Posts Tagged ‘Lung Cancer’

Asbestos is found to be a deadly material and exposure to it for long durations of time results in asbestos cancer mesothelioma. The material was held in high regard due to its multifarious qualities like resistance to heat and shock, low weight etc. It was put to use in various commercial and consumer products on a large scale. Companies manufacturing cement, insulation, roofing shingles, along with industrial applications such as automobile brake pads, hair driers etc make extensive use of asbestos.

Most of the victims of mesothelioma cancer have been exposed to the cancerous particles at workplaces. There is a possibility of asbestos exposure in household atmosphere also. At the same time you will be amazed to know that many who have worked with asbestos for less than two months have also become victims of the dangerous disease. The treatment procedure is complicated and made less effective due to the fact that there is a wide time gap between asbestos exposure and diagnosis of the disease.

Many are the symptoms of asbestos cancer mesothelioma which include shortness of breath, persistent dry cough etc. Other symptoms include night sweats, fever, fatigue, weight loss, abdominal lumps, pain under the rib cage etc. Mesothelioma treatment becomes difficult due to the fact that the symptoms can be common for all three types of the cancer.

The doctors go according to an individualized treatment plan for each patient. The plan depends on the stage and type of the cancer, along with the patient’s overall health. The popular conventional treatment methods include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, though a combination of these is used by doctors in some cases. The recent years have seen a surge in the development of new treatment options for mesothelioma. There have been improvements in methods of surgery, the care provided after the operation, radiotherapy and chemotherapy techniques etc.

Diagnosis of asbestos cancer mesothelioma comes as a shock not only to the victims, but also to the relatives. These days, websites are available for providing required information to families dealing with the disease. The information includes advice and referrals to other people coping with cancer and support groups. Through their endeavors, people are better equipped to deal with the disease in a creative manner.

It was in the 1960s that the connection between mesothelioma and asbestos was established. Asbestos is a naturally occurring product that has been put to use widely in ship building industries and cement manufacturing units. Millions of people all over the world are involved in its extraction, processing and industrial activities. Though its use increased steadily in the 1940s, no one suspected any side effects and no precautions were taken to protect the employees from inhaling or ingesting the fibers floating in the air.

The workers were not aware of the dangers involved in asbestos and they kept on carrying asbestos particles in their cloths or hair. Thus family members were also exposed to the malicious particles as they went home without having a shower or changing cloths. Thus family members also started getting infected. Later on when the relation between mesothelioma and asbestos was established, many governments banned the indiscriminate use of asbestos. Many restrictions were imposed. But by that time many have already become victims of mesothelioma infection.

Once we inhale asbestos particles through the air, they get accumulated in the protective lining of the lungs and other vital organs. This triggers chemical reactions which result in abnormal and uncontrolled division of mesothelium cells. This continues for a number of years with the result that the infection spreads and cancer symptoms appear.

Many ailments like the lung cancer are caused by asbestos. Among them mesothelioma is the most dangerous one. The risk involved in asbestos has been reduced by enforcing the use of protective masks, showering and changing cloths at work place etc. Still mesothelioma cases are reported here and there. In the United States alone 3000 people are reported to be carrying this disease. The number may be many times than that round the world. It is highly distressing to note that in some countries there are no asbestos laws in spite of the fact that the relation between mesothelioma and asbestos has been established. Here people are exploited by selfish employers resulting in asbestos exposure and its consequences.

Most of the governments have been sympathetic towards the plight of victims considering the connection between mesothelioma and asbestos. Laws are formulated to help the victims to claim money from the employers which can assist them in the financial crisis occurred due to the disease.

Lung cancer and mesothelioma are as different from one another as chalk and cheese. Lung cancer is caused by a multitude of reasons and smoking is one of them. But mesothelioma lung cancer is caused exclusively by exposure to asbestos particles. The disease covers the protective layer of the pleural cavity, the mesothelium. Unfortunately, the cancer has a long gestation period and symptoms come up only after the infection spreads all over. This results in many deaths that could have been avoided.

The cancer is comparatively rare and as such, most of our cancer hospitals and doctors lack the requisite means and knowledge for treatment. In the United States, less than 3000 mesothelioma cases are diagnosed yearly. This cancer is considered as an occupational danger because it is the workers of factories or asbestos mines who usually get affected.

The particles of asbestos settles down in the mesothelium and destroy its cells. The cancerous cells spreads and the situation become very acute for the patient in a few years. The total inexistence of any notable symptoms till the final stages of infection further compounds the matter and causes many avoidable deaths.

