Mesothelioma is a rare disease caused as a result of malignant cancerous cells lining the patient's body cavities such as chest, abdominal region or the area surrounding the heart. It is typically associated with exposure to asbestos which has been documented in as many as 70-80% of all mesothelioma cases. This disease is very difficult to assess consistently due to the great variability in time before diagnosis and the rate of progression of malignant mesothelioma.
Even insignificant exposure to asbestos (commonly reported in such work environments as asbestos mills, mines, shipping yards, some older Navy ships or patients. homes) is known to result in peritoneal mesothelioma, which in many cases does not occur for decades after initial exposure to this cancer-causing substance. In the recent years as many as 2000-3000 cases of mesothelioma have been diagnosed per year. It is also known that family members of workers exposed to asbestos can contract this disease through exposure to the worker.s clothing. Smoking greatly increases the risk of contracting mesothelioma.Asbestos is a type of insulation material, which was used widely in the past in the following industries:
Construction industry
Ship building industry
Automotive industry
Other manufacturing industries
Mesothelioma occurred most often in persons who worked in the above industries and were exposed to asbestos in their workplace. The use of asbestos was very widespread after 1945. However, first symptoms of mesothelioma may not become apparent 10-40 years after the initial exposure, which makes it very hard to diagnose. The peak in mesothelioma cases is expected to be reached around 2010 according to some studies. There are three most commonly used types of asbestos: white, brown, and blue. Brown and blue asbestos are most commonly associated with mesothelioma. These types of asbestos have been banned by most countries in the 1990s.
Asbestos is a very dangerous substance and can cause a lot of damage to your health. It is made up of very small fibers, which can find their way to pleura (outside lining of the lung) and damage the cells pleura is made of. These fibers can also be carried on clothing, which makes them dangerous not only to the person exposed to asbestos, but to their family members as well.
Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare disease. The total number of cases per year in the United States is estimated between 100 and 500. There are no epidemiologic clues to its causation or association except that a small percentage of patients have a history of asbestos exposure. Because of the frequent dissemination of pleural mesothelioma to the peritoneal cavity, one must rule out spread from a primary pleural malignancy as the cause of disease. No sex, age or ethnic predominance exists. No genetic, dietary, employment or geographic associations have been reported. The primary peritoneal surface malignancies are currently regarded as sporadic malignancies in need of careful epidemiologic investigation.
