Mesothelioma Disease

When a patient learns of a mesothelioma diagnosis, confusion is often one of the first emotions experienced. What exactly is mesothelioma? Is it a disease? A virus? Mesothelioma is actually a rare type of cancer. When people refer to mesothelioma disease, they are actually referring to mesothelioma cancer. Mesothelioma develops in the mesothelium, the membrane that surrounds several body cavities. The mesothelium is comprised of mesothelial cells, which become abnormal and divide uncontrollably if mesothelioma is present.

Four different types of mesothelioma exist. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of the cancer and develops in the lining of the lungs, known as the pleura. Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the lining of the abdomen, known as the peritoneum. Pericardial mesothelioma is very rare, as approximately 200 cases have been reported internationally. Pericardial mesothelioma develops in the pericardium, the membrane that surrounds the heart and protects the organ. Testicular mesothelioma is the rarest form of mesothelioma and develops in the lining surrounding the testicles, known as the tunica vaginalis.

Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma annually in the United States. Many patients are not diagnosed with the cancer until it has reached later developmental stages since it may take 20 to 50 years for a patient to demonstrate symptoms of mesothelioma. The cancer is caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure and it often takes decades for a patient to express mesothelioma symptoms from the time initial asbestos exposure occurred.

Mesothelioma Symptoms

Diagnosis can be difficult because symptoms often resemble more common illnesses and are non-specific. Patients are often unaware of the severity of their condition until they are diagnosed with mesothelioma. A patient with peritoneal mesothelioma may express symptoms such as a persistent dry or raspy cough, difficulty breathing and swallowing, night sweats and fever, among others.

Pericardial mesothelioma patients may complain of swelling or pain in the abdomen, fatigue, nausea, night sweats or the appearance of lumps under the skin on the abdomen. A patient with pericardial mesothelioma may experience heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat, chest pain, difficult breathing, fever and fatigue. Testicular mesothelioma symptoms have been confined to the appearance of testicular lumps.

Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Once a patient demonstrates unusual symptoms and visits a doctor, a medical review and physical examination often follow. Typically, further testing will be needed and an x-ray will likely be requested to pinpoint the location of the cancer and determine whether or not it has spread to other areas of the body.

Additional imaging tests such as a CT scan, PET scan or MRI are often recommended for a more detailed image of the cancer. A fluid and tissue test, known as a biopsy is then typically conducted to collect a sample of fluid or tissue to test for the presence of cancerous cells. A pathologist generally examines the sample to determine whether or not mesothelioma is present.

Mesothelioma Treatment

After diagnosis, patients and their loved ones are often anxious to do everything possible to fight mesothelioma. This may involve several different treatment options. The most common treatments mesothelioma patients utilize include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Though a cure for mesothelioma does not currently exist, many patients undergo several treatments for relief from symptoms to improve the quality of life. Patients may also experience relief through experimental options and treatments available through clinical trials and alternative therapies.

Asbestos.com offers additional information about mesothelioma treatment options, top doctors and cancer centers nationwide through a complimentary informational packet.Click here to receive your copy and learn more about symptoms, causes and support resources for mesothelioma patients.

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asbestos lung cancer disease

hat Are Asbestos-Related Lung Diseases?

Asbestos-related lung diseases are diseases that develop from exposure to asbestos (as-BES-tos) fibers. Asbestos is a mineral that, at one time, was widely used in many industries.

Asbestos is made up of tiny fibers that can escape into the air. When breathed in, these fibers can stay in your lungs for a long time. If the fibers build up in your lungs, they can lead to:

• Pleural plaque. In this condition, the tissue around the lungs and diaphragm (the muscle below your lungs) thickens and hardens. This tissue is called the pleura. Pleural plaque usually causes no symptoms. Rarely, as the pleura thickens, it can trap and compress part of the lung. This may show up as a mass on an x-ray image.
• Pleural effusion. In this condition, excess fluid builds up in the pleural space. The pleural space is the area between the lungs and the chest wall.
• Asbestosis (as-bes-TO-sis). In this condition, the lung tissue becomes scarred. People who have asbestosis are at greater risk for lung cancer, especially if they smoke.
• Lung cancer. This type of cancer forms in the lung tissue, usually in the cells lining the air passages.
• Mesothelioma (MEZ-o-thee-lee-O-ma). This disease is cancer of the pleura.

Asbestos also can cause cancer in the lining of the abdominal cavity. This lining is known as the peritoneum (PER-ih-to-NE-um).

Asbestos-Related Lung Diseases

Figure A shows the location of the lungs, airways, pleura, and diaphragm. Figure B shows lungs with asbestos-related diseases, including pleural plaque, lung cancer, asbestosis, plaque on the diaphragm, and mesothelioma.

