Mesothelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is normally caused by asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a group of minerals that are used for their heat-resistance properties in various products. (Asbestos has been banned in most countries since the mid 1980's.)

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer and only affects between 2,000 and 3,000 people in the United States per year. Studies also show that men are more likely to have mesothelioma than women.

Mesothelioma is cancer that occurs in the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a thin layer of tissue that covers most of our internal organs. The most common mesothelium that are affected by this are the abdomen, lungs, and heart.

Each mesothelium that covers each organ is labeled in a different category. For example, mesothelioma that is in the tissue of the lung is called pleural mesothelioma, the mesothelioma that is found in the abdomen is called peritoneal mesothelioma, and when found in the lining around the heart is called pericardial mesothelioma.

The pericardial mesothelioma is the least common. There are also reports of mesothelioma in the ovaries of women and scrotum of men although these haven't been named yet.

Stages

Mesothelioma has various stages. In order for the doctor to find out the stage a person with this disease is in they must go through a process called "staging."

Staging usually consists of X-Rays, CT Scans, and MRI Scans. It is important to find out what stage someone with mesothelioma is in so physicians know which treatment to provide.

There are two different systems used for staging. The Butchart Staging System, and the newest system for staging which is called The TNM System. Both of these staging systems consist basically of finding out how far the cancer has spread and how fast it is spreading.

Survival Rate

Patients diagnosed with mesothelioma usually have a survival rate of no more than 17 months from when their symptoms began. Unfortunately, it is said that only 8% of patients diagnosed with this disease will live 3-5 years after their symptoms began.

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