Mesothelioma is a very rare form of cancer, usually caused by an exposure to asbestos.
It is usually contracted by people who have worked with or around asbestos or by people who live or work in buildings in which asbestos is a part of the building itself.
There is also some belief that being around people who have worked with or around asbestos and being exposed to the substance because it is on their clothes, can make someone susceptible to mesothelioma even though they haven't been near the substance themselves, much in the same way a person can get lung cancer even though they haven't smoked through being around smokers and breathing in secondhand smoke.
Mesothelioma usually forms in the outer lining of the lungs or the chest wall but it also has been known to form in areas around the heart or in the case of males in the area of the genitalia.
Symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath, unexplained weight loss, a decrease in the amount of red blood cells in the body, unexplained extreme tiredness, abdominal swelling and pain, due to a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity, wheezing, hoarseness and cough and coughing or spitting up blood, this last being a condition known as hemoptysis.
On a less frequent scale, the presence of mesothelioma may cause bowel obstruction, abnormalities in blood clotting, a decrease in the amount of red blood cells in the body and a persistent raise in the body temperature.
If the mesothelioma is not detected or is not aggressively dealt with, further symptoms such as blood clots in the veins and in the arteries of the lungs, severe bleeding in many body organs, jaundice, a persistent low level of blood sugar, an accumulation of fluid between the layers of tissue that line the lungs and chest cavity and abdominal distension.
Since the cause of mesothelioma has been discovered, steps are now being taken to avoid its contraction.
Such things as special clothing worn when working with or around asbestos and masks and other breathing devices to prevent the inhalation of asbestos.
Building projects in which asbestos used to be used now use alternate substances.
Whereas with many forms of cancers, we don't always know what may cause them or be able to prevent them even with that sort of knowledge, with mesothelioma we do know and so we have the capabilities of eliminating the cancer before it begins by eliminating the cause.
It is usually contracted by people who have worked with or around asbestos or by people who live or work in buildings in which asbestos is a part of the building itself.
There is also some belief that being around people who have worked with or around asbestos and being exposed to the substance because it is on their clothes, can make someone susceptible to mesothelioma even though they haven't been near the substance themselves, much in the same way a person can get lung cancer even though they haven't smoked through being around smokers and breathing in secondhand smoke.
Mesothelioma usually forms in the outer lining of the lungs or the chest wall but it also has been known to form in areas around the heart or in the case of males in the area of the genitalia.
Symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath, unexplained weight loss, a decrease in the amount of red blood cells in the body, unexplained extreme tiredness, abdominal swelling and pain, due to a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity, wheezing, hoarseness and cough and coughing or spitting up blood, this last being a condition known as hemoptysis.
On a less frequent scale, the presence of mesothelioma may cause bowel obstruction, abnormalities in blood clotting, a decrease in the amount of red blood cells in the body and a persistent raise in the body temperature.
If the mesothelioma is not detected or is not aggressively dealt with, further symptoms such as blood clots in the veins and in the arteries of the lungs, severe bleeding in many body organs, jaundice, a persistent low level of blood sugar, an accumulation of fluid between the layers of tissue that line the lungs and chest cavity and abdominal distension.
Since the cause of mesothelioma has been discovered, steps are now being taken to avoid its contraction.
Such things as special clothing worn when working with or around asbestos and masks and other breathing devices to prevent the inhalation of asbestos.
Building projects in which asbestos used to be used now use alternate substances.
Whereas with many forms of cancers, we don't always know what may cause them or be able to prevent them even with that sort of knowledge, with mesothelioma we do know and so we have the capabilities of eliminating the cancer before it begins by eliminating the cause.