What Type of Cancer Is Mesothelioma?

The mesothelium is a membrane made up of cells and tissue that line the inside of the abdomen and surrounding vital organs. This membrane acts as a protective layer around the heart, the lungs and the internal reproductive organs of both men and women. Mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the mesothelial cells that make up the membrane.

History

• Discovered first in South Africa in 1960, in men who worked in the asbestos mining industry, it was not until 1974 that the medical world formally announced a definite link between exposure to asbestos and mesothelioma. Today, it is widely accepted that asbestos exposure is the catalyst for developing the cancer, even if exposure to asbestos was 30 or more years before the onset of the disease.

Types

• Because the mesothelium membranes surround various organs and cavities, when cancer invades the cells of the membranes, diagnosis depends upon the location of the individual membrane. Pericardial mesothelioma involves the membrane around the heart, peritoneal mesothelioma affects the lining of the abdominal cavity, pleural mesothelioma involves the lung lining and testicular mesothelioma strikes the membrane surrounding the male testicles.

Identification

• Initial diagnosis of mesothelioma is often difficult because the cancer is relatively rare, affecting approximately 3,000 patients in the United States annually and the symptoms mimic other conditions affecting various organs in the body. If information confirming previous exposure to asbestos arises, diagnosing the cancer is easier.

Effects

• Once malignant mesothelioma is present in the patient the prognosis depends upon the type of cancer present. Early diagnosis is imperative for higher survival rates. Ten percent of all mesothelioma patients lived 3 years after diagnosis, but those diagnosed early have a much higher survival rate. In addition, 34 percent of peritoneal mesothelioma patients survived the 5-year marker. Unless the cancer is benign, it spreads rapidly in most patients.

Theories/Speculation

• In general, the healthier the patient, the better the chance of survival. Since mesothelioma is rare, studies are inadequate in determining a positive prognosis. However, a person who knows she suffered exposure, either directly or by living with a person who worked around asbestos, can greatly reduce the risk of ever developing the cancer by living a healthy lifestyle.

Considerations

• Patients who develop mesothelioma and can document exposure to asbestos in the job place may have legal standing to recover monetary damages from a former employer, even if the exposure occurred more than 20 years ago. Contact an attorney who represents patients individually or in a class action suit, to discuss if you are eligible to receive compensation (see Resources below).