In the last few weeks, we’ve discussed some basic information on what cancer is and various treatment options specific to mesothelioma cancer patients. In addition to radiation and chemotherapy, surgery is a potential treatment option for this aggressive form of cancer that could possibly result from exposure to asbestos materials. Surgical treatment for mesothelioma may involve different methods or procedures depending on the specifics of the diagnosis.

While there is no known cure for mesothelioma cancer, sometimes surgery may help alleviate some of the pain and complications resulting from this vicious disease. For example, certain patients experience difficulty breathing due to excess build up of fluid around the lungs or abdominal area. Excess fluid build-up can squeeze the lungs, making breathing uncomfortable and even painful.

Palliative type surgeries aim to relieve mesothelioma symptoms by draining the excess fluid. Pleurodesis is another type of surgery in which talc, a mineral silicate, is inserted into the small lining that cushions the lungs in order to help mitigate fluid collection over the long-term.

A pleurectomy is a class of mesothelioma surgery where the surgeon removes a tumor and/or the lining of the lungs. This kind of surgery sometimes accompanies radiation or chemotherapy to help control remaining cancerous tissues. Pleurectomy is not a cure; however, it may help improve the patient’s quality of life and easing pain. Another type of surgery is pneumonectomy, which involves removing the lung, the lining around it and some of the support tissues. This surgery typically occurs with the most drastic cancer cases in an attempt to relieve the pain and discomfort associated with mesothelioma.

Surgery and other treatments for mesothelioma can sometimes be uncomfortable and quite extensive. With these surgical options and other selected treatments, medical professionals seek to do everything possible to make a positive impact on the patient’s overall health and quality of life.

What is mesothelioma, and how does it occur? It’s an all-too-common question, with innumerable answers that may lead to even more questions. The human body is a complex and vulnerable system which can be affected by everything from genetics to our environment. At the Mesothelioma & Asbestos Information Exchange, we try to shed some light on these questions in order to better inform you.

Cancer can occur as a result of impairment of the DNA in human cells. Our bodies are made up an untold number of living cells, from receptor and blood cells to hair cells. Different cells perform different functions in the human body and the majority of cells have DNA. Human cells naturally produce, repair, grow, multiply and die, where new cells take the place of dying ones. With cancer, the altered or impaired DNA and cell do not expire; instead, they continue to multiply with new cells also containing the altered and impaired DNA. While researchers know that some cancer is a result of hereditary or environmental causes, in other cases, the cause isn’t always clear. Furthermore, different types of cancers operate differently. Some cancers may spread, while others do not. The technical name for the spread of cancer to other parts of the human body is metastasis.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer, which, is a result of impaired cells called mesothelium cells. These mesothelium cells act and behave somewhat like oil in a car, lubricating various body cavities, particularly the thoracic cavity surrounding the lungs. The cancer, as a result of damage to these cells, may result from exposure to asbestos particles. Sometimes, symptoms of the cancer do not appear until decades after exposure. This cancer is often discovered via chest x-ray, CT Scan or biopsy.  Mesothelioma treatment options may include surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Mesothelioma-linked materials are often products that contain asbestos.  Asbestos was, prior 1978, a frequently used material in the industries of shipbuilding and construction.  Asbestos contained a number of properties that made it highly valued in a variety of applications in these two industries, some of which include excellent fire resistance and insulation properties.  Mining this valued mineral turned into a lucrative business for a number of employers the world over.  Unfortunately, asbestos also happens to be a primary cause of mesothelioma, which means exposure to this mineral has shortened lives all over the world.

Mesothelioma-linked materials include:

• Roofing and siding items, some of which include roofing tiles, shingles for roofing and siding, and clapboard.  All of these materials were, on occasion, made with an asbestos known as chrysotile or “white asbestos.”
• Flooring, ceilings, and walls, onto which asbestos were frequently sprayed or troweled.  This coating might have been used to exploit the fire retardant capabilities of asbestos; however, its use proved to have devastating consequences, as this form of asbestos application in construction is considered to be particularly fraught with danger.  In flooring tiles, asbestos was often used in tandem with vinyl or asphalt.
• Pipes and boilers, onto which asbestos was often applied to improve insulation around these heat sources.  This application often led to improved heating efficiency.  Unfortunately, it also ran the real risk of exposing the people working with the pipes and boilers, along with the people using these items, to dangerous asbestos fibers.

