Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that has managed to grab headlines in recent years. As the public learns more about how work environments affect their health prospects, mesothelioma has taken center stage with military veterans, construction workers, and emergency workers alike being prime targets of the disease. Affected patients and their families find themselves desperate for answers about their health and their legal options as they fight for their lives.
What Is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelium, the tissue which lines vital organs, is found throughout the midsection of the body. Cancer in this tissue is called "mesothelioma." Most people associate mesothelioma with lung cancer, and 70% of all cases do indeed involve the lining of the lungs. However, in addition to the variety which affects the lungs (pleural), mesothelioma can affect the lining of the abdominal cavity and heart. The latter two manifestations are referred to as "peritoneal mesothelioma" and "pericardial mesothelioma" respectively.
Who Is At Risk?
Mesothelioma is primarily associated with asbestos exposure. Asbestos was a popular insulating material in the years following WWII due to its heat and fire-resistant qualities. As a result, millions of people were unwittingly exposed to dangerous levels of the substance in past decades.
Those who have worked in environments where asbestos is abundant have the highest probability of developing mesothelioma in later years. Industrial workers who produce or mine asbestos, shipyard workers, construction workers, heating specialists, and naval veterans have been identified as carrying the highest degree of risk. Worse yet, even low levels of contamination and short periods of exposure offer no protection; people who have been exposed to asbestos for as little as one to three months have gone on to receive a positive diagnosis.
Due to the extremely long latency period between exposure and detection, the link between asbestos and cancer wasn't isolated before the use of asbestos became nearly ubiquitous. Compounding the issue, many companies delayed implementing safety precautions even after the connection between asbestos and mesothelioma was well known. The impact of their negligence has only recently become clearer, as those who were exposed to asbestos in the 1980's have often just begun to receive treatment thirty years later.
How Is It Treated?
Mesothelioma is most commonly treated with surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy. Of the three, only chemotherapy has been proven to extend the life of a patient. Radiation and surgery are more useful as conjunctive therapies, allowing oncologists to reduce the size of a malignancy to that which is more easily managed through chemotherapy. An additional, lesser known therapy called "Heated Intraoperative Interperitoneal Chemotherapy" has also proven promising for patients with malignant pleural (lung) mesothelioma. It involves heating chemotherapeutic substances, and then introducing them to the abdominal cavity in high doses for 60 to 120 minutes. The localized administration of chemotherapy allows for a higher concentration of cancer killing compounds, while heating them enhances their absorption into affected tissues.
Looking To The Future
The prognosis for a patient diagnosed with mesothelioma will depend on several factors. Because of the long latency period between exposure and diagnosis, the cancer has often had two to five decades to do its damage to the body. Add to that the fact that most people are not diagnosed until their cancer has reached an advanced stage, and it becomes clear that effective treatment is difficult. The cancer type, the health of the patient, location of tumors, and whether the is metastasis through the rest of the body will all influence a patient's prospects for recovery. Overall, the 5 year survival rate for mesothelioma patients is not rosy, but many have found that by combining therapies and working to improve their overall health, their quality of life is significantly improved. Moreover, cases like those of Stephen Jay Gould, and author Paul Kraus, both of whom survived more than twenty years after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, offer a ray of hope as scientists continue to seek a cure.
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