Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that occurs when a person has been exposed to too much asbestos. What happens is the lining around the organs, (called the mesothelium), becomes afflicted by tumors, which will eventually spread to other parts of the body. Mesothelioma is a very serious disease that does not have a good prognosis. However, it is still important that a person at least know if they are suffering with the disease. With treatment they can at least have a better quality of life, even if the prognosis is not as good. So, if you experience any of the 10 common mesothelioma symptoms, get yourself checked out as soon as possible. For more information on the 10 common mesothelioma symptoms, check out the list below.




1. Pleural Effusion

First to be discussed in the list of them is pleural effusion. Pleural effusion is when too much fluid builds up in the lining of the lungs. As a result a person may experience chest pain and dyspenea, (which is defined as difficulty breathing).

2. Coughing Up Blood

Coughing up blood is probably one of the most alarming in the list of the 10 common mesothelioma symptoms. It may be accompanied by difficulty swallowing or hoarseness.

3. Horner's Syndrome

Horner's syndrome is a collection of abnormal symptoms such as the sinking in of an eyeball, droopy eyelids, abnormal pupil constriction, and anhidrosis, (which is a lack of sweating). These complications are a result of nerve paralysis.




4. Weight Loss

Many people may not think weight loss is one of the 10 common mesothelioma symptoms, but it can be for a lot of sufferers. If weight loss is unexplained and a person has any of the other symptoms listed here, they should go to a doctor.

5. Lumps

Lumps around the skin of a person's chest or abdomen is another poignant sign in the list of the 10 common mesothelioma symptoms. If you can't see these lumps, you should be able to feel them when you go to take a bath or a shower.

6. Dry Cough

When a mesothelioma sufferer has a dry cough, there will be no phlegm associated with it. So, that right there should be an indication that the cough is not due to a cold.

7. Abdominal Swelling

If you have mesothelioma of the stomach lining, (also known as Peritoneal mesothelioma), you may have abdominal swelling severe enough that you may think you have actually gained weight. In reality the swelling is caused by the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity.

8. Problems with Bowel Habits

Peritoneal mesothelioma can also cause you to have more bouts of diarrhea or constipation.

9. Aches and Pains throughout the Body

When mesothelioma metastasizes into other areas of the body, sufferers will experience complications from those organs as well. One of the most common complications is pain.




10. No Symptoms

Why would 'no symptoms' be in the list of the 10 common mesothelioma symptoms? Well, believe it or not, around 3 percent of all mesothelioma sufferers actually do not have the typical signs of the disease. If you believe you are in this category, and you are at high risk for the condition, (you are elderly and have been exposed to asbestos), discuss with your doctor getting checked out for the condition just to be on the safe side.

Good mesothelioma cancer treatments that work are an enigma, both for mesothelioma sufferers and the medical community. If you are looking for medically accepted mesothelioma cancer treatments that work, you will be considering chemotherapy, surgical intervention and/or radiation therapy. But these treatment options are not really good, since they only add a few months to a mesothelioma sufferer's life. In fact, most doctors do not even recommend conventional treatments for saving a person's life. Instead, they are suggested to help make the victim's quality of life better. Yet, mesothelioma sufferers, like anyone else, want to live longer. Sure, quality of life is important, but if you're living for only a few months, what's the point? This is why many mesothelioma victims decide to look for alternative treatments for their disease.




What are the types of alternative treatments available for mesothelioma? And can they be considered good mesothelioma cancer treatments that work? Well, basically anything can be considered an alternative treatment for mesothelioma. Some of the most popular include herbal treatments, spiritual approaches, (especially when it comes to Eastern philosophies), acupuncture, light therapy and specialized diet. But there are also alternative treatments created by individuals. You can find these 'treatments' by searching online writing portals such as Associated Content or Article City.

As to whether or not these are good mesothelioma treatments that work, will really depend on your experience with them. Unfortunately, the medical community does not evaluate alternative treatments. However, many of these treatments have no shortage of positive testimonials claiming how they extended people's lives. So, perhaps if you go by these testimonials you could consider them good mesothelioma treatments that work. Otherwise, don't expect miracles. Sure, do what you need to for keeping hope alive, but don't get your hopes up in the process.

