Details & FAQ's About Abdominal Asbestos Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a kind of cancer that devastating effect on the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a layer of membrane that is very thin and it protects almost all the internal organs inside our body. Mesothelioma has been connected with the fibrous mineral, asbestos that has used in construction for years. In fact, most cases of mesothelioma are always connected with prior contact with the mineral.

Abdominal asbestos mesothelioma occurs in the peritoneum. People with this situation may have come into contact with asbestos and worked in areas where it has been occur. This exposure to asbestos may occur in diverse forms. A worker while working may inhale the fibers of asbestos while on duty. A person who may not be a worker may also be exposed to asbestos by various other means. A person who washes the clothes of a worker who is exposed to asbestos directly may also be prone to abdominal asbestos mesothelioma.

What causes mesothelioma?

Almost all cases of mesothelioma are linked to asbestos exposure. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked in asbestos-related industries such as pipe-fitting, manufacture of brakes, and shipbuilding.

How does asbestos cause mesothelioma? When asbestos is handled, tiny asbestos fibers, thinner than a human hair, break off and become airborne. If the workplace is not appropriately ventilated, workers inhale the fibers. Inhaled asbestos fibers work their way into the chest cavity or the abdominal cavity, and lodge in the mesothelium.

How long does it take to develop mesothelioma? The disease progresses slowly; symptoms may not appear for 15 years, sometimes for as long as 40 years after the exposure. The membrane thickens into a hard, inflexible rind, forming bumps and nodules. The enlarging cancerous tissue produces large amounts of fluid that crowds the chest or abdominal cavity, and the cancer itself compresses nearby organs.

In asbestos mesothelioma, cancerous cells affect the mesothelial layer that is present in the chest cavity called the pleura and the lungs. There are some cases where the cancer has also occurred in the peritoneum, or the lining present in the abdominal cavity and the pericardium, which is the membrane sac that is around the heart.

A survey has shown that out of every seven people exposed to asbestos, one is likely to develop asbestos related cancer that may include abdominal asbestos mesothelioma.

There are various signs and symptoms that are related to abdominal asbestos mesothelioma. But one common problem the doctors often face when it comes to diagnosing it is that the symptoms are very difficult to identify. The signs are not noticeable till about twenty to fifty years after a person has been exposed to asbestos. The symptoms vary and are dependent on various factors, like the particular type of mesothelioma a person is afflicted with and the length of time that he has been exposed to asbestos.

Why does mesothelioma take so long to be diagnosed? The mesothelium thickens very slowly, and until it becomes so thick that it presses against the chest or abdominal wall, or its fluids begin to leak, the victim has no symptoms. Only when it has grown large enough to press on vital organs and to leak fluid into the chest or abdominal cavity does the victim begin to experience symptoms such as severe chest pain, shortness of breath, and constant fatigue. By the time symptoms are troublesome enough for a victim to seek medical attention the disease may have progressed so far that the life expectancy will be measured in months

The symptoms that are related to abdominal asbestos mesothelioma include cachexia which is a condition in which a person loses a lot of weight, experiences tiredness, anorexia and atrophy. The abdomen gets swollen which is a result of excessive fluids in the cavity of the abdomen. If this cancer is in a very advanced stage, pain is caused because of the buildup.

A person could also have symptoms like fever, anemia, blood clotting abnormalities and the bowels getting obstructed. If the cancer spreads to the other organs, the patient will also suffer from swelling of the face and neck and could have a lot of trouble swallowing.

Abdominal asbestos mesothelioma is fatal. The treatment methods that are available today are only partly successful. Doctors combine chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy and surgery. Other kinds of treatment that are related to abdominal asbestos mesothelioma are mainly for the relief of the symptoms rather than an actual cure. A procedure that is called heated intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy helps in the prevention of the development of this cancer by trying to remove as much of the tumor as possible from the patient.