Mesothelioma lung cancer can be cured if detected and treated in the initial stages. But most cases of this cancer are discovered many decades after asbestos infection had taken place when harsh warning signs come up. The cancer has four stages. Patients in the first stage have better chances of survival. Even those in stage two can hope for the better since traditional treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are sufficient to prolong the life of the affected. But chemotherapy, which is a tactic to prevent spread and recurrence of cancerous cells, is fraught with side effects. Radiation therapy destroys the cancerous cells through high-energy beams.

The next two levels, the third and fourth stages are highly dangerous and entail very little hope of survival. Medical practitioners generally use only palliative treatment, that is, the treatment of the symptoms, to provide the patient a comfortable life as long as he lives. Mesothelioma lung cancer patients are legally entitled to file litigations for monetary compensation also. If the outcome is positive, the money awarded can be of immense help to meet all treatment and household expenses of the patient.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer, which affects the protective lining of the cavities of lungs, heart, abdomen etc, called mesothelium. There is a common tendency to get confused between mesothelioma and lung cancer. But the former infects the lining whereas the latter affects the lung itself. Mesothelioma patients are those unfortunate people who have inhaled in asbestos particles for long durations of time.

Basically there are three types of malignant mesothelioma. The most common one which affects the pleura, or the outer covering of lings and internal chest wall is known as the pleural mesothelioma. The types of mesothelioma which affects the protective lining of the abdominal cavity and heart are called peritoneal and pericardial mesothelioma respectively. Though the cancer is definitely fatal, the death rates vary. The pericardial mesothelioma is known to be the most dangerous one.

Asbestos particles, when inhaled, inhabit the mesothelium and in the course of a several years, retard the normal functioning of its cells. The infection usually assumes frightening proportions only after several decades. This long latency period is the reason why many of our newly diagnosed mesothelioma patients are workers who were exposed to asbestos fibers in the 1940s to 1970s.

Pleural effusion is the main initial symptom of the disease. This is the condition in which the patient experiences shortness of breath due to excessive build up of fluid in the cavities. Incessant dry cough along with shortness of breath is a definite symptom of malignant mesothelioma attack. Other symptoms include fever, fatigue, pain around chest, night sweats, swelling of the abdomen, weight loss etc. In the case of malignant mesothelioma, doctors sometimes misdiagnose the type of cancer resulting in wrong treatment.

Individualized treatment is essential for mesothelioma. Here the doctors have to consider the type and stage of cancer along with the overall health of the victim. Chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are the most common treatment used as in other cancers. Risks are involved in this approach due to the fact that most of the patients would be at the last stage of malignant mesothelioma at the time of diagnosis. If the doctors find the disease incurable, palliative treatment is given to the patient. Still, since research works are going on regarding promising modern techniques of treatment, there is hope.

Asbestos cancer mesothelioma is a form of cancer affecting the mesothelium, is caused by prolonged asbestos exposure. Asbestos, a naturally occurring silicate mineral, contain thin fibrous crystals. The material has the ability to tolerate heat, endure chemical reactions, soak up sound, is compliant and has insulation properties. These features had resulted in the mineral being put to extensive application for centuries without any restrain or safeguards. The harmful properties of the mineral were proved only in the second half of the twentieth century and restrictions and guidelines were put into practice. In addition to mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis are also caused sometimes due to asbestos exposure.

Asbestos workers’ fatality had come into notice even in the nineteenth century but no practical actions were taken to protect people from asbestos contamination. Manufacturers continued to use the material without restrictions thereby subjecting their employees to lung cancer and mesothelioma.

The first half of the last century saw a quantum jump in the use of the material and the two great wars and industrial revolutions in many parts of the world added to the requirement of asbestos. Asbestos cancer mesothelioma, being an illness that lies asleep for many years before rearing up, is affecting veterans of that period even now. But once the symptoms arrive and the cancer is detected, it usually would be too late for successful treatment.

Some laws governing the use of asbestos and outright ban of some types of asbestos has reduced chances of asbestos cancer mesothelioma drastically. Employees who handle asbestos are given protective masks and cloth to wear and made to bathe and change cloths before leaving the workplace. But for those patients already under the influence of the disease, insistent treatment strategies and litigations for mesothelioma compensation are the only line of action left.

Mesothelioma treatment entails traditional treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. These are sometimes combined in order to find a long-lasting solution to asbestos cancer mesothelioma. Compensation money extracted from the erring employer would take care of financial difficulties arising by way of loss of income and medical expenses. Researches and experiments to find better treatment strategies are also underway.