Mesothelioma Lung Cancer

There are a lot of different forms of lung cancer around. Mesothelioma lung cancer is one that a lot of people are not very well informed about. It is a form of cancer that afflicts the area of the body that surround and protect the internal organs of the body. Here we will look at it a bit more.

This is a rather rare form of cancer but with this being said the number of cases that are being seen has increased in recent years. Most of the time men are the victims that are afflicted by it, but this does not mean that women are immune as they can get it as well.

Asbestos can be attributed to a lot of health conditions that people develop, especially if they have been working around it for a number of years. It has been found that the more that a person is around this substance that there is far more chance of them becoming ill because of it in some way or another.

The indications that can come along that may signal that this condition may be present can take years to show up in people but when they do they are common ones that can be linked to many other health issues that people could be facing. Shortness of breath and chest pains are a common symptom of this disease but the fortunate part of this is that they are also a common symptom of many other issues as well. This can make things quite difficult when it comes time to make a firm diagnosis. There are a lot of other symptoms to think about as well, so getting information about what they all are can be a very good idea.

The symptoms that this disease presents are very similar to other conditions that are common which can make it very difficult when it comes to diagnosing it. A doctor will need to review a complete medical history of the patient which will include any exposure to asbestos if it has been something that has happened. Following this there will have to be a whole battery of tests done like x-rays, Cat scans and MRI's that the doctor will need to be able to see the area that is affected more clearly. Once they see the results they need to perform a biopsy of this area to confirm whether or not it is mesothelioma or not.

Determining at what stage that the disease is in is the next step the next thing that the doctor will look at. This enables them to decide on the best course of action to be taken when it comes to treating the disease. If it is caught early on and is considered to be localized then it is far easier for the doctor to treat then if it has advance to other areas of the body.

By maintaining a regular schedule of visits to your doctor is essential when it comes to looking after your health. This can help your doctor know of any new things that may be developing with regards to your health. Another thing that a person can do is to stay aware of the developments that are coming along when it comes to this disease. Remember that there are new things that are coming out all the time and that the advancements that are being made are very promising.

See Also : game Hipmore Blog Cash for structured settlements Cheap life assurance

Asbestos Lung Mesothelioma

Asbestos lung mesothelioma is a rare cancer that can develop in special lubricating cells that form a supporting sac around the lungs. It can take between 10 and 60 years to develop, but usually averages 30 to 50 years before victims notice enough symptoms to see a physician.

Despite its name, it is not actually lung cancer as the lung tissue is not the primary site of malignancy. Instead, it is the supporting tissue around the lungs that becomes cancerous. This tissue around the lungs accounts for around 75% of the diagnosed cases, but similar tissue around other organs can also be primary sites of cancer initiation.

Currently there are between two and three thousand new cases diagnosed in the United States each year (U. S. National Cancer Institute, 2002).

This condition accounts for approximately 75% of the cancer caused by asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is a mineral deposit having the quality of heat insulation. It was used extensively throughout the world over the last century in the military, building construction, and consumer products until it was banned for carcinogenic effects. People can be exposed in the community, at work, in schools, at home, or even from the clothing of others who have been exposed. It is likely that most people have been exposed at some time in their lives.

This mineral's composition creates a quality that is very friable. It breaks into chunks and then disintegrates easily. This allows microscopic particles to rise into the air where they will float undetected for long periods of time.

People can inhale these mineral particles without knowing it. The microscopic particles travel through the lungs, through the alveolar air sacs, and end up in the supporting lung tissue. They are impossible to remove, so the mineral particles stay there for life. They can slowly cause malignant cancer.

This condition is currently considered incurable. Usually there are very few symptoms until the later stages when the cancer has metastasized. After diagnosis, survival time averages between one and two years.

Early detection offers great advantages. It is always recommended that people who suspect they might have had some environmental exposure find a physician with specialized training to monitor their condition as soon as possible.

Treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery.

