Mesothelioma - Origin, Cause, and Prevention

Since the late 1800s, Asbestos has been widely used for commercial purposes and the usage dramatically increased during World War II. Thousands of Americans who work I in the ship yard; commercial plants etc were exposed to Asbestos dust. This was the beginning of Mesothelioma. The people who had a widespread exposure to Asbestos were at an increased risk of developing Mesothelioma. This was the beginning of the cursed disease.

Mesothelioma is the medical name for cancer of the pleura (the lining of the lung and chest cavity) or cancer of the peritoneum (the lining of the abdomen). Mesothelioma can be caused even due to an exposure to Asbestos for 1-2 months but it is most commonly found in those who had prolonged or persistent exposure.

Mesothelioma, generally does not affect a victim immediately after your exposure to Asbestos. Its affects usually appear 20-50 years after the exposure. This long latency period is one main reason why the number of people suffering from Mesothelioma is increasing everyday, in spite of preventive measures taken by the government as well as individuals.

Very similar to other forms of cancer, Mesothelioma spreads rapidly, spreading not only throughout the pleura but also metastasizing to other internal organs. The common symptoms would include shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing and loss of weight.

Mesothelioma can be effectively countered by Oxygen treatment and reducing sugar consumption. Otto Warburg discovered that the main reason of cancer is replacement of normal oxygen respiration of the body's cells by an anaerobic [i.e., oxygen-deficient] cell respiration. Warburgs theory helped us to understand that Cancer cells hate oxygen and that is the foundation of the modern oxygen treatment of cancer.

Another important information that we gathered from Warburgs research is that Cancer cells metabolize through fermentation and fermentation requires sugar. Also, metabolism rate of a cancer cell is almost 8 times more than a normal cell. (Check how Mesothelioma works at Human anatomy animation ) This fact has been wisely used and concluded that reducing or stopping the intake of sugar can definitely work as an extremely useful deterrent to cancer growth.

The initial testing for Mesothelioma is done by X-rays and often followed by an open lung biopsy to confirm the test results. If diagnosed at an early stage the cancer can be removed surgically and full recovery can be achieved through regular chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

At an advanced stage, Mesothelioma is incurable; however, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and other pain relief treatments can relieve the patient comparatively and increase the life span. The period of survival depends on the stage at which the patient has been diagnosed for Mesothelioma and his general health conditions.

This article is written by Ray Smith, a marketing expert with years of experience in different industries and specialized knowledge on branding and internet marketing.

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An Overview of Mesothelioma Treatment Options

Mesothelioma treatment options depend on many internal factors such as: stage, location, and the patients age and desires. Important external factors to consider include the experience level of the oncologist with mesothelioma cases and whether or not a rural dweller would have to be transferred to a larger city for aggressive treatment or palliative care.

Patient survival rate is determined to be up to a year; while some leading cancer centers have reported life expectancy after diagnosis to be as much as five more years.

Screening

Imaging tests allow doctors to see a picture of the cancer site. These tests could include x-rays, CT scans (computed tomography), or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

New Screening Instrument: The Mesomark Test

The Food and Drug administration has just approved (January 2007) the world's first in-vitro test for mesothelioma. The Mesomark assay test, developed by Fujirebio Diagnostics is administered to patients diagnosed with biphasic or epithelioid mesothelioma by a simple blood test. The test measures proteins within the blood that reflect changes in the patient's tumor volume, a key factor for monitoring patient status and response to therapies.

Traditional Treatment Types

Surgery, removal of the entire lung and a part of the chest lining, the diaphragm and part of the sac surrounding the heart.

Thoracoscopy is the insertion of an endoscope which is a small narrow tube, containing a tiny cameria into the pleural cavity to look directly at the tumor. Pathologists perform a biopsy to collect a tissue. Often, chemical pleurodesis (draining fluid in the intrapleural space), can be accomplished during the same procedure.

Mediastinoscopy, another type of surgical incision is sometimes used to stage the extent of disease when enlarged nodes are seen using imaging techniques.

Laproscopy is used in mesothelioma patients when imaging techniques suggest that the tumor has penetrated through the diaphragm. This information is important in evaluating a patient for potential pleurectomy or extrapleural pneumonectomy.

Radiation Therapy (using high-dose x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells.

Radiation - Although mesothelioma tumors are highly resistant to radiotherapy, these treatments are sometimes used to relieve symptoms arising from tumor growth, such as obstruction of a major blood vessel.

