Not many people know this rare form of cancer which is caused by exposure to a harmful substance called asbestos. It forms from the protective linings of the internal organs of the body such as the lining of the lungs, the abdominal cavity or the heart.
Most people who suffer from asbestos lung mesothelioma are those who work on jobs where they usually inhale particles of asbestos or have many exposed to asbestos in other means. Recent studies show that clothes of people who work with asbestos can carry with them asbestos particles that may risk their family members on developing such form of cancer too. Asbestos has been banned to use after the discovery of hazardous effects of this material to the health of the people. But still, people are getting it and many are choosing an asbestos lawyer to help seek some honest compensation for their suffering.
Yet, there are still some (and usually underground) companies that use asbestos for their industries. People who are living near natural sites of asbestos are also at high risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses. It is best that one should not go near any site to prevent this disease.
You may be suffering from mesothelioma if you experience shortness of breath or pain experienced on the chest wall. This is because of pleural effusion that is the fluid in between the chest wall and the lungs. Massive weight loss will also be a grave symptom of this disease. Other symptoms are abnormal blood clotting, obstruction of bowel movement, fever and anemia. Severe cases include development of tumor masses.
These are usually in the late stage of the cancer. Some stages may cause a lung to collapse and may spread to other parts of the body, or metastasize. Some severe symptoms include jaundice (yellowing of the eyes or skin), vein blood clots, low blood sugar level and blood clots in the lung arteries. Diagnosis of mesothelioma is rather difficult because it shares symptoms like that of other related diseases. But biopsy is often recommended to know if one really has this cancer.
Like any other cancer, mesothelioma already has cure and there are still further research for the quickest and most intensive cure, with the promise of no recurrence at all. Most cures that are used today include a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. There is also immunotherapy and the Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy. The immunotherapy is promising but is still subject to further studies and development.
The Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoniel Chemotherapy proves to be more successful because the chemotherapy treatment is heated directly in the affected area, killing more malignant cells than normal cells. In the near future, there would be more hope for this rare type of cancer.