The Relationship Between Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma

Lung cancer is the most common cause of death due to cancer in both men and women throughout the world. Lung cancer is a result from an abnormality of cells in the body. Lung cancer is sometimes called "bronchogenic cancer," or it may be described by its particular histologic type, that is the type of tissue that is diseased.

Lung cancer is predominantly a disease of the elderly; almost 70% of people diagnosed with lung cancer are over 65 years of age, while less than 3% of lung cancers occur in people under 45 years of age.

Everybody knows that cigarette smoking is the most closely related link to developing lung cancer. As a matter of fact, the earlier one begins smoking and the higher the number of cigarettes one smokes, the higher the chances of getting lung cancer. Exposure to asbestos, radiation, and pollution are also some of the other causes of lung cancer.

Asbestos exposure is one of the cause of lung cancer and mesothelioma.  Asbestos is a bunch of naturally occurring minerals that are resistant to fire and chemical substances. They are fibrous mineral forms of impure magnesium silicate and located in fire-proofing materials, electrical insulation, cement, shingles, acoustic and decorative ceiling plaster, and additional construction materials. When repairing, removing, or disturbing asbestos-containing supplies, tiny asbestos dust will be dispersed into the open air. Asbestos separates into fine silica fibers that become trapped in the tissues of the lungs. 

Mesothelioma is inextricably linked to asbestos exposure. There are no reported cases of mesothelioma in people who were not exposed to asbestos either in the workplace or through their environment. 

Mesothelioma life expectancy

Mesothelioma life expectancy at the time of diagnosis usually will be announced at being somewhere between a few months to only a year or two. Statistically speaking, mesothelioma life expectancy is freaking short. However, the mesothelioma life expectancy rate is a mere average, mean or median of mesothelioma patients with wildly different independent variables. Many of these mesothelioma patients have lived years past their expected “date of death” estimate.

One of the major factors which influences the mesothelioma life expectancy is the stage to which the mesothelioma has advanced. Here is the stage-wise overview of mesothelioma life expectancy.

• Stage I: In this initial stage of mesothelioma, only one layer of the pleura is affected and the cancer may have spread to the pericardium or diaphragm. Mesothelioma life expectancy for this stage can be estimated as '50% of the patients diagnosed can live another 5 years if treated aggressively'.
• Stage II: In this second stage of mesothelioma, both layers of the pleura are seen affected by mesothelioma, on only one side of the body. Mesothelioma life expectancy for this stage can be about 2 to 4 years after diagnosis.
• Stage III: In this third stage of mesothelioma, it is observed that the cancer has spread to the chest wall, esophagus or lymph nodes on one side of the body. Mesothelioma life expectancy for this stage can be about 6-8 months.
• Stage IV: In this fourth or last stage of mesothelioma, it is observed that the cancer has spread to other organs like brain, bones, lymph nodes, liver or to the other side of the body. Stage 4 mesothelioma life expectancy is less than six months.

If you or your family has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, do not be discouraged by the average mesothelioma life expectancy. You can beat the norm. Keep a positive attitude, surround yourself with supportive friends and family, and determine that you will beat the average mesothelioma life expectancy.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma : What everyone should know about this

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a cancer which arises from the mesothelial cells found within the pleural membranes that cover the lungs. This cancer is one of the rarest in the world. It only manifests in people who are constantly exposed to large amounts of asbestos dust.

Mesothelioma or cancer of the lung lining is different from lung cancer. This lining is called mesothelium and that is the reason why the condition is termed as Mesothelioma. The Mesothelioma life expectancy is much less than that of lung cancer.


The majority of malignant mesotheliomas occur in people who have been exposed to asbestos, either directly or via people they live with. Malignant mesothelioma is relatively uncommon compared to other tumours. Most of the three thousand such cases reported in the United States every year are malignant. Australia has the highest incidence of mesothelioma in the world, at 40 cases per million people. Other industrialised countries which have mined and used asbestos, have similar but slightly lower rates of disease.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma goes through four separate stages. Initially it is restricted to the pleura, the membrane in the thoracic cavity. Next the lymph nodes are affected. In the third stage there would be local spreading of the disease. Finally the cancer penetrates to other parts of the body. Often, death strikes within six to eighteen months of diagnosing the disease depending on the stage at which the problem was identified.

The symptoms of this cancer take a very long time before appearing. Sometimes, it will take as long as twenty to fifty years before you even realize that something is from. And by that time this happens, it will probably be too late for treatment. Depending on the location of the cancer, the outward symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include breathing and swallowing difficulty, loss of weight, constant coughing, chest congestion and pain, spitting blood, and fever. Detailed investigations reveal irregular thickening of pleura and fluid collection, reduced space between the lung lobes, and mineral deposits.

As you can see, most of these symptoms do not seem dangerous at first glance. But you should not ignore them. If your cough doesn’t go away and you can’t stop losing weight then you should have yourself checked by a doctor. Doctors can perform specific diagnostic exams using x-rays and ct scans to check whether or not you are suffering from.