Overview

Until the 1970s, asbestos was widely used in many industries in the United States. For example, it was used to insulate pipes, boilers, and ships; make brakes; strengthen cement; and fireproof many materials, such as drywall.

People who worked around asbestos during that time are at risk for asbestos-related lung diseases. People at highest risk for these diseases include:

• Unprotected workers who made, installed, or removed products containing asbestos. People who worked near those who did these jobs also are at risk.
• Family members of workers who were exposed to asbestos. Family members may have breathed in asbestos fibers that workers brought home on their clothes, shoes, or bodies.
• People who lived in areas with large deposits of asbestos in the soil. However, this risk is limited to areas where the deposits were disturbed and asbestos fibers escaped into the air.

Asbestos fibers also can be released into the air when older buildings containing asbestos-made products are destroyed. Removing these products during building renovations also can release asbestos fibers into the air.

Generally, being around asbestos-made products isn’t a danger as long as the asbestos is enclosed. This prevents the fibers from escaping into the air.

Now, people in the United States are less likely to develop asbestos-related lung diseases because the mineral is no longer widely used.

The use of asbestos is heavily restricted, and rules and standards are now in place to protect workers and others from asbestos exposure. Asbestos is found in only a few new products, such as gaskets used in brakes.

However, many countries do not yet restrict asbestos use, and people in those places are still exposed.

Outlook

The outlook for people who have asbestos-related lung diseases can vary. Their outlook will depend on which disease they have and how much it has damaged their lungs.

No treatments can reverse the effects of asbestos on your lungs. However, treatments may help relieve symptoms, slow the progress of the disease, and prevent complications.

If you've been exposed to asbestos, let your doctor know. He or she can watch you for signs of asbestos-related problems and start treatment early, if needed. Early treatment may help prevent or delay complications.

Quitting smoking and making other lifestyle changes can help prevent certain complications in people who are at high risk for asbestos-related lung diseases. These lifestyle changes may prevent more serious disease, including cance

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industrial disease claim

Asbestos Related Illness

Our specialist Panel of Industrial Disease Claim Solicitors are dedicated to providing compensation to people who are suffering or have suffered from a work related disease.

They have specialized knowledge and have successfully represented many accident victims and ensured they recovered the compensation that they deserve.

Our Panel of specialist Solicitors represent clients who have worked in many industries and ensure that your claim is handled with the utmost professionalism. Our Panel Solicitors specialise in asbestosis compensation,asbestos compensation claim, asbestos claims, Lung Disease, Skin Disease, Vibration White finger and Noise induced Hearing Loss.

We understand the trauma and frustration our clients and their families suffer due to industrial disease and the financial hardship that it may cause.

Continual exposure to unsafe working conditions over a prolonged period has exposed thousands of people to terrible later illness and you may be entitled to compensation.

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Asbestos Pleural Disease

In gaining a better understanding of what asbestos pleural disease is and how it effects respiratory health, it is helpful to know something about the anatomy of the respiratory system and the thoracic or chest cavity.

How We Breathe

In mammals, the respiratory system has two sections. The upper tract, also called theconducting zone, is that through which air passes, or is "conducted." The lower tract is known as the respiratory zone proper, and is where oxygen from the atmosphere is exchanged for carbon dioxide from the blood.

The conducting zone consists of the nose, nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, glottis and trachea. As one breathes, air is filtered by mucus membranes in the nose and nasal cavity, ornasopharynx, and warmed and humidified (this is the reason that peoples whose ancestors lived in extreme climates tend to have large noses). Passing through the oropharynx (the opening behind the mouth), air travels past the larynx, or vocal muscles and through theglottis, which is the space between these muscles, or "folds." The air ultimately enters the lower respiratory tract by way of the trachea, or "windpipe."

Once inside the thoracic (chest) cavity, the trachea divides into two more passages, called the "left" and "right"bronchi, or bronchial tubes. As they penetrate the fleshy sacs that make up the lungs, these bronchi subdivide sixteen more times into increasingly smaller bronchial passages, or bronchioles.

The 4,096 bronchioles in each lung lead to the respiratory zone and terminate in small tubes and air sacs known as the alveolar ducts and alveoli, respectively. (The word alveoli, incidentally is from the Latin term for "grapes," which gives one a good idea of what they look like.)

It is within these alveoli that oxygen molecules enter the bloodstream as they are exchanged for carbon dioxide from the bloodstream. Each time a mammal or other land vertebrate breathes out, this CO2 is expelled. During inhalation, fresh air is taken in, and the cycle begins all over again.

This process, which happens about 15-18 times per minute for the average human at rest, is controlled by a muscle located below the lungs called the diaphragm. As the diaphragm contracts, air is pulled into the lungs; when it relaxes, waste gases are allowed to escape. Other muscles may assist in breathing if necessary, such as the muscles between the ribs, and in the neck and back.

