Saturday, May 21, 2011

A Short Outline Of The Asbestos-Linked Cancer Malignant Mesothelioma And Its Symptoms

By Tom Addison


Malignant mesothelioma is a type of cancer tumor that, whilst rare, still has affected a relatively large number of people who all have been exposed to the dangerous substance asbestos for a significant period of time. More specifically this tumor generally attacks the lung/chest cavity lining or, in some cases the lining of the abdomen. Unfortunately statistics show that the mesothelioma survival rate is not high.

As noted above this particular type of cancer is caused by the exposure to the material asbestos. This substance was at one time extremely common especially within the building trade. In fact this material was used for many applications such as, for example, the insulation of roofs and ceilings, it could also be found in relatively large quantities in cement. Therefore of course people working within the construction trade were most likely to be exposed to asbestos and therefore susceptible to the disease. In addition the material was widely used in the construction of automotive parts so this was also an area that was extensively hit.

Statistics show that this disease generally tends to affect males more often than compared with females. In addition the average age that an individual tends to begin suffering symptoms from this illness is around 60.

Nonetheless, in such cases it is usual that the sufferer might well have actually been exposed to the harmful asbestos some 20 or 30 years earlier. In fact, in some cases this figure often turns out to be closer to 50.

There are several common symptoms here that would normally include problems such as shortness of breath and feelings of fatigue as well as suffering pains and bloating in the abdomen.

However, there is treatment for malignant mesothelioma available although a process called staging is usually carried out first to ascertain the stage the disease has reached. It is widely hoped that the advancement in treatments will significantly raise the mesothelioma survival rate.




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