Other mesothelioma-linked materials include protective clothing, blankets, and cloth (for the fire-resistant properties of asbestos), insulation for welded products, and an asbestos-cement mixture, which made the resultant concrete less dense and stronger.  This particular application made the concrete easier to transport, which cut down on construction costs.  Unfortunately, it may have also exposed people to mesothelioma-causing asbestos.

A mesothelioma diagnosis can be devastating, not only for the afflicted patient, but for that person’s friends, family, and dependents.  That’s because mesothelioma, once diagnosed, spreads rapidly, and is very often lethal.  The life expectancy of someone unfortunately given a mesothelioma diagnosis is often measured in months, not years.

Such a brief time period means there isn’t very much time, relative to other diagnoses one might get, to fight the disease, let alone to marshal the finances necessary to do so.  (It’s times like these that securing a mesothelioma settlement can help after receiving the stunning news of a mesothelioma diagnosis.)

Given its rapid advancement after a mesothelioma diagnosis, it might be surprising to learn that the visible symptoms of mesothelioma manifest themselves after decades of dormancy.  That’s right, mesothelioma is the result of a long latency period, during which inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers embed themselves in the pleural lining of the lungs or stomach.

Asbestos fibers, historically, have often been inhaled by workers handling them, or by family members handling that worker’s clothing or living with him or her.  Asbestos is a mineral that has very feathery, fibrous, low-density physical characteristics, so when it’s handled, it’s easy to become airborne, which is when it becomes dangerous.

These characteristics, incidentally, are what made asbestos such a prized mineral in the shipbuilding and construction industries, where it was most often employed for its insulating and fire retardant properties.  Its low density also made it a useful additive in concrete, which lowered transportation and construction costs while simultaneously strengthening the concrete.

Unfortunately, asbestos has subsequently proven that it can be a killer.

If you or someone you love has a mesothelioma diagnosis, it might be in your best interest to consider securing a mesothelioma settlement.  It may help defray the staggering costs associated with such an unfortunate turn of events.

Knowing asbestos facts could be an important way to be prepared about their dangers.  The foremost fact we’re concerned with is its causal relation to mesothelioma.  The fact is, asbestos has a strong link to victims who have developed mesothelioma.  A (sadly all-to-common) tale is workers in the industries of construction and shipbuilding come in contact with asbestos and subsequently develop mesothelioma.  The question is, however, how are these linked?  How and why does asbestos cause mesothelioma?  We’ve compiled a few facts to help set the record straight.

Asbestos is a mineral that, when found in mines, is fibrous, almost feathery, and very lightweight.  Both of these factors—its extremely low density and its feathery attributes—make it a highly valued building material for a couple of reasons.  For one, due to its physical properties, it traps a significant amount of air in between its fibers.  This makes it useful as an insulation material.  It was not uncommon for asbestos to be used on ships to insulate boilers and pipes.  It was also used in construction, where it was often combined with concrete.  This created a stronger, lighter concrete that was easier to ship and work with.

However, this fibrous consistency is also a big reason why asbestos can be so dangerous.  When it’s disturbed (by workers handling the material, for example), particles of the mineral can become airborne, which makes them very easy to ingest or inhale.  From there, the fibers can embed themselves in the lining of your lungs, which, after a period of latency, can trigger the onset of mesothelioma.

There are, generally speaking, two forms of naturally occurring asbestos.  They are amphibole and sepentine asbestos.  It’s possible to further categorize amphibole asbestos into additional types, including amosite and crocidolite.

Asbestos is a mineral found the world over.  Particularly large asbestos concerns are located in South Africa, Australia, Canada, China, and Russia.  Historically, Canada has been the world leader of asbestos mining.