The Pleural Lining

As you might imagine, with the beating heart, breathing lungs, moving diaphragm in abdominal cavity all located in the thoracic cavity, it's a little crowded in there. Everything is touching and moving against everything else. In order to keep this rubbing of parts from creating irritation, everything is coated with a thin, moist, lubricating membrane called themesothelium. Inside the body, the fluid surrounding the mesothelium acts in the body in the same way as motor oil inside an internal combustion engine; it lubricates all the surfaces in order to allow them to move and function properly.

The pleural lining is that part of the mesothelium that covers the outer surfaces of the lungs. Pleural disease is any one of a number of illnesses that attack this layer, such as the asbestos cancer most commonly diagnosed,pleural mesothelioma. When one contracts a disease of the pleural lining, it interferes with the lungs ability to expand.

How Asbestos Attacks

Amphibole fibers - the strongest and most deadly type of asbestos - resemble miniature needles when examined under a microscope. When inhaled, they literally impale the tissues of the alveolar sacs and start to burrow through toward the outer layers of the lung. (Those who have suffered from asbestos disease and describe the pain as being stabbed by "thousands of needles" with every breath aren't terribly wrong.) As these fibers travel through the lung tissue and emerge into the pleural lining, they appear to interact with the DNA of living cells, causing mutations that medical science is only now beginning to understand.

The medical profession classifies asbestos-caused pleural disease as either benign ormalignant. If the disease remains confined to the pleural lining and is non-cancerous, it is considered benign. Cancer of the pleural lining - i.e., mesothelioma - that is prone to spread is labeled as malignant.

Benign Pleural Plaques

An example of a "benign" asbestos pleural disease is pleural plaque. According to a 2003 article, pleural plaques are the "most common manifestation of asbestos exposure," and appear as "white or yellow thickening on the parietal pleura". Essentially, the asbestos fibers cause plaque (similar to that which builds up on teeth) to build up on the pleural lining, causing it to stiffen and inhibiting the lungs' ability to expand. Like other asbestos diseases, pleural plaques may take as long as 30 years to manifest.

Benign Pleural Effusion

Under normal conditions, there is no more than 15 ml. of fluid between the surface of the lung and the inner pleural lining. Normally, this fluid is circulated by the lymphatic system, which can absorb up to 300 ml. of fluid if necessary. However, when the system breaks down and fluid builds up beyond that point, it causes pleural effusion.

Benign asbestos-related pleural effusions can appear in as little as ten years following exposure, and can be caused by minimal exposure. These effusions can reduce movement of the chest, diminishing lung capacity.

Diffuse Pleural Thickening

This is a type of fibrosis that develops on the pleural lining, causing it to stiffen. As the asbestos fibers penetrate living tissues, bodily defenses - antibodies known asmicrophages - go into action, attacking the fibers as if they were a virus or bacterial infection. The problem is that asbestos fibers are made from inorganic silicon, therefore, the digestive enzymes that would destroy a virus has no effect.

Instead, the asbestos fibers tear open the microphages, causing their digestive molecules to eat away at the inner pleural lining and surface of the lungs. As these heal, they cause a build-up of scar tissue. Eventually, the fluid-filled space between the lung surface and the pleural lining disappears. Diffuse pleural thickening is the result.

Rounded Atelectasis

This condition is also called "folded lung" and Bleskovsky Syndrome. It happens when the pleural lining develops scar tissue and literally shrinks (in the way the scar from a severe skin wound "puckers"), rolling in on itself. This constricts the lungs, preventing them from taking in air, resulting in a small area of collasped lung. They are often mistaken for tumors.

Mesothelioma

Unlike the conditions described above, malignant mesothelioma is a highly aggressive, malignant cancer that starts out by attacking the pleural lining. From there, it has been known to spread to all parts of the body.

Unlike most tumors that create lumps, mesothelioma spreads in a sheet-like manner across the lung surface, making it difficult to detect in the early stages. So far, asbestos exposure is the only known cause of mesothelioma; medical research indicates that it is triggered by mutations caused by the asbestos fibers as they interact with cellular DNA. However, recent findings have made some tenuous connections to a virus identified as SV-40, which is known to have contaminated some batches of polio vaccines during the late 1950s. In addition, tobacco use has been known to greatly exacerbate the chances of receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis.

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asbestos disease awareness organization

ADAO Praises U.S. Senate for Passing Senator Patty Murray's Ban Asbestos in America Act

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), an organization dedicated to serving as the voice of asbestos victims, praised the passage of Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)'s Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007 by the U.S. Senate. The Ban Asbestos in America Act is an effort to ban all production and use of asbestos in America, launch public education campaigns to raise awareness about its dangers and expand research and treatment of diseases caused by asbestos.

