Malignant Mesothelioma: It’s Rare, But Be Aware

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Legal )



Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer affecting your mesothelium. If you can visualize the internal organs in your body, you may think of them as being surrounded by a membrane that has two thin layers of specialized cells (mesothelium). One layer encases your internal organ, like a sandwich wrapper; the other layer acts like a brown bag, forming a protective sac around the organ.

In malignant mesothelioma you will find that the cancer cells have attacked the mesothelium around the chest and lungs (known as the pleura), or the mesothelium covering the abdominal organs (called the peritoneum), or the mesothelium lining the heart (the pericardium).

Exposure to asbestos increases your risk of developing malignant mesothelioma. Being rare, malignant mesothelioma will take a long time, as much as fifty years, after exposure to asbestos before it develops. However, once symptoms appear the disease progresses rapidly.

Be aware that the other risk factors that may trigger malignant mesothelioma include living with someone who works near asbestos and exposure to the SV40 virus.

The relationship of asbestos to malignant mesothelioma was first suggested in the 1940s. An early report linking mesothelioma to occupational asbestos exposure came from a medical clinic at an asbestos mine. By 1960, the scientific community was convinced that asbestos was a cause of malignant mesothelioma. The scientific studies later became the basis for asbestos class action.

Malignant mesothelioma may be a remote possibility for you. But you may be interested to know that malignant mesothelioma can cause shortness of breath and sharp pain in your chest. If you know people who have felt these symptoms and you are aware that they worked or lived in places where they were exposed to asbestos, you should advise them to consult a doctor. Other symptoms that indicate malignant mesothelioma include pain or swelling in the abdomen and unexplained weight loss.


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