This is a blog created to provide the public with Mesothelioma Information. It will be updated regularly and will provide in depth and quality mesothelioma information. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at elan@moneylizard.com. This mesothelioma information is very accurate and the articles are all unique and won’t be found elsewhere.

Mesothelioma Information Content Index:

Causes of Mesothelioma
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Stages of Mesothelioma
3 Types of Mesothelioma
Treatment of Mesothelioma

What Exactly Causes Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma, a rare cancer, is most often caused due to the exposure of asbestos, mainly those who’ve worked in the asbestos field for a long period of time. However, roughly 20% of people that develop Mesothelioma have had no prior exposure to asbestos, and the cause sometimes goes unknown. Some claim that Mesothelioma can form in individuals that have had prior contact with spouses or other loved ones that worked in the asbestos industry, though it’s not quite certain why this happens.

Asbestos is actually a name for a group of naturally occurring minerals that are made up of large masses of very flexible and strong fibers. These fibers can then be taken and separated into threads and be woven. Companies have used asbestos in many products, such as:

1. Insulation (most common)
2. Concrete products
3. Cement
4. Brake linings
5. Flooring materials
6. Many types of textiles
7. Roof shingles

A lot of times, people that work with those products, or more specifically, people that worked in the factories that produce those products, were often at risk of swallowing or inhaling tiny asbestos particles, which then lead to Mesothelioma cancer. Not only did asbestos cause Mesothelioma, but it is also tied to an increase in other illnesses, such as lung cancer, asbestosis, and cancers of the kidney and other vital organs.

By the end of the 1940’s, millions of workers had been exposed to asbestos dust, which is why we’ve seen such an influx in Mesothelioma cases over the last couple of decades. Once it was discovered that the exposure to asbestos was causing all sorts of health problems (including Mesothelioma) at an alarming rate, the group known as OSHA (US Occupational Safety and Health Administration), started to set caps and limits on the amount of asbestos that workers could be exposed to, and also mandated that those who work with the substance had to wear protective equipment and other safety gear to lower the risk factor of developing an illness. This lead to a great decrease in cases, however, Mesothelioma is still a very high profile cancer, and more research is needed to find out how to effectively treat and cure it.

It has been said that smoking cigarettes doesn’t directly increase the risk of developing Mesothelioma, however, combining smoking and asbestos exposure increase the risk of developing lung cancer and other illnesses of the airway in the lungs.

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There are many different factors to take into consideration when a doctor plans out a course of Mesothelioma treatment for patients. Some of these factors include:

1. Location of the cancer
2. Age and condition of the patient
3. Stage that the cancer is in

Mesothelioma treatment options range fairly greatly, especially with the advanced techniques of modern medicine, but there are three options that are most effective when dealing with Mesothelioma treatment – Surgery, Chemotherapy, and Radiation Therapy. These three may be used separately, or combined, depending on the plan of treatment the doctors recommend.

Mesothelioma Treatment #1: Surgery, perhaps the most common and basic treatment option for Mesothelioma, involves the surgeon removing sections of lining from the chest and/or abdomen and parts of tissue around it. In a case of pleura Mesothelioma, a surgeon may even possibly remove a lung, which is an operation known as a pneumonectomy. In some cases, the diaphragm is also removed, depending on the patient, of course. None of this is set in stone, and can vary greatly from patient to patient. It all depends on location, type, and stage of the cancer, and results will certainly be different in each treatment. Surgery can also be (and is often) combined with other sorts of treatment for maximum effect.

Mesothelioma Treatment #2: Chemotherapy, another widely known treatment for cancer, is basically the administration of anti-cancer medicine with a goal of killing cancer cells throughout the patient’s body. Chemotherapy is usually given to the patient intravenously (through an IV), although recent experimental treatments involve placing the chemo directly into the abdomen or chest. Chemotherapy is very effective, but it often makes the patient sick and weak for long periods of time.

