Malignant mesothelioma, commonly known as mesothelioma, is a specific type of cancer that develops from the cells of mesothelium. Mesothelium is the internal protective layer that covers many internal body organs. The main reason for this disease is the exposure to the toxic material asbestos. It mostly starts in the outer lining of lungs and internal chest wall. The lining of internal chest cavity, pericardium, the membrane enclosing the heart the sac the surrounds the testis can also be infected with mesothelioma.
People who work in asbestos environment and have inhaled or ingested asbestos particles develop mesothelioma later in their life. This disease can transfer to other family members by washing the clothes of affected people. No evidence is seen about the connection between mesothelioma and tobacco smoking, which is the main cause of lung cancer.
Symptoms of mesothelioma includes short breathes due to the filling of a fluid between lungs and the chest wall, pain in the chest wall and sudden and unexpected weight loss. Chest x-ray and CT scan help diagnose the problem. This should further be confirmed with the help of serous cytology examination or with a biopsy. A process known as thoracoscopy, where a camera is inserted into the chest with the help of a tube can also be used to collect internal tissue samples. This further helps to prevent more fluid to accumulate in the cavity and pressure on the lungs. Treatment is quite complicated and involves chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes-physical surgery as well. Research is in progress to have screening tests to detect mesothelioma at early stages. This would help to cure the disease in a better way. Currently there are a number of tests and panels available. No single test is enough and perfect to distinguish mesothelioma from benign or malignant.
Three main histological types of malignant mesothelioma includes epithelioid mesothelioma, sarcomatoid mesothelioma and biphasic mesothelioma. The first type is about 50-60% of the total mesothelioma cases and is comparatively better to adopt preventive measures than the other two types. The research is still underway to diagnose the disease at early stages.
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