Types of Mesotheleoma

Types of Mesotheleoma

By Archana Sarat

Mesotheleoma is a disease in which the mesotheleum cells divide uncontrollably. This abnormality in the mesotheleum cells leads to mesotheleoma. It may be cancerous or non-cancerous. When it is malignant, the cancer spreads all over the body.

The most important reason why many people are affected by this disease is the exposure to asbestos. Even exposure to few asbestos fibers can lead to this disease. However, many people do not realize that their exposure to asbestos has lead to this situation. A high level of care and caution is necessary to help prevent this disease.

Researches have also proved that people, who smoke, succumbed to this disease faster than non-smokers. So, a mixture of asbestos exposure and smoking can be doubly harmful. Mesotheleoma is a rare type of lung cancer. The main cause of mesotheleoma is exposure to asbestos fibers. It is also very difficult to diagnose this disease because the symptoms are very similar to other benign diseases like pneumonia.

Mesotheleoma is a disease that affects the mesotheleum or lining that forms a protective layer around the abdomen, lungs, heart and some few other parts of the body. The mesotheleum cells divide rapidly during this disease. This abnormal development of mesotheleum cells is caused due to exposure to asbestos fibers. People who have worked in asbestos industries or lived around asbestos industries and their families are more prone to get this disease.

There are three main types of mesotheleoma. Around 75 % of mesotheleoma cases are pleural and 20% are peritoneal or pericardial. There are also some other rare types of mesotheleoma that affect the remaining 5%.

Pleural Mesotheleoma:

Among the various types of cancer, mesotheleoma accounts for only a small percentage. However, among the various types of mesotheleoma, pleural mesotheleoma accounts for nearly three-fourth of the documented cases.

Symptoms:

Patients of pleural mesotheleoma face acute chest pain. Since the symptoms of this disease are similar to pneumonia, it is often confused with this disease. There is no known cure for pleural mesotheleoma. There are two types of pleural mesotheleoma - cancerous and non-cancerous. This makes it very difficult for many people to link the disease to asbestos exposure.

Pleural mesotheleoma is caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers. When the asbestos fibers settle in the mesotheleum lining, the mesotheleum cells start showing abnormal behavior, thereby leading to mesotheleoma.

Mostly, when mesotheleoma is detected, the patients are in the final stages of cancer with only a few months or years left. Mesothelioma is a terrible killer disease. Proper tests and efforts must be taken by the medical fraternity to detect the disease as soon as possible.

Peritoneal Mesotheleoma:

Peritoneal Mesotheleoma is a very rare disease. Around 10-20 % of the documented mesotheleoma cases are diagnosed with peritoneal mesotheleoma. This type of mesotheleoma affects the abdomen of the patient. The mesotheleum cells of the abdomen behave abnormally in this disease. This disease is also caused by the oral inhalation of asbestos fibers. The main symptoms of peritoneal mesotheleoma are severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation, fever, chest pain, loss of weight and breaking difficulties. The main risk factor for contracting this disease is exposure to asbestos fibers, and asbestos dust.

Pericardial mesotheleoma:

The most rare form of mesotheleoma is the pericardial mesotheleoma; it affects the mesotheleum linings of the heart. The main symptoms of pericardial mesotheleoma are chest pain, breathing difficulties, fever, palpitations, tiredness and cough. The pericardial lining of the heart is removed to reduce the symptoms. The heart is the most fragile part of the body. The earliest symptoms are tiredness, chest pains, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties and persistent cough.

The heart condition worsens and the patient may be affected by a stroke or heart attack. Death becomes the solution and salvation that the mesotheleoma patients crave for. The persons most likely to get this disease are those who face constant exposure to the risk factors like

• Shipyard workers
• Asbestos industries' laborers and miners.
• Zeolite industries' laborers and miners.
• Construction site workers.
• Fire poof materials manufacturers
• Cement mixers
• Painters

Not only the above groups of people are having a high chance of contracting the disease but also their families run a risk of contracting this disease. The workers when they return home carry the asbestos dust and asbestos fibers in their clothing and their families may be exposed to the disease.