Radiotherapy is commonly applied to the sites of chest drain insertion, in order to prevent the growth of the tumor along the track in the chest wall.

Chemotherapy is used to stop the cancer cells from growing and dividing.

Immunotherapy: Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy requires the removal as much of the tumor as possible followed by the direct administration of a heated between (40 and 48C) chemotherapy agent, into the abdomen for 60 to 120 minutes and then drained.

Palliative Procedures

Pleuroperitoneal Shunt is a procedure where a catheter is placed under the skin from the pleural to the peritoneal cavity. This procedure raising concerns as the catheter can cause damage by embedding itself into the abdomen.

Pleurectomy, a palliative procedure, may be performed when more extensive surgery is not an option. The procedure does not effectively remove all tumors. It is considered the most effective means of controlling pleural effusion (fluid buildup) in cases where the lung's expansion is restricted by the mesothelioma.

Potentially Curative Procedures

These procedures are performed with "curative intent".

Pleurectomy/Decortication is usually performed on patients with early stage pleural mesothelioma disease (Stage I and selected Stage II), and attempts to remove all gross tumor.

Extrapleural Pneumonectomy is surgery to remove a diseased lung, part of the pericardium, part of the diaphragm and part of the parietal pleura. This type of surgery is used most often to treat malignant mesothelioma and is combined with traditional chemotherapy and/or radiation, gene therapy, immunotherapy or photodynamic therapy.

Cytoreductive Surgery removes visible tumors in the peritoneal cavity. The remaining cancer cells are treated by Intra-Peritoneal Hyperthermic (heated) Chemotherapy (IPHC) and then delivered to the abdominal cavity.

New or Experimental Therapies

Gene Therapy: The best known tumor suppressor gene is called p53. If this gene is damaged or non existent oncogenes or cancer genes multiply at an abnormal rate. The main focus of gene therapy for mesothelioma involves injecting a virus that has been modified in the laboratory. The virus is injected into the pleural space in the chest, where mesothelioma develops as an attempt to kill the cancer cells.

Drug or Vaccine Therapy

Patients with mesothelioma have much higher levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) a chemical controlling blood vessel than people with any other type of cancer. Trials are being conducted to see if VEGF can be blocked, thus stopping the growth of blood vessels feeding the mesothelioma tumors.

Bevacizumab is a drug vaccine currently in use. One trial recently reported that this drug may increase survival for patients with lung cancer. An American phase 2 trial tested bevacizumab for mesothelioma, in combination with chemotherapy drugs. Bevacizumab is still in the experimental phase and much larger trials are needed before we will know how effective it will be in treating mesothelioma and other types of cancers.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

In Photodynamic therapy a drug called a photosensitizing agent is injected into the bloodstream and absorbed by the body's cells rendering the cells sensitive to light. When the area to be treated is exposed to laser light, the cells are killed. PDT has to be combined with surgery to treat patients in the early stages of mesothelioma. PDT is still in the trial stages and very experimental.

Clinical Trials and Eligibility

Clinical Trials provide research by using a sampling of people affected by the cancer. The National Cancer Institute states that the purpose of most listed clinical trials is to test new cancer treatments or new methods of diagnosing, screening for or preventing cancer.

Eligibility requirements for clinical trials are not the same; each study has specific guidelines for participation. Some trials allow participation after other treatments have failed, while others require that the patient did not have prior treatment. Choosing a clinical test should only be done after a medical consultation.

Prevention trials - study ways to reduce the risk, or chance, of developing cancer. Most prevention trials are conducted with healthy people who have not had cancer. These trials use drugs, vitamins or diet to reduce risk of cancer. Some trials are conducted with people who have had cancer and want to prevent the return of cancer (recurrence), or reduce the chance of developing a new type of cancer.

Screening Trials - study ways to detect cancer. They are often conducted to determine whether finding cancer before it causes symptoms decreases the chance of dying from the disease. These trials involve people who do not have any symptoms of cancer.

Diagnostic Cancer Trials - develops new tests or scans

Treatment Trials studies new drugs or combinations of drugs; new ways of giving treatment, and new types of treatment

Quality of life trials explore ways to improve the comfort and quality of life of cancer patients and cancer survivors. These trials may study ways to help people who are experiencing nausea, vomiting, sleep disorders, depression, or other effects from cancer or its treatment.

