Facts About Asbestos Lung Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma cancer is categorized into three according to the area in which the infection occurs. It is caused by over exposure to asbestos. The three types of mesothelioma are the pleural mesothelioma, which affects the mesothelium around the lung cavities; the peritoneal, found in the lining of the abdomen; and the pericardial, which attacks the heart cavities. The former one which attacks the lining of the lungs is also called asbestos lung mesothelioma because it infects the cavities of the lung and is caused by asbestos. 

The pleural mesothelioma is surely a life threatening disease. It may also happen that the infection spreads all long the lung and it has to be removed. The fine fibers of asbestos settle down in the pleural linings. It triggers some chemical reactions resulting in harmful cell division. As a consequence pleural effusion and thickening of the layer happens obstructing the easy motion of the lungs causing breathing problems. The infection may take years and decades to reach this advanced stage. 

Diagnosing pleural mesothelioma sometimes gets difficult if the doctor handling the case is not adept in the subject. Many symptoms resulting from this cancer are similar to those of many other diseases like pneumonia. 

Chronic cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of body weight, night sweat, fever, etc., are the most common symptoms of asbestos lung mesothelioma. Some patients may show some of the symptoms, but others might not develop any symptom at all. This trait of the cancer has often created confusions resulting in failure to detect the cancer or wrong diagnosis. 

The most common symptoms of asbestos lung mesothelioma is shortness of breath, chronic cough, fatigue at the least exertion, loss of body weight for no assumable reason, fever, night sweat, etc. Some patients may show only two or three of these while some others would remain totally free of symptoms. This character of the cancer has often resulted in failure to detect or wrong diagnosis which eventually confounds the situation. If the infection is only at the initial stages, doctors prefer conventional treatments like surgery. If required, additional therapies like chemotherapy to preempt the spread of the cancer further and radiation therapy to remove the remnants of cancer through high energy or particle beams are also resorted to. 

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