"Senator Patty Murray is a hero for all asbestos victims and their families, and a future protector of generations to come, helping to ensure a safer environment for us all," said Linda Reinstein, Executive Director and Cofounder of Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO). "We praise the Senate for passing Senator Murray's monumental Ban Asbestos in America Act and now encourage the House to follow this important bi-partisan lead for a full ban on asbestos. We also extend a special thanks to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) for their critical support. We look forward to the day when asbestos disease will no longer needlessly claim lives."

The occurrence of asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancerand asbestosis, is growing out of control. Studies estimate that during the next decade, 100,000 victims in the United States will die of an asbestos related disease - equaling 30 deaths per day.

Murray's Asbestos Ban Passes Senate

About Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded by asbestos victims and their families in 2004. ADAO seeks to give asbestos victims a united voice to help ensure that their rights are fairly represented and protected, and raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure and the often deadly asbestos related diseases. ADAO is funded through voluntary contributions and staffed by volunteers.

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asbestos lung disease

Asbestos lung cancer is a group of diseases related to asbestos exposure. While the term itself is technically incorrect — only one of the diseases belonging to this group (asbestosis) originates in the lungs (and it is not a form of cancer) — it serves as a way of classifying asbestos-related diseases that affect the lungs.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has been mined, processed, and used for more than 6,000 years. The two most common diseases related to asbestos lung cancer are asbestosis and mesothelioma, with pleural mesothelioma being the most common form of mesothelioma. Both mesothelioma and asbestosis are associated with the inhalation of asbestos and subsequent inflammation caused by the lodging ofasbestos in the lungs.

Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare type of asbestos lung cancer that results from asbestos becoming lodged in the lining of the lung. However, unlike asbestosis, which originates in the lungs, mesothelioma occurs in the serous lining, which is the lining surrounding the outside of the lungs. Another thing that distinguishes mesothelioma from asbestosis is that it leads to the growth of tumors that are malignant (asbestosis leads to the growth of scar tissue, which is benign). This means that the growths in the lungs' serous membranes related to mesothelioma are cancerous, can grow rapidly and can spread to other organs. Asbestosis, on the other hand, does not spread to other organs. When cancer tumors grow and then spread to other organs, this is called metastasis.

Pleural Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma can affect several different organs in the body, not just the lungs. When mesothelioma occurs in the lungs, it is calledpleural mesothelioma; when it occurs in the heart lining it is called pericardial mesothelioma; and when it occurs in the abdomen it is called peritoneal mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure is thought to be the primary cause of all three types of mesothelioma.

The timeline between asbestos exposure and the onset of pleural mesothelioma is very long (30 to 40 years). Pleural mesothelioma can be detected by x-rays, but the diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma has to be confirmed with a biopsy. The treatments for pleural mesothelioma are similar to other cancers. They include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgical removal of the cancerous tissues. However, it is important to note that different types of cancers respond differently to different types of treatments. As a result, a patient's treatment plan is based on his or her individual case. Unfortunately, the disease is very aggressive, and most treatments do not slow its progression. The life expectancy of those diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma is less than a year.

Asbestosis

Asbestosis is a disease in which asbestos fibers cause scarring of the lungs; however, it is not a type of lung cancer. This disease occurs because asbestos fibers are tiny, yet durable; when they are inhaled, the lungs' natural filtration system is unable to eliminate them from the air. As a result, asbestos is able to enter the very sterile inner reaches of the lung cavities. When asbestos fibers become lodged in the interstitium — the area surrounding the lungs' air sacs (alveoli) — the lungs become inflamed, which eventually leads to scarring. The timeline between the moment asbestos enters the lungs and the eventual onset of scarring can be as long as 10 years. Eventually, if enough scarring occurs in the lungs, it will be classified as fibrosis. Asbestosis is fibrosis that forms in the interstitium.

Fibrosis is defined as the development of excess fibrous connective tissue in an organ. This connective tissue cripples the areas of the lungs that it invades. Thus, when it spreads across large areas of the lungs over time, the lungs lose their ability to function properly. Similar to pleural mesothelioma, the total timeline between exposure to asbestos and the development of large areas of fibrosis can be as long as 30 or 40 years.

Asbestosis is normally detected with an x-ray showing the large fibrous growths in the lungs. Oftentimes, the initial symptom is difficulty breathing, which may be caused by the fibrous tissue that has formed, or by a pleural effusion (buildup of fluid) caused by the asbestosis. There is no cure for asbestosis, and eventually the fibrous tissue can spread throughout the lungs and make it impossible to breath. A common cause of death related to asbestosis is congestive heart failure, in which the heart becomes overworked in its attempt to push enough blood through the lungs to carry sufficient oxygen to the rest of the body.

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