What is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a membrane that covers and protects most internal organs of the body. It is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; other forms a sac around it. Mesothelioma produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart and lungs) pt. to move easily.
Mesothelioma has different names, depending on location in the body.
Peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that covers most organs in the abdominal cavity. The pleura is the membrane surrounding the lungs and chest cavity wall.
The pericardium covers and protects the heart. Mesothelial tissue surrounding the internal male reproductive organs is called the tunica testis. Serous tunic covers the internal reproductive organs in women.
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where inhaled asbestos particles. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking.
Symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath or chest pain due to pleurisy, and general symptoms such as weight loss. Diagnosis can be confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. A toracescopie can be used for. taking biopsies. This allows the introduction of substances such as talc pt. destroy the pleural space, preventing the accumulation of fluid and the pressing and lungs. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, Track the disease carries a poor prognosis.
Symptoms
Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath, cough and chest pain due to accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss, abdominal swelling and pain. Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia and fever. If the mesothelioma cancer has spread beyond to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.
Ace symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other conditions, less severe.
Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these symptoms:
* Chest pain
* Pleural effusion
* Shortness of breath
* Fatigue
* Heavy breathing
* Blood in cough
In severe cases, the person may have many tumor masses.
Tumors that affect the abdominal cavity often do not cause symptoms until they are at an advanced stage. Symptoms include:
* Abdominal pain
* Abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdomen
* A mass in the abdomen
* Problems with bowel function
* Weight loss
In severe cases of disease, these signs and symptoms may be present:
* Blood clots in veins
* Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation
* Yellowing of the eyes and skin
* Low blood sugar
* Pleural effusion
* Pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
* Severe ascites
Diagnosis
Diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult. Diagnosis begins with a review of the patient's medical history. A history of exposure to asbestos may increase clinical suspicion for. mesothelioma. A physical examination is performed, followed by chest X-ray and often lung function Tele. X-rays can reveal pleuralelor thickening commonly seen after asbestos exposure and increases suspicion of mesothelioma.
In general, a biopsy is needed for. To confirm a diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma. A doctor removes a tissue sample for. examination under a microscope by a pathologist. A biopsy can be done in different ways, depending on where the abnormal area is located. If the cancer is in the chest, the doctor may perform a toracescopie.
There is no universally accepted protocol for. people who were exposed to asbestos. Tele screening can diagnose mesothelioma earlier than conventional methods thus improving the survival prospects for patients. Serum level could be useful for Osteopontin. vs. asbestos for protection. mesothelioma. Doctors have begun testing Mesomark test that measures levels of soluble diseased mesothelioma cells.
Pathophysiology
Mesothelioma consists of a single layer of flattened mucosal epithelial cells of the serous cavities of the body including the peritoneal cavity, pleural and pericardial. This leads to the development of malignant mesothelial boards. The processes that lead to the development of peritoneal mesothelioma remain unresolved, although it has been proposed that asbestos fibers in the lung are transported to the abdomen and associated organs via the lymphatic system. In addition, asbestos fibers can be stored in the intestine after ingestion of sputum contaminated with asbestos fibers.
Mesothelioma development in rats was demonstrated by intra-pleural inoculation of phosphorylated chrysotile fibers. It has been suggested that in humans for transport fiber. is essential for the pleura. pathogenesis of mesothelioma.
Experimental evidence suggests that asbestos acts as a complete carcinogen with the development of mesothelioma occurring in successive stages of initiation and promotion. Molecular mechanisms underlying malignant transformation of normal mesothelial cells by asbestos fibers remain unclear despite the demonstration of its oncogenic capabilities. With all that, complete in vitro transformation of normal human mesothelial cells to malignant phenotype following exposure to asbestos fibers has not yet been reached. In general, the asbestos fibers are thought to act through direct physical interactions with mesothelioma cells in connection with indirect effects following interaction with inflammatory cells such as macrophages.
Exposure
Asbestos was known in antiquity, but has not been extracted and widely used commercially until the late 1800s. Since the beginning of 1940, millions have been exposed to asbestos dust. Initially, the risks associated with asbestos exposure were not publicly known. With all that, an increased risk of developing mesothelioma was later found among shipyard workers, people working in asbestos mines and mills, producers of asbestos products, workers in the heating and construction industries, as well as other merchants.
There seems to be a linear dose-response relationship with disease-producing dose To have To have. Mesothelioma may be related to the short, low or indirect exposure to asbestos. The dose required for. effect seems to be lower for. just for asbestos-induced mesothelioma. pulmonary asbestosis or lung cancer.
Duration of exposure to asbestos causes mesothelioma can be brief. For example, cases of mesothelioma have been documented with only 1-3 months of exposure. People who work with asbestos wear personal protective equipment for. reduce the risk of exposure.
Latency time of exposure at the first sign of disease is prolonged in case of mesothelioma. is almost never more than fifteen years, and peaks at 30-40 years.
Treatment
For prognosis. Malignant mesothelioma remains disappointing, although there were some improvements in forecast mode and treatments.Treatment newer multimodality chemotherapy for malignant mesothelioma in the previous stages have a better prognosis, but cures are extremely rare. clinical behavior of the malignancy is affected by several factors including the continuous mesothelial surface of the pleural cavity which favors local metastasis via exfoliated cells, invasion of tissue and other organs in the pleural cavity, and extremely long latent period between exposure asbestos and disease development. Histological subtype and patient age and health also help predict prognosis.
What are the risk factors for. Mesothelioma?
Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for. mesothelioma. With all that, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos.
Asbestos is the name of a group of substances that occur naturally as masses of strong fibers, flexible, can be separated into thin threads and woven. Asbestos was widely used in many industrial products including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles and insulation. If tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process that can be inhaled or swallowed, and can cause serious health problems. In addition to mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis and other cancers, such as those of the larynx and kidney.
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