Malignant Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the lining of the lung, chest cavity, or abdominal cavity. If a tumor formed in the mesothelium—special cells that protect the organs—are cancerous, the disease is called malignant mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is almost always caused by workplace or non-occupational exposure to asbestos.
Who is at risk for malignant mesothelioma?
The most common cause of malignant mesothelioma is asbestos exposure. Workers in the steel, mining, plumbing, milling, insulation, and electric industries, among hundreds of others who handle or manufacture asbestos products, are at the highest risk of developing malignant mesothelioma.
While the risks of the disease increase depending on the frequency and intensity of asbestos exposure, there have been a number of malignant mesothelioma cases among people who have had only one or two months of exposure.
Asbestos fibers are sharp and easily cling to various surfaces such as hair, skin, clothes, and shoes of workers who may track the toxic fibers into their homes subjecting innocent family members to serious illnesses and disease. Family members of those who are regularly exposed to high levels of asbestos also have a high risk of developing malignant mesothelioma.
Types of malignant mesothelioma
There are two primary types of malignant mesothelioma:
Pleural mesothelioma, the most common form of the cancer, grows in the lining covering the lungs.
Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the tissue lining the abdominal cavity.
Mesothelioma is also broken down into cell types, which depend on what the cells look like under a microscope. The cell types include epithelial (50 to 70 percent are diagnosed with this type), sarcomatoid (seven to 20 percent have this type), or mixed (20 to 35 percent have both epithelial and sarcomatoid cells).
Symptoms of malignant mesothelioma
Malignant mesothelioma has an extremely long latency period that can take anywhere between 20 to 50 years from the initial exposure to the diagnosis of the disease. Some common symptoms of malignant mesothelioma include:
chest pains
cough
shortness of breath
severe weight loss
If the disease is discovered early, surgery may be able to remove most of the cancerous tissue. However, malignant mesothelioma spreads rapidly and can affect other organs. During advanced stages of the cancer, chemotherapy treatment and radiation can help to minimize symptoms. Complete recovery may not be possible.