Mesothelioma is a malignant tumor in the lining of the chest and abdominal cavities. It is a rare form of cancer, with about 3,500 cases diagnosed in the United States each year. Most people who develop this cancer have a history of exposure to the widely found carcinogen asbestos.

Malignant mesothelioma is usually not curable, although some surgical cures have been reported in a very few patients with very localized tumors. Most patients, however, have widespread disease at the time of diagnosis, with chest pain and a buildup of fluid within the cavity involved-chest or abdominal-that causes shortness of breath or abdominal swelling. Treatment at this stage, which may involve removing the fluid and the tumor, is usually directed toward relieving these symptoms.

Types
Malignant mesothelioma is a tumor that can have fibrous and epithelial elements. Epithelial cancers that develop in the tissues that cover the surface of or line internal organs are carcinomas, so the epithelial form of mesothelioma is sometimes confused with adenocarcinomas of the lung or metastatic carcinomas. Epithelial mesotheliomas seem to have a better prognosis than other types.

How It Spreads
Mesotheliomas start in the membranes lining the chest or in the membranes of the abdominal cavity. They can spread via the lymphatic channels to the lymph nodes of the middle of the chest. They can also spread via the bloodstream within and beyond the cavity of origin and metastasize to other organs such as the lungs and chest wall and to abdominal organs such as the bowel.

What Causes Mesothelioma
Inhalation of asbestos fibers is a primary cause. About 70,000 tons of asbestos is used in the United States each year, in cement, brake linings, roof shingles, insulation, flooring products and packing materials. Asbestos has also been found as a contaminant in talc, which is also associated with ovarian cancer. Many urban water reservoirs contain asbestos-like fibers, and most public and private buildings contain asbestos. Only recently has the strong association between asbestos exposure and malignancy been recognized and appropriate industrial and health standards for exposure been put into effect.

It is sometimes difficult to prove the relationship between asbestos exposure and the development of mesothelioma. The risk of developing the disease begins about fifteen years after the first exposure and increases each year up to forty to forty-five years after the first exposure. It is estimated that about 8 million people living in the United States have been occupationally exposed to asbestos over the last half century during the mining and milling of the mineral and during various manufacturing processes. It has been estimated that there will be 250,000 cases of mesothelioma in the United States and United Kingdom by the year 2025.

1. National Asbestos Lawyers of Cooney Conway Launches Mesothelioma Portal (PRWeb via Yahoo! News) - Chicago based Asbestos Litigation, Personal Injury Law Firm of Cooney Conway Launches New Website Dedicated to Helping Mesothelioma Victims
2. Doctor: Cancer that took Olsen’s life called “Mesothelioma” (ABC 4 Salt Lake City) - SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Merlin Olsen passed away Thursday from mesothelioma, but a doctor has given tips on how to fight the lung disease that took the…
3. New NCCN Guidelines for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Presented at Annual Conference (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) - HOLLYWOOD, Fla.—-A new addition to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology , the NCCN Guidelines for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma , was presented at the NCCN 15th Annual Conference.
4. New Research Could Help Provide Answers To Mesothelioma, England (Medical News Today) - The British Lung Foundation is working with the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund to support new research which could lead to better treatments for mesothelioma, an incurable asbestos-related cancer that affects the tissues lining the outside of the lung and the chest wall (pleura). Following a competitive grant application process, Dr Stefan Marciniak at the UniversityofCambridge was …
5. Doctor: Mesothelioma that killed Olsen tough to beat (ABC 4 Salt Lake City) - SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Merlin Olsen passed away Wednesday from mesothelioma, but a doctor has given tips on how to fight the lung disease that took the…
6. Access Legal Calls for More Help for Asbestos Disease Victims (PRWeb via Yahoo! News) - Access Legal, consumer legal services provider, is calling for more to be done to help victims of mesothelioma
7. Cancer takes Merlin Olsen (Tacoma News Tribune) - Merlin Olsen, who helped form one of the NFL’s greatest defensive lines before embarking on a successful career in television, died Thursday after a battle with cancer. He was 69.
8. Ex-NFL, TV star Olsen dies of cancer (Honolulu Advertiser) - Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, who helped form one of the NFL’s greatest defensive lines before embarking on a successful career in television, died yesterday after a battle with cancer. He was 69.
9. Pro football player, ‘Little House’ actor dies of cancer (Tulsa World) - Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, who helped form one of the NFL’s greatest defensive lines before embarking on a successful career in television, died Thursday near Los Angeles of cancer. He was 69.
10. Merlin Olsen, 69, dies of cancer (Austin American-Statesman) - Merlin Olsen, 69, dies of cancer

Cancer, epithelial cancers, malignant mesothelioma, malignant tumor metastatic carcinomas

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