Mesothelioma is a very rare form of cancer that is usually associated with occupational exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is a disease in which malignant cancer cells are found in the sac lining of the chest and lungs. The first indication of mesothelioma is often by a simple chest x-ray.
Why is it called mesothelioma?
Most cancers find their names in the part of the body where the cancer first starts. Malignant mesothelioma originates in tissue that surrounds different organs inside the body. This tissue, called mesothelium, protects the lungs, heart, and stomach by making a special fluid that allows the organs to move. This fluid makes it easier for the lungs to move when breathing, the heart to move when beating, and the stomach to move when digesting. Tumors can start in any of these places. These tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). The information that follows concerns only malignant tumors.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) identifies malignant mesothelioma as a rare form of cancer. Doctors diagnose only two to three thousand cases per year in the United States. Men three to five times more likely than women to suffer from malignant mesothelioma.
Cause of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers. The inhalation of the asbestos fibers causes scarring of the lungs. Most people with malignant mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they breathed asbestos. Others have been exposed to asbestos in their homes, often without knowing it. People who work with asbestos can bring home the fibers on their clothes, thereby exposing their loved ones and putting them at risk of mesothelioma.
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Types of Mesothelioma
Three main sub-types of malignant mesothelioma exist. Sub-types (or cell types) of mesothelioma include the epithelioid type. This type accounts for 50 to 70 percent of all mesotheliomas and has the best outlook for responding to treatment. The other two types, mixed/biphasic and sarcomatoid, are less common. The treatment choices for all three are the same.
Although rare, malignant mesothelioma represents a serious health threat to those diagnosed. Because it often becomes advanced before symptoms appear, the outlook is not as good as it is for cancers found early. About half of the patients whose doctors find and treat the cancer early will survive two years or more. The average survival time for all stages of malignant mesothelioma is about one year.