Exposure to asbestos has been proven to be the main cause for Mesothelioma. The name comes from the word "Mesothelium", which is a very thin lining that surrounds most of our organs, and this is the site where the disease starts to form.
Typically, people who used to work with asbestos are at a significantly higher risk to develop the disease, as they unavoidably inhaled small dust particles and fiber on their job. Some studies suggest that in some cases even some of their family members did get Mesothelioma, because they came in direct contact with the material, since the person brought it back home in his "contaminated clothes".
Smoking is directly linked to a significantly higher risk in developing an asbestos induced cancer. And even though there is no scientific proof of an association between smoking and Mesothelioma, it is strongly advised not to smoke cigarettes for a whole host of obvious reasons.
On my website I already talked about the insane amounts of money that is involved in Mesothelioma lawsuits. The link to my website is in the author's box at the end of this article.
Most new Mesothelioma diagnoses were made in patients who likely had the disease already for many years or even decades - of course, unbeknownst to the victims. This cancer is a slow-grower, which is probably true for most of the cancers in general.
To give you an example: on October 1st of 2009, I was diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma, also know as Kidney Cancer. The tumor was 6.5 cm big and had taken over the majority of my left kidney. Since there was no way to save the organ, it was removed via a radical robotic left laparoscopic nephrectomy.
The tumor was 6.2 cm (2.5 inches) in size. Secondly, the malignant cells were further examined in the labs and based on the result, the doctors made an assessment that my cancer started probably as many as 20 years back ago. Quite amazing, isn't it? Again, that's just another example of a cancer that has been there and remained undetected for a long time.
And for Mesothelioma it's exactly the same story. Common symptoms of this disease include, but are not limited to, rapid change in someone's weight, pain in the chest and being short on breath. Typically, a CT scan will be ordered for a patient who is suspected to have gotten the cancer. But in order to confirm a diagnosis, a biopsy is necessary.
Even though there are chemotherapies and radiation protocols available, a Mesothelioma diagnosis is typically associated with a poor long term prognosis. The focus of these treatments is to give the patient a better quality of life. But hopefully soon we will have access to more effective drugs and maybe some day a cure will become available.
As for all other cancers, the early is will be detected, the better are the treatment options.
Typically, people who used to work with asbestos are at a significantly higher risk to develop the disease, as they unavoidably inhaled small dust particles and fiber on their job. Some studies suggest that in some cases even some of their family members did get Mesothelioma, because they came in direct contact with the material, since the person brought it back home in his "contaminated clothes".
Smoking is directly linked to a significantly higher risk in developing an asbestos induced cancer. And even though there is no scientific proof of an association between smoking and Mesothelioma, it is strongly advised not to smoke cigarettes for a whole host of obvious reasons.
On my website I already talked about the insane amounts of money that is involved in Mesothelioma lawsuits. The link to my website is in the author's box at the end of this article.
Most new Mesothelioma diagnoses were made in patients who likely had the disease already for many years or even decades - of course, unbeknownst to the victims. This cancer is a slow-grower, which is probably true for most of the cancers in general.
To give you an example: on October 1st of 2009, I was diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma, also know as Kidney Cancer. The tumor was 6.5 cm big and had taken over the majority of my left kidney. Since there was no way to save the organ, it was removed via a radical robotic left laparoscopic nephrectomy.
The tumor was 6.2 cm (2.5 inches) in size. Secondly, the malignant cells were further examined in the labs and based on the result, the doctors made an assessment that my cancer started probably as many as 20 years back ago. Quite amazing, isn't it? Again, that's just another example of a cancer that has been there and remained undetected for a long time.
And for Mesothelioma it's exactly the same story. Common symptoms of this disease include, but are not limited to, rapid change in someone's weight, pain in the chest and being short on breath. Typically, a CT scan will be ordered for a patient who is suspected to have gotten the cancer. But in order to confirm a diagnosis, a biopsy is necessary.
Even though there are chemotherapies and radiation protocols available, a Mesothelioma diagnosis is typically associated with a poor long term prognosis. The focus of these treatments is to give the patient a better quality of life. But hopefully soon we will have access to more effective drugs and maybe some day a cure will become available.
As for all other cancers, the early is will be detected, the better are the treatment options.
About the Author:
The author Leslie West was diagnosed with kidney cancer, only 7 months after his wife got diagnosed with breast cancer. On his Mesothelioma website he talks about cancer treatment options and provides asbestos information, since this material was proven to be associated with numerous other forms of cancer.
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