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In any kind of delicate situation, such as dealing with mesothelioma, receiving valuable information is very important. All the information you need is available on our website. Find a list of doctors and treatment centers that can offer the necessary mesothelioma treatment methods in order to treat your health. All the support you need and even legal help for asbestos victims is one click away.
Asbestos was long considered a very useful material finding wide range applications in the industrial scenario before it was discovered that exposure to asbestos caused a deadly disease called mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a fatal disease that has no known cure; and since the symptoms surface decades after the exposure, the person is taken by surprise and it leaves very little time and very few options to fight the disease.
The asbestos fibers that find entry into the human body attack the epithelial lining that surrounds the vital internal organs such as the heart, lungs, abdomen, etc. The lining consists of a single layer of flattened to cuboidal cells; this is called the mesothelium. In pleural mesothelioma, inhaled asbestos fibers may lodge in the parenchyma of the lung. From here, it may penetrate the visceral pleura and then be conveyed to the pleural surface where the malignant mesothelial plaques geatate.
Development of peritoneal mesothelioma is not very obvious; it is presumed that asbestos fibers from the lung may reach the abdomen and associated organs via the lymphatic system. It is also supposed that asbestos fibers may be ingested through the sputum that contains asbestos fibers.
Research on the type of asbestos fiber that causes mesothelioma has shown that feathery fibers may not be as dangerous as the long, thin variety. Further, the really minute particles of asbestos are the most dangerous as they remain floating in the inhaled breathe and penetrate deeper into the lungs.
It is proved beyond doubt that asbestos acts as a complete carcinogen in the human body. A battery of 
scientific studies and extensive research efforts including gathering comprehensive information from many clinical studies have noted observable links between asbestos exposure and a range of serious diseases.
However, it is not very clear how the asbestos fibers convert the normal human mesothelial cells into malignant phenotypes. The World Trade Center attack has revealed much about the health aspects of asbestos exposure. A number of patients had to be treated for respiratory ailments arising from brief exposures of only a day or two near the collapsed buildings. Further, ongoing research has much to offer the new patients in terms of a better understanding of the disease and therefore, better treatment.
Asbestos remains the leading risk factor for contracting mesothelioma. Industrial application of asbestos in cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation lead to the wider spread of the disease. Smoking along with exposure to asbestos compounded the matter. In the 1950s, a brand known as Kent actually used asbestos in the filters!
There do exist rare cases where mesothelioma has occurred without exposure to asbestos. The disease has also been associated with irradiation, intrapleural thorium dioxide (Thorotrast), and inhalation of other fibrous silicates, such as erionite.
Radiation was found to cause mesothelioma owing to thorium doxide, a chemical present in x-rays. This has been discontinued since the fact was discovered.
Further, a natural mineral Zeolite found in Turkey is very like asbestos and has similar consequences.
Some studies have also pointed to the simian virus 40 (SV40) as one of the factors in the development of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma has a long gestation period during which the disease is taking a hold on the body. As a result, symptoms appear after 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos happened. Typical symptoms, according to mesothelioma types, include:
Pleural mesothelioma: Shortness of breath, cough, pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space, anemia, blood in the sputum [Only one side of the lungs are usually affected by pleural tumor.]
Peritoneal mesothelioma: weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Bowel obstruction, blood clotting and internal bleeding abnormalities, anemia or jaundice, low blood sugar level and fever may also occur
Metasized or spread to other parts of the body: pain, trouble swallowing, swelling of the neck or face, tumor masses, collapse of the lung
Mesothelioma does not usually affect the bone, brain, or adrenal glands.
Conventional mesothelioma therapies follow the line of cancer treatment: surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy. This combination has generally helped in extending life for five years in most cases. Additional treatments include:
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