The United States House of Representatives has designated September 26th as National Mesothelioma Awareness Day.  The designation, which occurred due to the passage of H. Res. 771 (House Resolution), might make September 26th a day for elements of the federal government to mark the day with educational gestures.

The bill, which can be seen as a victory for those attempting to fight mesothelioma by raising awareness about its causes and effects, was introduced by Congresswoman Betty McCollum of Minnesota.  Her stated reason for doing so is as follows: “In 2000, my friend and predecessor Congressman Bruce Vento was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. Despite decades of warnings about the dangers of asbestos, too many Americans are still unaware of the devastating nature of this disease.”

More information about this day can be found on this useful mesothelioma press release found on the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation site.

We’ve spent much time in this space attempting to detail how and why mesothelioma may be caused.  A one of the more common mesothelioma causes in the United States is asbestos exposure.  Asbestos exposure can occur for many reasons, but one typical cause is when one handles or comes into contact with this mineral in the workplace.  Another way many can be exposed is by living in a building constructed with materials containing asbestos.

For years, asbestos was a popular construction material for several reasons.  For one, it had excellent flame retardant and insulation properties, which made it an excellent product in buildings.  When mixed with concrete, it also simultaneously strengthened and lightened it, which reduced both labor and transportation costs.

Unfortunately, however, many workers who handled asbestos inhaled feathery fibers of the mineral.  These fibers can embed themselves in the lining of the lung, which, after a period of latency lasting anywhere from 10 to 50 years, can trigger the onset of mesothelioma symptoms.

Today, asbestos is inextricably linked with mesothelioma.  However, for centuries (or even millennia), this mineral was widely used and considered profoundly valuable.  The change has to do with mesothelioma’s ravages.

Mesothelioma is an insidious and devastating cancer that afflicts the delicate lining around the stomach and the lungs.  (This lining is known as the mesothelium, which is how this disease gets its name.)  Mesothelioma can be caused by asbestos exposure, and that’s how the majority of mesothelioma cases in America are caused.  (The natural occurrence for mesothelioma is about 1 in 1,000,000, whereas the current rate in the United States is somewhere between 7 and 40 per 1,000,000 citizens.)

Asbestos exposure can happen for many reasons.  One primary cause is working with asbestos.  Although this mineral is rarely used anymore, it used to be employed with great regularity in many industries, specifically the construction and shipbuilding ones.  Asbestos was used so widely because it possessed many properties that were prized in construction and shipbuilding.  For example, when mixed with concrete, it made the concrete simultaneously less dense and lighter.  This meant that builders could ship smaller amounts and needed smaller volumes to achieve the same results, which cut down on both labor and transportation costs.  Since asbestos is so light and feathery, it is an excellent insulator and fire retardant, so it was used for those purposes as well.  In the shipbuilding industry, its extremely low density and efficiency as an insulator led to its widespread use in an area where every extra pound of weight counts.

Unfortunately, despite its many positive uses, asbestos, when inhaled in the lungs, can cause mesothelioma.  After being inhaled, it lays dormant for anywhere from 10 to 50 years.  Once it actively begins causing mesothelioma, victims of this mineral’s insidiousness begin to worsen rapidly.  The life expectancy of someone afflicted with mesothelioma is often measured in mere months.

The history of asbestos use is a long and storied one marred by consistent tragedy.  The asbestos industry has been around, in one form or another, since antiquity.  Ancient Greeks mined the mineral for many uses, initially using it as a fabric supplement in the clothes of slaves.  As time went on, the ancient Greeks began to realize the extent of the mineral’s fire-resistant properties.  When they discovered this, asbestos began to become considered a more valuable commodity, and it was woven into the clothes of royalty, along with napkins and tablecloths.

Interestingly, the Greeks also began using it for insulation in construction and in ovens, which roughly mirrors how asbestos was used in modern times.  They also observed how slaves mining the mineral would take ill, the first of many such links between asbestos and diseases like mesothelioma.