After decades of experience, medical research is now focusing on slowing or preventing the progression of this cancer. By learning all the biochemical pathways involved in the initiation, progression, and proliferation of cancer, scientists hope that they can find ways to change how cancer develops.

Since asbestos lung mesothelioma can take decades to develop into the fatal malignant state, there is hope that finding more early interventions will allow people to live normal lives. Researchers are exploring new therapies including natural substances that have shown positive laboratory findings in cancer prevention.

For more information on progress in medical research in this area, see http://www.green-tea-health-news.com/asbestos-lung-mesothelioma.html

See Also : Blog Digital Frame Insurance, Auto Insurance Purchaser settlement structured

Asbestos & Mesothelioma Statistics

Asbestos is a term used to classify a group of mineral fibers that share properties of thermal and chemical resistance, flexibility, and hight tensile strength. The term "asbestos" comes from the Greek word for inextinguishable and was termed the "magic mineral" because of its' extraordinary ability to withstand heat. There are six minerals defined as asbestos including: chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite.

The history of this remarkable, but hazardous material dates back to at least 2500 B.C., when it was used as an ingredient in pottery making. Since then, asbestos has been used in a wide-range of products such as automotive brake pads and clutches, cement, ceiling and floor tiles, boilers, electrical wire insulation, gaskets, joint compound and adhesives, just to name a few.

Mesothelioma is type of lung cancer that is aggressive in nature and almost, always results from exposure to asbestos. At present there is no known cure for Mesothelioma and life expectancy is between 4 to 24 month from the initial onset of symptoms. Currently there is an ongoing epidemic of this disease in the US and it is not showing any signs of slowing down. The primary cause of the Mesothelioma problem is negligence on the part of asbestos manufactures since the1970's whom did not protect their employees from the dangers of asbestos. Due to this fact and because the latency period for Mesothelioma is between 20 to 40 years, the court system has being inundated with pending asbestos cases ever since. It is estimated that asbestos cases will not peak for another 20 years.

Below are some statistical facts about asbestos and mesothelioma lung cancer:

Asbestos is considered a carcinogen, which means that it can cause cancer.











Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that occurs naturally in the environment.










About 70% to 80% of all reported cases of asbestos exposure occur in the work place.











Over the past 50 years, occupational exposure to asbestos in the United States is estimated to have occurred in approximately 8 million people.











Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of lung cancer that results from exposure to airborne asbestos fibers.











There are two types of Mesothelioma, pleural and peritoneal.











Initial symptoms of Mesothelioma do not appear until 30 to 40 years after first exposure to asbestos.











Symptoms of Mesothelioma usually arise 2 to 3 months before the cancer is found and can resemble shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, persistent cough, pneumonia, chest and abdominal pain.











Mesothelioma is a terminal disease with no known cure and victims die within 18 months of diagnosis due to the cancer being too advanced by the time it is detected.











Treatments for Mesothelioma include surgery to remove the tumors, chemotherapy, radiation, or a combination of all three.











Management of mesothelioma depends largely on the the staging of the tumor as well as the age and physical condition of the patient. Early diagnosis and surgical intervention may lengthen life expectancy.











According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 3,000 new cases per year of malignant mesothelioma are being reported in the United States, and the incidence appears to be increasing.











Asbestos cases will continue to increase and it is estimated to peak around the year 2025, according to experts.











The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued regulations to phase out the use of almost all asbestos products in 1989, and these rules were overturned in a court challenge in 1991.











Asbestos is still not banned in the US and there are about 5,000 products that contain asbestos circulating in the US.











Most asbestos products are used as an ingredient in the making of a final product, such as vinyl-asbestos flooring and friction products, which are purchased mostly by the construction and automobile industries.











EPA has not banned any substance for any use since 1991 under the provision of the law used for the asbestos ban.











It is estimated that about 8 million people in the U.S. have been exposed to asbestos in the work place, and, or their home.











The Congressional Budget Office claims that there are 322,00 pending claims.











Fair compensation for mesothelioma frequently means a settlement of over $1,000,000.











About 2,500 victims of Mesothelioma die each year.











