Tuesday, January 26, 2010

What Is Lung Mesothelioma And How Is It Treated

By Heidi Wingrain

Lung mesothelioma or the pleural mesothelioma is one of the three very perilous cancers affecting the mesothelium, a protective covering found around vital organs like lungs, abdomen and heart. The three types are the pleural, which affects the lung cavities, the pericardial that inhabit in the heart cavities and peritoneal which attack the abdominal cavities. The cancer is comparatively rare and only those people who were in contact with asbestos for a protracted period are normally the victims of it.

Mesothelium is the lining of our vital organs that only protects them, but also aids their proper functioning in an indirect way. Asbestos particles can cause serious abnormality in the functioning of the mesothelium cells. The disease is unique in that it takes years and years for the disease to come out and this factor alone is a limiting aspect in timely diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Lung cancer and lung mesothelioma are totally different types of cancers with the former affecting the inside of the lung while the latter inhibits its protective covering called mesothelioma. The outcome of the disease is so far not too happy and many of the affected die within 24 months after diagnosis. Like all cancers, mesothelioma is also divided into four categories according to its severity. Many patients have been treated successfully due to timely detection, but in most cases detection occurs only too late for hope.

Exposure to asbestos is the villain in the case. The silicate mineral was considered a wonder material earlier due to its multifaceted properties like resistance to heat and electric shock, capability to withstand chemical reactions etc and was used to manufacture a wide range of products like insulation products, construction material etc. But workers who inhaled the toxic air containing asbestos suffered and are suffering the adverse erects of asbestos exposure.

Therefore, efforts are on presently to adopt enough precautionary measures to prevent future infection and also to provide succor to the already affected persons by way of mesothelioma compensation. Additionally, scientists are laboring hard to find more effective cures to lung mesothelioma, which could not be provided by the existing therapies so far.

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