Mesothelioma is a form cancer. There are only a very few other causes aside from exposure to asbestos, which accounts accounts for the vast majority of diagnosis. The mesothelium is a very thin layer that protects almost all organs in our bodies, and this is where the malignant cells occur and develop in Mesothelioma.
Not only the person who works (or had worked) with asbestos is at a higher risk of getting the cancer, but also his family members. By cutting the material, tiny dust and fiber particles are set free in the air which will be breathed in by everybody in the immediate area and likely brought back home to the family, since the clothes and shoes have been contaminated, too.
For a long time, there was a debate as to whether or not Mesothelioma could also be linked to smoking, like lung cancer, for instance. And even though there doesn’t seem to be a direct link, smoking definitely increased the risk of developing any asbestos induced cancer and a myriad of other diseases.
As we all know, money plays a big roll in Mesothelioma lawsuits and I already talked about that topic on my website (link is attached below in the author’s box).
Let’s have a look at the symptoms of Mesothelioma. It is tricky, to say the least, since this form of cancer – and the same is true for a lot of other cancer, too – might have been initiated years or decades back ago.
To give you an example: on October 1st of 2009, I was diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma, also know as Kidney Cancer. The tumor was 6.5 cm big and had taken over the majority of my left kidney. Since there was no way to save the organ, it was removed via a radical robotic left laparoscopic nephrectomy.
The tumor was 6.2 cm (2.5 inches) in size. Secondly, the malignant cells were further examined in the labs and based on the result, the doctors made an assessment that my cancer started probably as many as 20 years back ago. Quite amazing, isn’t it? Again, that’s just another example of a cancer that has been there and remained undetected for a long time.
And for Mesothelioma it’s exactly the same story. Common symptoms of this disease include, but are not limited to, rapid change in someone’s weight, pain in the chest and being short on breath. Typically, a CT scan will be ordered for a patient who is suspected to have gotten the cancer. But in order to confirm a diagnosis, a biopsy is necessary.
Even though there are chemotherapies and radiation protocols available, a Mesothelioma diagnosis is typically associated with a poor long term prognosis. The focus of these treatments is to give the patient a better quality of life. But hopefully soon we will have access to more effective drugs and maybe some day a cure will become available.
As for all other cancers, the early is will be detected, the better are the treatment options.
Not only the person who works (or had worked) with asbestos is at a higher risk of getting the cancer, but also his family members. By cutting the material, tiny dust and fiber particles are set free in the air which will be breathed in by everybody in the immediate area and likely brought back home to the family, since the clothes and shoes have been contaminated, too.
For a long time, there was a debate as to whether or not Mesothelioma could also be linked to smoking, like lung cancer, for instance. And even though there doesn’t seem to be a direct link, smoking definitely increased the risk of developing any asbestos induced cancer and a myriad of other diseases.
As we all know, money plays a big roll in Mesothelioma lawsuits and I already talked about that topic on my website (link is attached below in the author’s box).
Let’s have a look at the symptoms of Mesothelioma. It is tricky, to say the least, since this form of cancer – and the same is true for a lot of other cancer, too – might have been initiated years or decades back ago.
To give you an example: on October 1st of 2009, I was diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma, also know as Kidney Cancer. The tumor was 6.5 cm big and had taken over the majority of my left kidney. Since there was no way to save the organ, it was removed via a radical robotic left laparoscopic nephrectomy.
The tumor was 6.2 cm (2.5 inches) in size. Secondly, the malignant cells were further examined in the labs and based on the result, the doctors made an assessment that my cancer started probably as many as 20 years back ago. Quite amazing, isn’t it? Again, that’s just another example of a cancer that has been there and remained undetected for a long time.
And for Mesothelioma it’s exactly the same story. Common symptoms of this disease include, but are not limited to, rapid change in someone’s weight, pain in the chest and being short on breath. Typically, a CT scan will be ordered for a patient who is suspected to have gotten the cancer. But in order to confirm a diagnosis, a biopsy is necessary.
Even though there are chemotherapies and radiation protocols available, a Mesothelioma diagnosis is typically associated with a poor long term prognosis. The focus of these treatments is to give the patient a better quality of life. But hopefully soon we will have access to more effective drugs and maybe some day a cure will become available.
As for all other cancers, the early is will be detected, the better are the treatment options.
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