Genetics Study Trials - are sometimes part of another cancer clinical trial. The genetics component of the trial may focus on how genetic makeup can affect detection, diagnosis, or response to cancer treatment.

Clinical trials are conducted in 4 phases:

Phase 1 trials look at whether a trial treatment drug is safe or has any harmful effects and attempts to establish the right dosage required.

Phase 2 trials look at the effectiveness of the treatment.

Phase 3 trials test a new treatment against the existing standard treatment. If it yields better results, it may become the new standard treatment.

Phase 4 trials are carried out after a drug has been licensed. They collect information about side effects, safety and the long term risks and benefits of a drug.

Ongoing research attempts to improve mesothelioma treatment options but clinical trials will not all result in new and better treatment. After testing, it may be discovered that the treatment being tested does not work, or that it has worse side affects than existing treatments. But, to researchers and doctors, and in the end for patients, it is crucial to keep this research going.

About the Author:

Dave Casey is a medical writer for Mesothelioma-Adviser.com, an informational guide for mesothelioma cancer victims. The site provides guidance on mesothelioma treatment options and asbestos legal information.

Copyright 2007 Mesothelioma-Adviser.com

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Asbestos - From Miracle Mineral To Mesothelioma Menace

During World War II Asbestos was hailed by many as a miracle mineral. Almost anything could be built or manufactured from this mineral. The building and construction industries used it as an additive to strengthen cement and plastics. Asbestos fibers can be separated into thin threads which do not conduct electricity and are not affected by heat or chemicals.

The four main types of asbestos are: Amosite with brown fibers, Anthophyllite with gray fibers, white Christie, and blue Crocidolite. Chrysotile has curly fibers while the other three have rod like fibers. These fibers break into dust quite easily and drift in the air. They can stick on skin, clothing, and can easily be swallowed or inhaled.

Use of asbestos skyrocketed during World War II. Shipbuilding used asbestos extensively in freighters and support vessels to insulate boilers, steam pipes and hot water pipes. Asbestos became the miracle construction material as it was easily obtained, processed, and transported.

After WWII cars used asbestos in break shoes and clutch pads. Asbestos found its way into residential and industrial building materials, water supply, sewage materials, ceiling and floor tiles, and vermiculite garden materials to name a few products.

In the 1970s the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of asbestos in several products that could release asbestos fibers into the environment during use, following the discoveries of the health dangers of asbestos dust inhalation. Regulations governing the use of asbestos and concern of public opinion since 1970 have created a significant drop in the use of asbestos in the United States.

In 1989 all new uses of asbestos were banned by the Environmental Protection Agency while any old uses before that year were still permitted. The EPA suggested that schools inspect for damaged asbestos and eliminate any exposure or enclose it in protective barriers. Vermiculite, widely used in horticulture, became a concern of the EPA that recommended outdoor use, limiting the amount of dust used, and keeping vermiculite damp.

Asbestos may create serious health hazards such as coughing, lung damage, shortness of breath, and lung cancer. Most people do not become sick in the early stages of development, but usually need continued exposure, often on jobs such as mining, milling, manufacturing asbestos products, and building construction. Firemen, demolition workers, drywall removers, and any other workers in trades that involve destruction of buildings, ships, and automobiles are also exposed to the hazards and risks of asbestos.

Over a period of years continual exposure to asbestos can cause very serious health problems, such as mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare type of carcinoma of the membrane that lines numerous cavities of the body, including the lungs, abdomen and heart, and has been associated with exposure to asbestos dust. In mesothelioma, the cells of the mesothelioma metastasize and damage adjacent organs and tissues.

Risk of developing mesothelioma takes a long period of time, often as long as twenty-five or thirty-five years before full blown symptoms appear. Not all workers who have been exposed will develop diseases caused by asbestos, but workers who have been exposed to it may bring fibers on their clothing, hair, shoes, and skin home to their families. To circumvent this risk, most industries require workers to bathe and change their clothing before they leave work.

Many studies have been conducted involving the risks of diseases caused by exposure to asbestos. The results of one such study involving the risks of smoking and exposure to asbestos proved extremely hazardous.

Grant Davis, is a freelance writer and has worked in a variety of fields, including teaching.

For further information on asbestos, such as risks, research, lawsuits and disease support groups visit:

http://www.asbestos-headquarters.com

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