Mesothelioma Treatment #3: Radiation therapy is another common strategy used to treat Mesothelioma by using intense high energy rays in order to eliminate and kill cancer cells, as well as shrink any tumors. Radiation therapy can be administered by a machine, which is called external radiation, or doctors may choose internal radiation, which involves placing materials that give off radiation through plastic tubes inserted into the area where the cancer cells are living in the body.

To quickly help control pain, and to soothe some of the symptoms of various types of Mesothelioma, doctors may choose to use a tube or needle to drain any accumulation of fluid in the abdomen and/or lungs. This procedure is called thoracentasis (for the chest), and paracentesis (for the abdomen). Also, radiation therapy may also be an option to actually relieve the symptoms of Mesothelioma, as well as help curing it.

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Mesothelioma, which is a rare type of cancer that really started to rear its ugly face in recent years, actually could show up in three different varieties, all equally serious in nature. Mesothelioma usually appears in malignant form (that’s the bad one), and normally results in various tumors around vital organs of the body. Mesothelioma is an actual cancer of the sac that protects and lines the vital organs, which is called the Mesothelioma – hence the name Mesothelioma (oma means cancer). The three different forms of Mesothelioma are:

1. Peritoneal Mesothelioma
2. Pericardial Mesothelioma
3. Pleural Mesothelioma

Some symptoms that people experience can be related across the board to all three types of Mesothelioma, but some symptoms are unique to whichever type a patient may have. Whichever form the person has, they’re likely not to know about it for many, many years after they get it. It is widely known that many Mesothelioma patients didn’t experience any symptoms until 30+ years after exposure. Peritoneal Mesothelioma is a more rare form of the disease, which is where the cancer targets and affects the abdomen and stomach area. The tumors usually press against the abdomen walls and can cause a wide range of symptoms, like nausea, swelling of the abdomen, vomiting, chest pains, fever, blood clotting, and many more. The cancer usually starts in the area of the abdomen, and spreads from there. Catching this form in its early stages is highly critical to a solid treatment plan. Pericardial Mesothelioma is the rarest form of the cancer, and this form attacks the cavity that surrounds and protects the heart, as well as the heart itself. This is a very volatile and dangerous form of Mesothelioma, and can cause all sorts of complications and symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms of this form are chest pain, breathing trouble, persistent coughs, palpitations, and shortness of breath. Plueral Mesothelioma, the most common instance of the disease, affects the lungs, the cavity around the lungs, and the protective lining of the lungs. Since many who were exposed to asbestos years back got it by inhaling, this is why it’s the most common form seen in patients. Usually people who suffer from this form of Mesothelioma experience a difficulty in swallowing, shortness of breath, weight loss, fever, and difficulty breathing, and bloody coughs. This is due to pleural effusion, which is when fluid builds up between the chest cavity, and the lining of the lung. Whichever form of Mesothelioma a patient is diagnosed with; there are a growing number of treatment options and strategies to eliminate the cancer. As the technology of medicine evolves even more, and with the amount of research being done in the Mesothelioma field, better and more efficient treatments are sure to be available in the near future.

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The strange thing about Mesothelioma symptoms is the fact that they may not show up in an individual until 30+ years have gone by after being exposed to asbestos. This means that a lot of the factory workers that worked with asbestos, along with anyone else in the industry, may have been exposed a long time ago, but are just now starting to experience the symptoms of Mesothelioma, a rare and deadly form of cancer.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma are sometimes hard to differentiate from other illnesses, and there are actually many different forms of Mesothelioma. Here are some tell tale signs that may indicate Mesothelioma (especially if you’ve worked with or knew someone who worked with asbestos years ago):

1. Shortness of breath
2. Chest pain
3. Weight loss
4. Abdominal pain
5. Abdominal swelling
6. Bowel obstruction
7. Anemia
8. Fever
9. Swelling of the neck and/or face

Again, these symptoms often are the result of other, less serious symptoms, but if you fit the profile of having Mesothelioma, you should check with your doctor as soon as possible to get a proper and qualified diagnosis.