On the other hand, if you prefer to accept medical-based treatments, consider participating in clinical trials. Through clinical trials you would get access to cutting-edge drugs that may be beneficial in helping to prolong your life. In the process most of the time participants get financial compensation. They also get free medical care, at least from the researching entity that is overlooking the experiment. Of course, such an alternative will not guarantee a person will find good mesothelioma treatments that work, but it's certainly worth a try. Unlike alternative treatments doing things this way is more acceptable by the medical community.




In conclusion, good mesothelioma treatments that work are hard to come by. If you're willing to investigate alternative treatments or participate in clinical trials, you may find something that will work, but without hard scientific evidence, such solutions cannot be deemed as a cure-all. Yet, if you do find a good mesothelioma treatment that works, at least for you, tell your story on the Internet, to your doctor, to mesothelioma support groups and really anyone else who will listen. Hopefully, if enough of these types of stories are shared, the medical community will pay attention and perform 'legitimate' research on these treatments.

Mesothelioma is devastating on so many levels. The most prominent, of course, is the fact that through the disease, a person life slowly ebbs away. But there is also another concern that often gets lost as sufferers and their families think about the prognosis. This concern involves how one is going to pay for their treatments. If a mesothelioma victim is lucky, perhaps their health insurance can cover everything. Yet, for most Americans, where companies are cutting back on their health insurance plans, chances are some of the medical bills will have to be paid out of pocket. This is how a good mesothelioma cancer lawyer can help you.




How can a good cancer lawyer help you with your medical bills? It's simple. They can help you sue the company responsible for your disease. That's right... if you worked around asbestos during the course of your career, your employer could be legally liable for you developing mesothelioma. This is because employers are supposed to protect their employees against overexposure to asbestos, the agent responsible for the condition. A good lawyer can determine whether or not your employer did what they were supposed to for ensuring you were properly informed or protected against asbestos. Usually, they don't... with the evidence being your illness. If this can be proven, you could win a healthy settlement to help take care of your medical bills.

Now, you might be wondering how a good mesothelioma cancer lawyer can help you if you don't have any money. That shouldn't be a problem because most mesothelioma lawyers work for free unless they win their case either through a trial or an out of court settlement. In fact, most of the time even the consultation is free. And while you might think a free consultation should be automatic, consider the fact that many lawyers will charge $100 or more just to meet with you. Even if you decide not to go to trial, a good lawyer can still give you invaluable legal advice that you normally would have to pay for.




You may also be wondering how a good mesothelioma lawyer can help you if you die during the lawsuit. If this happens the lawyer works on the behalf of your family, since you would've passed. Any money that is won will be given to them instead of you. So, they not only get a chance to pay for funeral expenses, but they also get an opportunity to have some of the other bills taken care of, at least the ones that you were responsible for during your life.

In conclusion, it's not hard to understand how a good lawyer can help you. This is not to say that every mesothelioma sufferer will want to deal with the stress of a lawsuit. However, for the ones that do, getting a good lawyer is key to starting the process. And the best way to do this is to search mesothelioma websites or talk to other mesothelioma sufferers.

Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma. A history of asbestos exposure at work is reported in about 70 percent to 80 percent of all cases. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos.




Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong, flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and woven. Asbestos has been widely used in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation. If tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, they may be inhaled or swallowed, and can cause serious health problems. In addition to mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis (a noncancerous, chronic lung ailment), and other cancers, such as those of the larynx and kidney.




Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma. However, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person’s risk of developing cancer of the air passageways in the lung.

Although reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. About 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women at any age.

The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. It is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart and the expanding and contracting lungs) to glide easily against adjacent structures.

The mesothelium has different names, depending on its location in the body. The peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that covers most of the organs in the abdominal cavity. The pleura is the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity. The pericardium covers and protects the heart. The mesothelial tissue surrounding the male internal reproductive organs is called the tunica vaginalis testis. The tunica serosa uteri covers the internal reproductive organs in women.

