Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma: More About this Asbestos Cancer
By David Arnold Livingston

Cancers and other forms of diseases are usually named according to the part of the body or the internal organ where abnormal growth of malignant cells takes place. In the case of Mesothelioma, the abnormal cells grow in the mesothelium, a surface cell layer that covers and protects most internal organs. Normally, the mesothelium produces small amount of fluid in order to lubricate its layers—one of which directly covers the organ—and allow the movement of the organs, like the expansion and contraction of the lungs. A Mesothelioma cancer patient’s mesothelium produces too much of this lubricating fluid, thereby damaging nearby tissues and organs. The most common form of Mesothelioma is Pleural Mesothelioma, which begins in the Pleural or Peritoneum, the membrane that lines the chest cavity and covers the lungs.

About 2,000 cases of Mesothelioma have been noted yearly in United States. This is still a rare disease to consider, although the reported incidents have escalated in the past two decades. It has been observed and proven that heavy and long exposure to asbestos is the prime cause of Mesothelioma. Asbestos is a group of minerals in strong, flexible and fibrous form. It is used in industrial products such as cement, brake linings, textiles, electrical insulation, flooring products, chemical filters, fireproofing materials and others. This explains why most Mesothelioma patients are working in construction sites, shipyards and manufacturing companies of said industrial products. Small asbestos particles float in the air and are either inhaled or swallowed by workers or persons within the vicinity. Aside from Mesothelioma, these people can acquire asbestosis, a non-cancerous chronic lung sickness and other forms of cancer of the lungs, cancer of the larynx and kidney.

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