Diagnosing Mesothelioma

As stated above, many of the symptoms of Mesothelioma can also be the results of less serious conditions, which make it difficult to diagnose a true case of Mesothelioma. The first thing a doctor will examine is the medical history, and also if the patient has had any exposure to Mesothelioma in the past. Diagnosis will most likely include CT scans, MRI’s, and most definitely x-rays of the patient. Combining all of these methods could help give a doctor a good overview and makeup of the patient’s body, and can help in determining if Mesothelioma could be the reason behind the symptoms.

On the other hand, if the doctor thinks it may be a case of Mesothelioma, a biopsy would be necessary to confirm the diagnosis. In that case, a qualified oncologist or surgeon would take a sample of tissue to be examined under a microscope usually by a Pathologist. The biopsy could possibly done in different ways, depending on where the abnormal area is located in the body. For instance, if it was located in the chest, then the doctor might perform a thoracoscopy, in which he would make a small incision in the chest wall and put a thoracoscope (a thin, lighted tube) between the two ribs in the person’s chest. This would allow them to get a better look inside the chest area and make it easier to get good samples. There are a few other procedures the doctors may perform, again, depending on location, but if those procedures aren’t enough for a good tissue sample, then more in depth surgery may be required.

Assuming the patient is diagnosed with Mesothelioma, the first thing the doctor would want to find out is what stage the cancer is in. This, of course, means more tests to find out if the cancer has spread anywhere else in the body, and if it has, to what extent and where. Successfully finding out which stage it’s in will help the doctor create a plan of treatment for the patient.

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When a patient is diagnosed with any form of Mesothelioma, they go through a “staging” process, which basically is where the doctor finds out how far the cancer has spread out. A lot of the staging process involves CT scans, multiple x-rays, and even MRI’s of the patient’s body. The doctor needs to go through this critical stage in order to form an effective treatment plan for the patient. Pleural Mesothelioma is the most common type, so therefore it is studied the most, and is the only form in which staging classifications exist. Not only are there different types of Mesothelioma, but there are also different staging types that a doctor may reference in the staging process. The most common and most often used is the Butchart Staging System. This system focuses on the extent of the primary mass (tumor), and it divides the Mesothelioma into 4 stages.

• Stage 1: There is Mesothelioma found in the right or left pleura, and it may also involve the diaphragm, lung, or pericardium on the same side.
• Stage 2: Mesothelioma has invaded the chest wall, or it has affected the esophagus, pleura, or heart on both sides. It also may involve the chest lymph nodes.
• Stage 3: Mesothelioma has penetrated into the lining of the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum). Lymph nodes other than the chest may now be involved.
• Stage 4: Evidence of distant metastases exists (meaning it has spread through the bloodstream to other vital organs). TNM (Tumor, Lymph Node, Metastasis)

Staging System

Recently, the AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) developed the TNM staging system. The TNM system is similar to staging systems commonly used for other forms of cancer. With this system, the information about the tumor, lymph nodes, and metastasis is combined in a process known as “stage grouping” to assign a stage level of 1-4. This is very similar to the Butchart system, and is being used more and more, as it seems to be a bit more specific than the Butchart System, although both staging systems are equally important, and up to the doctor to use. Although TNM is more detailed and specific, the Butchart system is still the most common when it comes to describing and staging the spread of pleural Mesothelioma.

Prognostic Factors Pleural Mesothelioma has been studied more often than the other two types, and researchers and doctors know more about the factors associated with prognosis for pleural Mesothelioma. Mesothelioma typically comes in three different cell types:

1. Epithelial – This usually has the most favorable prognosis
2. Fibrosarcomatous – This one usually has the worst prognosis
3. Mixed cell type – Intermediate prognosis.

With current advances in medicine, and more emerging cases of Mesothelioma, research foundations are being given more money and priority in figuring out more about this mysterious cancer. The staging process will surely develop as more is revealed about Mesothelioma.

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