The disease is three times more common in men than in women. In men, the occurrence of mesothelioma is ten times higher in men between the ages of 60-70 as compared to men between the ages of 30-40.











Due to the monetary value of Mesothelioma as a keyword search term on the Internet, there are bids on Overture or Google Ad Words of over $160 per click, which primarily involved law firms.

My Links : Student Loan Free quote structured settlement sub prime remortgage Dui attorney los angeles

Asbestos Cause Lung Mesothelioma Cancer

Asbestos induced lung cancer is known as Mesothelioma. It is a dangerous disease that, while rare, is troublesome for several reasons. For one thing, the initial symptoms of mesothelioma are ones that can usually be associated with other, less threatening problems, including asthma, old age, and being out of shape. Because of this, while only 3000 cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed every year, it is held that quite a few fatal cases of seemingly harmless lung ailments were in fact misdiagnosed cases of mesothelioma.

The inital cause of mesothelioma is the introduction of minute fibers of asbestos into a person's lungs through inhalation. Asbestos is a fibrous, fire retardant material that was commonly used in the past several decades for fire proofing purposes. The fibrous nature of the material causes it to fragment into small slivers that are easily airborne and almost invisible to the naked eye. People who inhale the fibers first develop a problem called asbestosis.

Asbestosis is the development of small scar tissue in the lungs due to the fibers of asbestos. This scar tissue causes difficulty breathing, and given time can block entire sections of the lung's air passages altogether. However, if left unchecked, asbestosis causes a more severe lung problem called mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer caused by tumors in the lungs. The lungs and chest cavity in general develop an excess of fluids due to the body's unsuccessful effort to combat these tumors and the foreign particles (the asbestos fibers).

Symptoms

The earliest symptoms of lung asbestos problems is a harsh, rattling breathing pattern commonly associated with smokers. The other symptoms include shortness of breath, shallow breathing, and a drop in physical endurance. Since these symptoms are commonly found in smokers as well, it was a previously held misconception that asbestosis was also caused by smoking filtered cigarettes. Recent studies show that this is not the case - not that smoking is healthy, but rather only that the two, while having the same symptoms, are not related.

If left unchecked asbestosis develops into mesothelioma, and the symptoms worsen to sudden chest pains, even more difficulty breathing, and even a "sloshing" feeling when breathing, like that experienced by people during severe coughs where the lungs temporarily fill with phlegm. Again, this symptom can be easily explained away as a case of fever or cough, and can easily be misdiagnosed.

In either case, the only real way to determine if someone has asbestosis or mesothelioma is to undergo an x ray. X ray scans can detect the presence of asbestos fiber induced scar tissue, or the formation of tumors in the lungs. Without an x ray there is no sure way to determine the presence of asbestos in the lungs.

Effects

The effects of asbestosis and mesothelioma are ultimately fatal if left unchecked. Pulmonary emboli, a condition where blood clotting forms in the lungs and not only restricts breathing, but also sends these clots into the blood stream and eventually causing cardiac arrest, is one of the usual causes of death from asbestos inhalation.

The fluid buildup in the lungs, chest cavity, and chest lining brought about by mesothelioma is another common cause of death, as this fluid can literally fill a person's lungs, restricting breathing completely, or can likewise cause cardiac arrest eventually. The lung tumors of mesothelioma can also grow out of control, eventually eating away a person's lungs like a regular cancer, or can cause severe wounds in the chest cavity that causes internal hemorrhaging.

Treatment

Regular lung surgery can be used to treat early cases of asbestosis, assuming that no cancers have developed yet. The survival rate is pretty much on par with regular operations, so at this early stage people can be treated with safety. However, if the asbestosis has already developed into mesothelioma, regular surgery ceases to be an option, as the average life expectancy of a patient after the operation is only 5 years. Chemotherapy and laser surgery procedures geared towards cancer treatment are the most effective medical procedures used in tandem to treat mesothelioma tumors.

