Mesothelioma and the Dangers that it poses

Mesothelioma is one of those diseases that are still posing a challenge to the medical community. It is a type of cancer that afflicts the mesothelium, which forms a protective lining around the majority of the internal organs of the human body. Mesothelium has different nomenclature depending upon which particular organ it is covering. For instance, pleura membrane covers the lungs and the chest cavity, peritoneum covers the abdominal cavity, pericardium surrounds the heart, and tunica vaginalis testis surrounds the male internal reproductive organs, whereas tunica serosa uteri cover the female reproductive organs.

Mesothelioma is generally caused by the exposure to a particular mineral known as asbestos. The presence of asbestos particles in the mesothelium is generally responsible for the development of this cancer. Majority of the cases of mesothelioma are of those of the pleural region and the peritoneal region. The mesothelioma cases of the other regions are very few in number.

The matter of concern regarding the mesothelioma is that the asbestos fibers once lodged inside mesothelium stay dormant for a very long duration; sometimes up to 50 years. After this period of latency they start interfering with the working of the mesothelial cells. Exactly how they interfere is still under investigation, yet what is known is that the asbestos particles cause the unregulated growth of the mesothelial cells that leads to the formation of the cancerous tissues. By the time the disease is diagnosed as mesothelioma it is well into its later stages where any kind of treatment would just help in alleviating the pain and not cure the disease.

Reference: Kevin smith