The Romans also used asbestos for similar purposes.  Like the Greeks, they used asbestos in the creation of fine napkins and tablecloths, which proved particularly useful, since cleaning of the materials simply involved throwing them in a fire and removing them like-new.  Pliny the Elder, around this time, noted the “sickness of the lung” that afflicted many miners laboring in asbestos mines and discouraged others from buying slaves who had a history of working in the mines.

These dangers were apparent to ancient Romans like Pliny the Elder, but asbestos remained in widespread use throughout antiquity, through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and into the modern age.  Even today, asbestos is mined, and finds many applications in the contemporary world.  Recent uses have included widespread adoption within the construction and shipbuilding industries due to the very same flame retardant properties of asbestos that so enticed the Greeks and Romans of old.

We’ll continue our overview of the history of asbestos in a subsequent blog post.

Mesothelioma is a devastating cancer that attacks the lung and stomach lining of its victims.  Although it is, thankfully, rare, affecting somewhere between 7 and 40 people per 1,000,000 in the United States, mesothelioma often ravages those who do get it.

Natural occurrence of the disease historically hovered around the 1 per 1,000,000 mark.  The cause for the relatively recent spike in prevalence, which occurred after World War II, is due to the widespread use of one of its causes: asbestos.  Asbestos is a relatively lightweight mineral that is mined all across the world.  For decades, asbestos was used in many industries, specifically the shipbuilding and construction industries. Its uses were legion.

In the field of construction, asbestos was an important additive to concrete for several reasons.  The fundamental reason was that it made concrete lighter and stronger, which had the secondary benefits of reducing the volume needed to build, as well as lowering transportation costs.  The light, fibrous nature of asbestos also made it an excellent insulator, since it trapped significant amounts of air between its feathery structures.  For this reason, it was used as a flame retardant and an insulator in the construction of buildings.

In the shipbuilding industry, uses were similar, centering around the insulation of various parts of the ship.  Its importance to ships might arguably be even grater than its utility as a construction material, because ships often depend on lightweight materials, a property asbestos had in spades.

Unfortunately, asbestos, as previously mentioned, also causes mesothelioma.  Since it’s so lightweight, it can be inhaled when disturbed, or settle on clothes to be kicked up and inhaled later.  Once inhaled, and after a latency period lasting anywhere from 10 to 50 years, it can trigger the onset of mesothelioma.  And once that disease’s symptoms finally manifest itself, it advances rapidly.  Although there are treatments for mesothelioma, there is no cure, and the life expectancy of those afflicted with it is often measured in mere months.

Causes of mesothelioma are usually pretty well-known among those who spend a significant amount of time dealing with mesothelioma litigation, and to any regular visitor of this blog, or its parent site, the Mesothelioma Help Network, this post likely won’t open any new eyes.  Nevertheless, we like to make sure that new visitors are caught up to speed about what makes this devastating, largely incurable disease strike.

There may be other causes of mesothelioma, but the one it’s most commonly associated with, especially as it pertains to mesothelioma law, is asbestos exposure.  Asbestos exposure was prevalent for centuries because, during that time, it was highly prized for its properties as an insulant and a fire retardant in the shipbuilding and construction industries.  The mineral’s fibrous form also made it much lighter than other alternatives, which was another reason it was so coveted.  However, its lightweight, fibrous nature allowed it to become airborne easily by workers mining for it.  And, once airborne, asbestos is easily inhaled.  It also settles on clothing, which can transport the fibers to a worker’s home, where his family members can inhale them.

Once inhaled, the fibers travel to the mesothelium, which is the lining of the lungs or the stomach.  There, the asbestos fibers cannot be broken down, so they remain, where they often cause the mesothelium cells to divide and subdivide unchecked.  Following a latency period lasting anywhere from 10 to 50 years, the cancer in the mesothelioma starts to rapidly advance, causing shortness of breath and a lingering cough.

Once the symptoms of mesothelioma begin to manifest themselves, the disease advances with what can be alarming rapidity.  The life expectancy of someone diagnosed with this brutal disease is often measured in months, not years.  Sadly, though promising treatments are being developed on a regular basis, there is no cure.