. These include chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, coughing up blood, weight loss & loss of appetite. These signs usually take affect only when the mesothelioma cancer has fully matured & developed. Due to the fact that these signs are frequent for a few more common diseases such as pneumonia, mesothelioma is hard to diagnose in its early stages.
The treatments obtainable for mesothelioma:
As yet, all treatments for mesothelioma have a low success rate. The effectiveness of treatment depends largely on how aggressively & early the cancer is treated. If treated in its later stages when it's fully developed, it is very difficult, impossible to cure. Treatments include surgical procedure which comes in four forms, aggressive surgical procedure & palliative procedures, radiation therapy, chemotherapy & dual therapy which is a combination of all two main treatments combined. Dual therapy has shown the most promising signs as 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. Plenty of pharmaceutical companies are also endeavouring to find new drugs for chemotherapy. Researchers have recently predicted that a long awaited new treatment system for mesothelioma is on the way to being discovered.
