Mesothelima
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Mesothelioma is a very rare form of lung cancer that starts in the mesothelium. The mesothelium is made up of parietal and visceral membranes, thin layers of tissue, which surround organs and body cavities, such as the lungs or abdomen. The visceral membrane immediately surrounds the organ, and the parietal membrane is a sac covering the visceral membrane. The visceral and parietal membranes that make up the mesothelium. This fluid helps organs move easily among surrounding structures. In the case of the lung, it helps reduce friction between the lung and chest wall during normal breathing as the lung expands. The most common place for mesothelioma to develop is in the mesothelial membrane, also called the pleural lining, surrounding the lungs.
The most common symptoms of mesothelioma are difficulty in breathing, chest pain, or both. Occasionally, a patient may not have mesothelioma symptoms at diagnosis. Other less common symptoms include weight loss, fever, night sweats, cough, and a general feeling of not being well. Mesothelioma symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include swelling, pain due to accumulation of fluid in the abdomen cavity, weight loss, and a mass in the abdomen. Other mesothelioma symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, lowered red blood cell count, and fever.
It can be difficult to diagnose mesothelioma because many of the mesothelioma symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions, including lung cancer and other types of cancers. At the time of diagnosis, your doctor will first do a physical examination and complete a medical history, including asking about the possibility of prior exposure to asbestos.
Although there is no early detection test for mesothelioma, there are several tests that can be used to help in making the diagnosis of mesothelioma, including a chest x-ray, a CT scan, or an MRI scan. A chest x-ray yields an image of the lungs that will show many types of abnormal changes. A CT scan is a type of x-ray, but it uses a computer rather than film to create detailed images. An MRI scan uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer but does not utilize radiation to create a clear image. These tests help your doctor differentiate mesothelioma from other lung tumors as well as determine where the tumor is and its size. Your doctor may need to remove a tissue sample from the tumor or draw fluid from it to confirm it to confirm the diagnosis. This can be done in several ways. The simplest way to obtain tissue samples involving making a small incision and placing a flexible tube in the area of the tumor. This is called a thoracoscopy if it is done in the chest area. A laparoscopy is the same procedure, but done in the abdominal cavity. A tube that is that is attached to a video camera is placed so that the doctor can look inside the body. A tissue sample may be taken at the same time. Sometimes, however, a more extensive surgical procedure may be advisable. A thoracotomy can be done to open the chest to take a tissue sample and, if feasible, to remove most or all of the visible tumor.
At other times, a mediastinoscopy may be done in which a very small incision is made just above the sternum (breast bone) and a tube inserted just behind the breast bone. This lets the doctors look at lymph nodes. This are small, bean-shaped structures that are an important part of the bodys immune system, and they contain cells that help your body fight infection as well as cancer. This test will give the doctor more information on the type of cancer and whether it has spread to other areas. The tissue samples taken in these procedures are analyzed by looking at them under a microscope in order to determine whether the tumor is a mesothelioma or some other type of cancer.
Stage I, Mesothelioma is present in the right or left pleura and may also involve the diaphragm on the same side. Stage II, Mesothelioma invades the chest wall or involves the esophagus, heart, or pleura on both sides. Lymph nodes in the chest may also be involved. Stage III, Mesothelioma has penetrated through the diaphragm into the lining of the abdominal cavity or peritoneum. Lymph nodes beyond those in the chest may also be involved. Stage IV, There is evidence of metastasis or spread through the bloodstream to other organs.
Mesothelioma symptoms do not develop until 20-50 years after exposure to what caused it. The average age at which symptoms usually begin to appear is around 60 years old. It is estimated that about 3,000 to 4,000 cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each years in the US. The number of cases reported each year is increasing. Among men 55 years and older, a possible reason for the current increase in diagnosed cases is due to asbestos use in their work environment. Since the 1930s, asbestos has been used primarily in factories, shipyards, and other industrial settings. It was not until 1973 that work places began reducing asbestos exposure. The cases now being seen have developed many years after a workers first exposure to asbestos back in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Asbestos is the major cause of mesothelioma in the United States. Asbestos is a mineral that occurs as a long thin fiber in the environment. Until the 1980s, when it was banned due to its health dangers, it had been used in many industrial and insulation materials as a fire retardant. Some of the jobs in which people have been exposed to or in asbestos directly are those that involve factory work, demolition, insulation, shipbuilding, carpentry, installation of brake linings in vehicles, and many others. Many public and private buildings still contain asbestos today. Personnel who remove asbestos from such structures or work around asbestos are required to wear personal equipment to lower their risk of exposure. So jobs and things that put you in danger of mesothelioma:
Trades:
Manufacturing of asbestos products (insulation, roofing, building, materials)
Vehicle repair (brakes & clutches)
Construction workers and contractors
Maritime workers
Miners and drill men
Offshore rust removals
Oil refinery workers
Power plants
Railway workers
Sand or abrasive manufacturers
Shipyards / ships / ship builders
Steel mills
Tile cutters
Occupations: