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- What is mesothelioma?
- Symptoms of mesothelioma
- Causes of mesothelioma
- Prevention of mesothelioma
- Risk factors for mesothelioma
- Complications of mesothelioma
- When to see a doctor about mesothelioma
- Diagnosis of mesothelioma
- Conventional treatment of mesothelioma
- Alternative/complementary treatment of mesothelioma
- Living with mesothelioma
- Caring for someone with mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a rare, malignant cancer of the mesothelial cells. This cancer is almost always found in people who have had some type of exposure to asbestos particles which have been inhaled or digested.
Asbestos is a mineral which used to be mined in Australia and other countries due to its insulating and fire-retardant properties. It was used everywhere that was required to be able to withstand fire or provide insulation - fireplaces, fireman's uniform, furnaces, building materials (floors, roofs, tiles, walls). Asbestos was used quite extensively in the past, but it is not allowed to be mined, used or exported into Australia any longer, due to the known and adverse health risks it causes.
Mesothelioma can develop in the lining of the mesothelial cells in the body. The mesothelial cells are found in the following areas of the body:
- Pleural lining of the lungs - malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a highly aggressive cancer of the pleura (lining of the lungs) and is the most common type of mesothelioma
- Peritoneum around the abdominal organs - malignant peritoneal mesothelioma acounts for about 15-20% of all mesothelioma cases
The stages of malignant mesothelioma is divided into two groups:
- Localised malignant mesothelioma (stage I) - found only in a specific area (or areas) and has not spread to surrounding areas
- Advanced malignant mesothelioma (stage II, stage III, and stage IV) - the cancer has spread to other areas such as the heart, chest wall and lymph nodes; in stage IV the cancer has spread all over the body
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Facts about mesothelioma
- While mesothelioma is a very rare cancer, its level of occurrence is too high in Australia in comparison to many other countries
- Asbestos is the usual cause of mesothelioma (very rarely it is caused by other factors)
- Asbestos no longer mined or processed in Australia nor is it allowed to be imported into Australia because of the known health risks
- Most people who develop mesothelioma have had heavier and long term exposure to asbestos
- A small percentage of people that develop mesothelioma have only had brief exposure to asbestos
- Mesothelioma is more common in men than in women
- Mesothelioma is usually diagnosed after age 50, it is very rare in younger people
- There is a type of non-cancerous mesothelioma that can develop in the pleura or the lining of the reproductive organs, but is more rare than the cancerous type
- Mesothelioma is most often diagnosed in the pleura, which is where it is related to inhaled asbestos fibre particles, as these are implicated in its development
- Family members of people who worked with asbestos may also be at risk of developing mesothelioma if they were exposed to the asbestos dust that was on the clothes, skin or hair of the asbestos worker
- Incidence of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related disease is expected to start peaking about 30-50 years after the period when asbestos was used really extensively all around the world in construction and building (in the 1960's and 1970's)
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