The deadly disease of mesothelioma
is diagnosed in close to 3,000 Americans each
year. The only established cause of thiscancer is
exposure to asbestos. The real tragedy is that this fatal disease could have
been avoided. Most victims were unknowingly exposed to asbestos at work or
while serving in the military. Other victims developed mesothelioma due to
environmental exposure from loved ones coming home from work with their clothes
covered in asbestos fibers.
This type of cancer
is diffuse malignancy that spreads itself throughout a tissue area as an
invasion of a large number of smaller masses, unlike other cancers that are
characterized by a single, solid tumor mass. This diffuse nature has important
implications for how treatment, and complete surgical extraction of the cancer
is difficult.
Types of Mesothelioma
The mesothelium, the membrane that surrounds many of the body’s vital organs,
is where the cancer develops when asbestos is inhaled or ingested. The membrane
secretes a lubricating fluid that provides easy movement of the organs within
the body. When the mesothelium becomes cancerous, it is called mesothelioma.
There are multiple forms of the cancer when it affects the mesothelium. The
form is determined by the location in which the tumor begins, known as its
origin site, and the type of cells that the tumor invades, known as its
histological subtype. Each type may require a different treatment.
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