There is no universally agreed protocol for screening people who have been exposed to asbestos. Screening tests might diagnose mesothelioma earlier than conventional methods thus improving the survival prospects for patients. The serum osteopontin level might be useful in screening asbestos-exposed people for mesothelioma. The level of soluble mesothelin-related protein is elevated in the serum of about 75% of patients at diagnosis and it has been suggested that it may be useful for screening.[2] Doctors have begun testing the Mesomark assay which measures levels of soluble mesothelin-related proteins (SMRPs) released by diseased mesothelioma cells.[3]

Diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions. Diagnosis begins with a review of the patient's medical history. A history of exposure to asbestos may increase clinical suspicion for mesothelioma. A physical examination is performed, followed by chest X-ray and often lung function tests. The X-ray may reveal pleural thickening commonly seen after asbestos exposure and increases suspicion of mesothelioma. A CT (or CAT) scan or an MRI is usually performed. If a large amount of fluid is present, abnormal cells may be detected by cytology if this fluid is aspirated with a syringe. For pleural fluid this is done by a pleural tap or chest drain, in ascites with an paracentesis or ascitic drain and in a pericardial effusion with pericardiocentesis. While absence of malignant cells on cytology does not completely exclude mesothelioma, it makes it much more unlikely, especially if an alternative diagnosis can be made (e.g. tuberculosis, heart failure).

If cytology is positive or a plaque is regarded as suspicious, a biopsy is needed to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma. A doctor removes a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope by a pathologist. A biopsy may be done in different ways, depending on where the abnormal area is located. If the cancer is in the chest, the doctor may perform a thoracoscopy. In this procedure, the doctor makes a small cut through the chest wall and puts a thin, lighted tube called a thoracoscope into the chest between two ribs. Thoracoscopy allows the doctor to look inside the chest and obtain tissue samples.

If the cancer is in the abdomen, the doctor may perform a laparoscopy. To obtain tissue for examination, the doctor makes a small opening in the abdomen and inserts a special instrument into the abdominal cavity. If these procedures do not yield enough tissue, more extensive diagnostic surgery may be necessary.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart).

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking.[1] Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).

The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. The diagnosis can be made with chest X-rays and a CT scan, and confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space (called pleurodesis), which prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing.
Contents


* 1 Signs and symptoms
* 2 Diagnosis
* 3 Screening
* 4 Staging
* 5 Pathophysiology
* 6 Epidemiology
o 6.1 Incidence
o 6.2 Risk factors
o 6.3 Exposure
+ 6.3.1 Occupational
+ 6.3.2 Paraoccupational Secondary Exposure
+ 6.3.3 Asbestos in buildings
+ 6.3.4 Environmental exposures
* 7 Treatment
o 7.1 Surgery
o 7.2 Radiation
o 7.3 Chemotherapy
o 7.4 Immunotherapy
o 7.5 Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy
* 8 Notable people who died from mesothelioma
* 9 Notable people that have lived for some time with mesothelioma
* 10 Legal issues
* 11 Legal History
* 12 References
* 13 Footnotes
* 14 See also
* 15 External links

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

These symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions.

Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these signs and symptoms:

* chest wall pain
* pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
* shortness of breath
* fatigue or anemia
* wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
* blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemoptysis)

In severe cases, the person may have many tumor masses. The individual may develop a pneumothorax, or collapse of the lung. The disease may metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.

Tumors that affect the abdominal cavity often do not cause symptoms until they are at a late stage. Symptoms include:

* abdominal pain
* ascites, or an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen
* a mass in the abdomen
* problems with bowel function
* weight loss

In severe cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms may be present:

* blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
* disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs
* jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
* low blood sugar level
* pleural effusion
* pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
* severe ascites

A mesothelioma does not usually spread to the bone, brain, or adrenal glands. Pleural tumors are usually found only on one side of the lungs.