In recent years, Mesothelioma has been a high topic of discussion. From television commercials claiming that you may be eligible to sue, to some new medical trial for another one of those drugs that will have 15 million side effects that just came on the market to help. One thing is for sure, and that is unless you actually know what mesothelioma is, especially if it's affecting a family member, then you're probably going to be lost and confused just as I was. With so many websites on the Internet what I decided to do was find as much information as possible on the subject of mesothelioma whether it be cures, causes, side effects or just general information. I decided to dig through as much as I could find relevant to the topic and condense it in a way, that at least you can get a basic understanding of what it is and what's the current treatments for it.

So what is mesothelioma? Well, simply put, mesothelioma is a form of cancer according to most practitioners is caused by exposure to asbestos. This disease develops malignant cells which create in the mesothelium, which is a protective lining which covers most of the body's internal organs. The place in which this is most commonly found is the pleura, which is the outer lining of the chest wall and the lungs. Some of the other places you may find mesothelium is the heart, the lining of the abdominal cavity, the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) and many other locations within the body. The cancer causes the diseased cells within the mesothelium to divide and invade, damage or destroy nearby tissues and organs. These cancer cells then can spread to other parts of the body.

That being said, and with all the hype surrounding the disease, you would think that we're on the verge of an epidemic or that one out of every 20 people is gonna get the disease. This assumption comes from the fact that the media recently has had extreme amounts of commercials flooding the airwaves to instill fear of what still considered a rare disease. Currently there are about 2000 new diagnosed cases of mesothelioma in the United States each year. Most often the disease occurs in men than women and the risk increases with age, but can appear in either men or women at any age.

Working with asbestosis, a group of minerals woven into strong flexible fibers, have been reported in about 70% to 80% of the cases. Mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals known to have not been exposed to asbestos.

In the past, asbestos was widely used to creating industrial products such as the roof shingles, textiles, cement, lining breaks, floor products but mostly for insulation. With insulation tiny and asbestos particles could float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, and without proper protection may be inhaled, swallowed and cause serious health problems. Those other problems from asbestos exposure would include asbestosis (a noncancerous lung ailment), lung cancer, cancers of the larynx and kidney

The image to the right is a comparison of the healthy lung to one in an diseased state.  As you can see the damaged cells have spread throughout the lung on the right.

It may take 30 to 50 years after asbestos exposure before symptoms of mesothelioma appear, but the most common symptoms due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleura is shortness of breath and pain in the chest. Other symptoms may include weight loss, abdominal pain, swelling in the abdominal region, bowel obstruction, abnormal blood clotting, fever and anemia. If cancer has spread from the mesothelium to other parts of the body, those symptoms may include trouble swallowing, pain, or swelling of the face or neck. If you do experience any of the symptoms, or you believe that you may have been exposed to asbestos be sure to see your doctor so that you can get a proper diagnosis.