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ASBESTOS MESOTHELIOMA |
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Asbestos Mesothelioma was at one time a rare disease, but is now increasing in terms of diagnosed cases. Once the nature and causes of the disease are understood, this should not be surprising, so let’s have a look at what this insidious condition is and what causes it. While stressing the influence of exposure to asbestos in the disease, it should be borne in mind that asbestos mesothelioma is not the domain of asbestos alone, and the vast majority of cases of cancer of the mesothelium are caused by smoking cigarettes. Mesothelioma is, in fact, a form of asbestos lung cancer. ASBESTOS Asbestos is an inorganic mineral mined from metamorphic rock. It is a form of magnesium silicate that is extremely resistant to heat, has good tensile strength and is an excellent material of construction, largely due its long needle-like crystals that are also the cause of asbestos mesothelioma. Due to its fibrous nature, asbestos is easily breathed in, and can also be carried by employees into the home and so present a risk to their families. It can take up to 45 years or more after exposure for the symptoms of mesothelioma to become apparent, and while the age at which the disease is first diagnosed can be as old as 75 years, it is not unknown for people of 40 or less to also be found to have developed the condition. Due to the long period of time between exposure and diagnosis, it is difficult to determine the precise cause, and it was only after the connection was established that it was possible to link asbestos employees with mesothelioma. SYMPTOMS As with any other disease, the symptoms of mesothelioma vary from case to case, but the patient will generally experience gastric problems and difficulties in breathing. The chest will feel tight and generally the symptoms will be common to a number of other possible medical conditions. For that reason, the disease has normally progressed before it is properly diagnosed as asbestos mesothelioma, and by then it is frequently so advanced that vigorous treatment is necessary to try to control it. Asbestos lung cancer tends to have been developing within the body for some time before any mesothelioma symptoms appear at all, and it is only later that symptoms such as chest pain and a cough develop. This can be associated with weight loss and a pink phlegm, and if the condition is not treated rapidly, then the survival rate is next to zero. In fact death can occur in less than a year after the first symptoms appear. CAUSES Mesothelioma is so called because it is a cancer of the mesothelium, which is the lining of most of the organs in the body – in this case of the lungs. The lining of the lungs is commonly known as the pleura, but mesothelioma can also affect the pericardium and the peritoneum, which line the heart and abdomen respectively. The asbestos fibers are inhaled, and irritate the mesothelium, eventually causing cancer. The dust can be brought home in clothing, and when washed, dried and shaken, the fibers are inhaled by other family members. Asbestos is deadly only when in fibrous form, the solid substance being totally innocuous. Although current cases of asbestos mesothelioma were contracted decades ago during the working of asbestos, such as sawing, grinding and shaping, recent building demolition and reconstruction has resulted in the release of large quantities of asbestos, and more cases of asbestos cancer can be expected for several decades to come. It is therefore true that, although regulations have been tightened up, lawsuits will continue to be raised to provide the finance to make life more comfortable for the victims of this insidious disease. Although the use of asbestos in construction was banned in the 1970s, its legacy will remain with us for a few more decades. Asbestos mesothelioma treatment is the same as that for other forms of lung cancer. The three forms of mesothelioma treatment involves chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, and these are generally backed up by palliative care to make the patient as comfortable and pain free as possible. Let’s have a look at each of these, and what the possibilities and prognosis of each is. Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is not effective with asbestos lung cancer, and although there have been drug combinations that have shown promise, none have had any success in curing the disease. Radiotherapy Radiotherapy has had as little success with mesothelioma as chemotherapy, which is an indication of the insidious nature of this condition. The prognosis is not good, and the only forms of treatment that has helped to extend the life of the patient have been surgery. Mesothelioma is treated with three distinct types of surgery, which are detailed below. Although they can have some beneficial effects, none have been able to extend life beyond a limited period. Surgery Pleurectomy: mesothelioma affects the pleura, or lining, of the lung, and the removal of this might be expected to remove the problem. Unfortunately, although the life expectancy of the [patient can be increased, it is not long-term and is an uncomfortable procedure. Extrapleural pneumonectomy: since removal of the pleura alone provides only a very temporary solution, this procedure removes the pleura and the pericardium, the lining of the heart. Also removed is the hemi-diaphragm, which is half of the muscle above the abdomen that allows you to breath. The purpose here is to prevent the spread of the disease that generally occurs with a pleurectomy alone. The problem here is that removal of the complete mesothelium kills the patient, with the result that invasive surgery such as this is rarely completely effective. For that reason, the main treatment for mesothelioma patients is generally palliative, which means it is intended to ease pain and suffering rather than to cure it. Photodynamic Therapy Photodynamic therapy is a new form of mesothelioma treatment that can be used if the cancer is diagnosed quickly enough. It involves doctors being informed by their patients that they have previously worked with asbestos, not only in the industry itself, but also in demolition or maintenance work on buildings that could have contained asbestos. In photodynamic therapy, cancerous mesothelium cells are made light-sensitive by means of appropriate chemicals, and laser light is then used to kill them. The procedure takes a few days, because the chemical has first to absorbed by the body cells, and then when test show that they have been absorbed by the cancerous cells, the radiation is applied to kill them off. Although this form of treatment is in its infancy, and requires knowledge that general symptoms could actually be cancer of the mesothelium because of the patient have previously been exposed to asbestos, it does appear to be effective, so be aware of it if you or a relative could be affected. PROGNOSIS It has to be said that the prognosis is not good for anybody found to be suffering from asbestos lung mesothelioma. There is little point in stating otherwise, and death normally occurs within a year of diagnosis. However, if diagnosed early, before metastasis has commenced (the spreading of the cancerous cells to other parts of the body), asbestos mesothelioma can be controlled by surgery to allow survival for up to around five years. Photodynamic therapy can extend this even further, if started early enough, though that normally has to be at the onset of the very first symptoms that are difficult to diagnose as lung cancer. Generally half of all cases live to 2 years, and 20% to five years. ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS There are some alternative treatments that people turn to in the absence of conventional effective treatments for asbestos lung cancer. There are some treatments that help to make the patient more comfortable, but none are able to cure the condition. Asbestos Mesothelioma is too serious a disease for herbal treatments to be effective, although there are some palliate alternatives that can help relieve suffering. There are a number of hospices that specialize in this form of asbestos lung cancer, and that can help to prevent pain and also help the family cope in such a difficult time. Such establishments can be expensive, depending on the country of your residence. In the UK, for example, hospice care is generally free of charge but in the USA it is generally private. However, compensation is available for patients that can prove that they previously worked in the asbestos industry, and a good attorney should be able to secure a good deal, frequently an out of court settlement. Although there are few other causes that exposure to the fibrous crystals of magnesium silicate that asbestos is, smokers will be liable to receive less of an award for asbestos mesothelioma since smoking can cause the same disease. Mesothelioma progosis is generally poor, and care tends to palliative rather than remedial. Although the patient can survive for some years, the survival rate is zero. Palliative care is available to help the patient through the later stages and treatment can be obtained to extend life. This can be funded by means of compensation, and if the patient can be shown to have had previous employment in the asbestos industry, or even if a family member had worked in the industry and brought the asbestos home on their working clothes, the proper legal representation can secure adequate compensation. |
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