Avoidance/Safety Tips

One fact about asbestosis and mesothelioma is that the symptoms only manifest between 20 to 50 years after inhaling the fibers, depending on the fitness of the person and the amount of asbestos inhaled. Therefore, at the first possible signs x rays should be taken to determine of the problems are simply old age or not.

Wearing safety masks with air filters if working in an area with asbestos is a must to prevent asbestosis and mesothelioma. This not only includes factory workers who are exposed to industrial materials laced with asbestos, but to civilians who travel through construction and demolition sites where old houses are situated. The reason for this is because some houses and buildings constructed in the 1970s and 1980s included asbestos lining as part of the materials in an attempt at fire proofing.

See Also : Digital Frame auto insurance rate quote Life assurance quote

About Abdominal Asbestos Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a kind of cancer that affects the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a layer of membrane that is very thin and it protects almost all the internal organs inside our body. Mesothelioma has been connected with the fibrous mineral, asbestos that has used in construction for years. In fact, most cases of mesothelioma are always connected with prior contact with the mineral.

In asbestos mesothelioma, cancerous cells affect the mesothelial layer that is present in the chest cavity called the pleura and the lungs. There are some cases where the cancer has also occurred in the peritoneum, or the lining present in the abdominal cavity and the pericardium, which is the membrane sac that is around the heart.

Abdominal asbestos mesothelioma occurs in the peritoneum. People with this condition may have come into contact with asbestos and worked in areas where it has been present. This exposure to asbestos may occur in different forms. A worker while working may inhale the fibers of asbestos while on duty. A person who may not be a worker may also be exposed to asbestos by various other means. A person who washes the clothes of a worker who is exposed to asbestos directly may also be prone to abdominal asbestos mesothelioma.

A survey has shown that out of every seven people exposed to asbestos, one is likely to develop asbestos related cancer that may include abdominal asbestos mesothelioma.

There are various signs and symptoms that are related to abdominal asbestos mesothelioma. But one common problem the doctors often face when it comes to diagnosing it is that the symptoms are very difficult to identify. The signs are not noticeable till about twenty to fifty years after a person has been exposed to asbestos. The symptoms vary and are dependent on various factors, like the particular type of mesothelioma a person is afflicted with and the length of time that he has been exposed to asbestos.

The symptoms that are related to abdominal asbestos mesothelioma include cachexia which is a condition in which a person loses a lot of weight, experiences tiredness, anorexia and atrophy. The abdomen gets swollen which is a result of excessive fluids in the cavity of the abdomen. If this cancer is in a very advanced stage, pain is caused because of the buildup.

A person could also have symptoms like fever, anemia, blood clotting abnormalities and the bowels getting obstructed. If the cancer spreads to the other organs, the patient will also suffer from swelling of the face and neck and could have a lot of trouble swallowing.

Abdominal asbestos mesothelioma is fatal. The treatment methods that are available today are only partly successful. Doctors combine chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy and surgery. Other kinds of treatment that are related to abdominal asbestos mesothelioma are mainly for the relief of the symptoms rather than an actual cure. A procedure that is called heated intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy helps in the prevention of the development of this cancer by trying to remove as much of the tumor as possible from the patient.

See Also : Digital Frame Insurance, Auto Insurance Cash for structured settlements TH55 Low rate auto insurance

Mesothelioma Diagnosis - Four Tests May Confirm Asbestos Cancer

Getting your mesothelioma diagnosis is just the beginning of your journey, but there's a lot to learn before you hear the official word from your doctor. To be absolutely sure that you have been exposed and affected by asbestos, you need to have a battery of tests that will help you and your doctor feel certain about your mesothelioma diagnosis.

Here are some of the most common ways of testing for mesothelioma in your body, starting from the least invasive test to the most invasive:

Chest X-Ray A chest x-ray is simply a way to take a picture of your lungs without having to do anything invasive. From this x-ray film, a doctor will be able to diagnose if there is any thickening of the lung tissue, which is often a sign of mesothelioma. If you've been recently exposed to asbestos, this may not show up immediately, but these kinds of results do signify that something dangerous is happening to the lung tissue.

