Understanding What Mesothelioma Is
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that arises in the mesothelium, a thin membrane that protects your internal organs and allows them to move freely without damage-causing friction. You have several of these membranes in your body: the pleura surround the lungs; theperitoneum protects your abdominal cavity (stomach, intestines, and other organs); and the pericardium envelops your heart.
Mesothelioma can occur in any of these membranes, but pleural mesothelioma is by far the most common, accounting for about 70 percent of all mesothelioma cases. Although some people may have a genetic predisposition for developing mesothelioma, nearly all cases arise from exposure to asbestos. Men typically are at greater risk than women, but women also get this disease.
This article provides an overview of mesothelioma, starting with a look at who’s at risk for developing mesothelioma, how your respiratory system works and how mesothelioma affects your body. Look for cross-references to other posts and articles for more detailed information.
Who’s at Risk
Between 2,500 and 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year. Anyone who has been exposed to asbestos is at risk for developing mesothelioma, and, although your risk increases with the length of time you were exposed to asbestos, even small exposures to asbestos can cause mesothelioma. Ironically, your risk also increases with the length of time that elapses after your exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma has a very longlatency period - that is, the period between exposure to asbestos and the onset of symptoms of the disease. Mesothelioma typically doesn’t appear until at least a decade after asbestos exposure; in some cases, the latency period has been 50 years or longer.
Sometimes, mesothelioma results from exposure to naturally occurring asbestos, but the most common causes are exposure to asbestos in the workplace or from products used in the home. Spouses and family members of workers also may have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibers from the clothing the workers wore home from the job site. Mesothelioma patients can be helped & guided by a mesothelioma lawyer.
Here are some quick facts about mesothelioma and risk factors:
• Men are more commonly diagnosed than women, because men more typically worked in jobs where they were exposed to asbestos. These high-risk jobs include electricians, shipyard workers, factory workers, pipefitters, oil refinery workers, auto mechanics, machinists, and steel workers.
Older men account for more than 90 percent of all new mesothelioma diagnoses each year. Although no one knows exactly why, Caucasian men are statistically more likely to develop the disease than African-American or Hispanic men.
• Women who worked in factories had increased direct exposure to asbestos and are more likely to be diagnosed with mesothelioma later in life.
• Women whose husbands, fathers, or other household members worked in high-exposure jobs also are at risk of developing mesothelioma from secondary exposure to the asbestos dust and fibers on work clothes. Children in these homes also are at risk from secondary exposure.
• People who used asbestos-containing products in their homes are at increased risk of developing mesothelioma.
• Because of mesothelioma’s long latency period, people over the age of 50 are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease. Most mesothelioma diagnoses come in patients between the ages of 50 and 70; those who are diagnosed earlier may have a better chance of long-term survival. • People serving as first responders - firefighters, police officers, rescue workers and recovery personnel - may be exposed to asbestos at disaster sites, such as the World Trade Center. • Armed service personnel, especially those serving on ships in the Navy or Coast Guard, also are at higher risk of developing mesothelioma.
How Your Respiratory System Works
Your respiratory system takes in oxygen and releases carbon dioxide, while filtering the air you take in to remove irritants and to control temperature and moisture levels.
• The epiglottis - a small flap of tissue that prevents food and liquid from going into your lungs when you swallow. When you breathe, the epiglottis opens to allow air into your trachea or windpipe, the main airway into your lungs. • Your right lung has three lobes, and your left lung has two (to accommodate the heart). Each lobe is surrounded by a thin membrane called a pleura, which contains a small amount of fluid to prevent friction while you breathe. Another pleura covers each whole lung to prevent friction between your lungs and your chest wall.
• Bronchi are the large airways that branch off from your trachea into your lungs. Each bronchus feeds into several smaller airways calledbronchioles that reach deep into your lungs, much like a tree spreads out from the main trunk into progressively smaller branches. (Together, the bronchi and bronchioles are often referred to as bronchial tubes.) • Each bronchiole ends in a little bunch of air sacs called alveoli, which transfer oxygen into your blood stream and absorb carbon dioxide for you to expel when you exhale.
• Air filtration elements include the hairs in your nose, which trap particles of dust, pollen and other irritants, and the cilia, or tiny hairs, that line your bronchial tubes. The cilia are like little brooms, moving back and forth to sweep mucus out of the airways so you can cough it out. Mucus is like a mop, gathering up irritants and germs to keep them from invading your body.
Your diaphragm, the muscle that separates your chest cavity from your abdominal cavity, also is involved in helping you breathe.
Asbestos causes problems because its fibers are extremely fragile and break easily into tiny particles that your body’s air filtration system can’t trap and expel. The longer you’re exposed to asbestos dust, the more likely these fibers are to work their way through your airways and into your body. Even single exposures to small amounts of asbestos can cause mesothelioma. When asbestos gets into your lungs and stays there, it can cause mesothelioma - which often isn’t diagnosed until 10 or more years after your exposure to asbestos dust and particles.
Types of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma can be either benign, meaning it doesn’t grow and spread, or malignant, meaning it grows and invades surrounding tissue. Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious of all asbestos-related diseases and can be extremely difficult to diagnose and treat.