Mesothelioma - Early Detection is a Matter of Life or Death
Mesothelioma is a relatively rare form of cancer where cancerous
cells develop in the mesothelium -- a protective sac that covers
most of the body's internal organs. Like most cancers, early
detection of mesothelioma greatly increases the chances of
beating the disease.
But early detection is more difficult with mesothelioma because
it has a long dormancy period of 30 or 40 years in which the
cancer remains fairly inactive and causes very few symptoms.
When the disease passes into its active phase it rapidly spreads
to the internal organs such as the lungs, heart and abdominal
organs. In its active phase it is very difficult to treat
successfully because it develops and spreads so quickly.
Causes of mesothelioma
Mesothelioma was barely in the public eye until a few years ago.
It has a very specific cause -- exposure to asbestos. And the
dangers of asbestos exposure were not widely acknowledged until
the 1970s and 80s when its serious health implications could no
longer be ignored.
As often happens in cases involving commercial products with
harmful side effects, there was tremendous resistance to
acknowledging its dangers. In the case of asbestos, it was a
product that had some very important properties that made it
ideal for insulation applications.
During the first half of the previous century, right up until
the mid 1970s asbestos was the default material used to retard
heat transfer in buildings, machines, heavy equipment, and a
broad range of commercial applications. Because it was plentiful
and inexpensive to mine, asbestos was widely used in building
products such as home insulation, floor, ceiling and roof tiles.
It was also used in commonly found commercial products such as
brake linings and pipe insulation.
This meant that millions of people were coming in contact with
asbestos on a daily basis. And since the effects of exposure to
asbestos fibre often do not become apparent for 30 or 40 years
after prolonged exposure, there often appeared to be no
immediate health risk. This was especially important in the case
of workers who mined and processed asbestos. Although workers
were regularly getting sick and often had premature, painful
deaths, the long period of dormancy of mesothelioma made it
difficult to make the connection to asbestos.
Even short term asbestos exposure will cause mesothelioma
Generally, the probability of developing this form of cancer is
directly related to the length of time you are exposed to
asbestos. The health risk also increases with the intensity of
the exposure to asbestos.
However, an exposure of as little as one or two months can
result in mesothelioma 30 or 40 years later. At the age of 48,
Canadian Member of Parliament Chuck Strahl, was recently
diagnosed with mesothelioma and traces the cause back to
changing brake pads on logging equipment after he graduated from
high school. Strahl's case is a good example of the fact that
Mesothelioma has a latency period of anywhere from 20 to 50
years. Like thousands of others he developed the disease long
after his exposure to asbestos.
Symptoms of mesothelioma
Because of its long dormancy period, mesothelioma is often not
detected until it enters its active, aggressive stage. Pleural
mesothelioma - cancer of the lung lining - causes shortness of
breath or chronic coughing. Unfortunately these symptoms can
easily be mistaken for allergies or a common cold. And in fact
this form of mesothelioma is often discovered by accident when
patients think they have one of these more common illnesses.
Other symptoms of pleural mesothelioma may include chest pain,
chronic coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, wheezing,
hoarseness, weight loss, or blood in the phlegm from the lungs
when coughing.
Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the lining around the stomach
and intestines and is usually just as dangerous. Symptoms of
peritoneal mesothelioma include pain or swelling in the abdomen,
weight loss, bowel obstruction, anemia, and fever.
Treatment of mesothelioma
Unfortunately, by the time most infected people become aware
they have mesothelioma it has ceased being dormant and becomes
extremely aggressive. Once it is no longer dormant, this type of
cancer can travel quickly, and this makes it almost impossible
to stop.
While there are treatments that are available in order to keep
the patient comfortable, there is currently no cure for
mesothelioma, and as many as 75% of those who develop the
disease will lose their life within one year. The remainder may
last for up to an additional six months.
Among the treatments that are used in order to reduce the
effects of the disease are oxygen, postural drainage and pain
killers. A wide range of treatment approaches are being tested,
ranging from attempts to fortify the body's natural immune
system to gene therapy which tries to attack the problem at the
DNA level. Other alternative treaments such as homeopathy, herbs
and acupuncture have also been tired. But none have yet been
shown to be very effective once the disease reaches the
aggressive stage.
Given the generally poor prognosis for people who do not catch
the disease in time, early detection is the best defence against
mesothelioma. If you have worked in an industry such as
construction or suspect that you may have been exposed to
asbestos, be alert for symptoms and contact your doctor
immediately. Like all forms of cancer, detecting mesothelioma at
the earliest stage possible greatly increases your chances for
survival.
For more information about the causes, symptoms and early
detection of mesothelioma visit
MesotheliomaAdvisors.com.