CT Scan If the initial chest x-ray looks suspicious, the next usual step is a CT scan. If a CT is not available, a doctor may also order an MRI. What this does is point out the fluids that are present in the body. If there is a lot of fluid in the lungs, it may be a sign of a mesothelioma diagnosis and asbestos exposure.

Pleural and Peritoneal Aspiration

When the CT or the MRI shows a lot of fluid in these parts of the body, you can also aspirate, or draw out the fluid with a needle to see if it contains any cancerous cells. This sample is sent to pathology for examination, but if there are no cancerous cells, that doesn't mean that you're necessarily in the clear either. It can mean that you have some other diagnosis than mesothelioma.

Biopsy If you have an obvious mass in your lungs or in your abdominal cavity, the doctor might want to take a part of it to examine for cancerous cells, called a biopsy. This allows the doctor to see if the cancer has spread to this part of the body.

With these various tests and procedures, a doctor will be gathering the evidence needed to make a conclusive mesothelioma diagnosis. There may actually be something else going on that's simply similar to the symptoms you may be having, so you want to rule out mesothelioma cancer as a possibility.

Visit : Digital Frame best home equity loans

Asbestos - Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer

Asbestos has many appealing qualities for builders. It is strong, flexible and corrosion resistant. It is also burn resistant and a good insulator. There are not many substances with these qualities and may explain why it was so widely used. It becomes hazardous when asbestos containing materials are disturbed or damaged. Asbestos is made up of microscopic bundles of fibers. When the materials become disturbed or damaged, these fibers separate and may become airborne. These fibers may get into the lungs and that may lead to serious and even fatal diseases. Some of these diseases include:

Asbestosis is a non-cancerous lung disease. Inhaling asbestos fibers for an extended period of time causes it. This disease takes twenty five to forty years to develop. As asbestos fibers become trapped in your lungs, the body will produce an acid to try to eliminate these fibers. The continued production of the acid can eventually scar the tissues in your lungs. An excessive amount of scarring may cause the lungs to function improperly. This can lead to serious breathing difficulties. If asbestosis is left untreated, it may cause cardiac failure. At this time, there is no effective treatment for this disease. People who renovate or demolish buildings that contain asbestos have the greatest risk of getting asbestosis. The chances of getting this disease through physical contact with a person who works with asbestos are minimal. People who worked in naval shipyards were the first ones diagnosed with asbestosis.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects the pleura (the outer membrane that encloses the lung and chest cavity) and/ or the peritoneum (the membrane lining the walls of the abdominal cavity). In the United States, there are only about 3000 new cases of this disease annually. Exposure to asbestos has been the cause in all of the cases. The exposure in these cases lasted anywhere from fifteen to thirty years. Unlike other forms of cancer, there is only one known cause of mesothelioma. Studies indicate that people who work in areas that contain asbestos, such as mines, mills, factories, or shipyards, or who manufacture and install asbestos installation are at the greatest risk of getting mesothelioma. You are also at risk if you live with a worker exposed to asbestos or near any area containing asbestos. Studies also indicate that younger people are more likely to contract mesothelioma when they inhale asbestos. This is the reason why people are going to great lengths to protect school children from asbestos exposure.

Many cases of lung cancer can also be attributed to asbestos exposure. Lung cancer is actually the leading cause of death among all of the illnesses caused by asbestos exposure. You can aggravate the effects of lung cancer by about fifty percent if you start smoking. People who work in occupations where they are directly involved in the handling of asbestos are at a greater risk of getting lung cancer. Exposure to both asbestos and another carcinogen, such as cigarette smoke, puts you at greater risk of contracting lung cancer than exposure to asbestos alone. There was a study that indicated that exposure to asbestos and smoke makes you ninety times more likely to contract lung cancer than a person who is not exposed to either. Some of the symptoms of lung cancer include coughing, breathing irregularities, chest pains and anemia. It usually takes fifteen to thirty years of exposure to asbestos to contract lung cancer.

My Links : Insurance, Auto Insurance Business conference calls