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Mesothelioma Frequently Asked Questions
Responses to Your Questions About:
What causes mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos fibers are very small, and may become airborne. Once you inhale these fibers, they can become embedded in your lungs or travel to the pleura (the membrane surrounding the lungs and chest cavity), other organs, or to the lymph nodes. These asbestos fibers cause diseases such as asbestosis as well as mesothelioma. See Asbestos Exposure for more detailed information.
Are there different types of mesothelioma?
Yes. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of the disease. It is a cancer of the pleura, which is the membrane lining the lungs and chest cavity. Pleural mesothelioma patients experience breathing difficulties and reduced lung capacity.
Peritoneal mesothelioma is cancer of the peritoneum, the membrane that lines the stomach or abdomen. It is the second most common form of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma may also begin around the pericardium or heart cavity lining, although this is very rare. See Peritoneal and Pleural Mesothelioma.
What are the symptoms of peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma?
Typically, people do not develop any mesothelioma symptoms until decades after their asbestos exposure. Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include difficulty breathing, pain in the lower back or at the side of the chest, difficulty swallowing, and fever. Peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms include abdominal pain and gain in weight around the waist. However, both pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms may also be signs of other diseases or conditions.
The most telling sign pointing to a possible mesothelioma diagnosis is a history of asbestos exposure. Your doctor will consider your mesothelioma symptoms and confirm a mesothelioma diagnosis through imaging tests and fluid and tissue samples.
Who is most likely to get pleural mesothelioma?
The more asbestos that you inhale, the greater your chances of developing pleural mesothelioma. Workers in the building, construction, shipbuilding, railroad, and automotive industries are at high risk for contracting pleural mesothelioma because they are usually exposed to large amounts of asbestos on the job. Family members of workers exposed to asbestos may also develop mesothelioma if they come into contact with asbestos dust brought into the home on the workers’ shoes, clothing, skin, or hair.
Is mesothelioma curable?
Mesothelioma is not curable. Some treatments may prolong life or ease pain, but no standard mesothelioma treatment regime exists at this time. This should not be a cause for despair, however, as researchers are constantly discovering new cancer drugs and procedures.
What are the most common mesothelioma treatments?
Mesothelioma treatment depends upon the stage or phase of the disease, that is, whether the cancer has spread. It includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy, or a combination of these procedures.
In early stages of mesothelioma, surgery may be used in an attempt to cut out mesothelioma tumor cells. A simpler procedure, used in more advanced cases of pleural mesothelioma, is to remove excess fluid from the pleural or lung cavity. This is called thoracentesis. It does not remove cancer cells, but may relieve pain.
Chemotherapy uses drugs and chemicals to fight cancer cells. The substances are given to patients in pill form or by injection. See Mesothelioma Chemotherapy for a discussion of promising cancer drugs.
Radiation therapy makes use of high–dose radiation such as x–rays to kill cancer tumors. Some doctors believe that this mesothelioma treatment may reduce the size of a tumor as well as relieve symptoms.
Immunotherapy employs some new techniques, most of which are in the experimental phase. These include gene therapy and the use of cytokines, which are messenger proteins affecting the immune system. See Mesothelioma Immunotherapy for details.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of photodynamic therapy for the treatment of non–small cell lung cancer and cancer of the esophagus, but the therapy has not yet been approved as a mesothelioma treatment. See Mesothelioma Photodynamic Therapy for more information.
What are clinical trials, and how do they affect mesothelioma patients?
A clinical trial is a research study using volunteers. A clinical trial tests the effectiveness and safety of a new procedure or drug, including proper dosage and side effects. Taking part in a clinical trial may prolong or improve a mesothelioma patient’s life. On the other hand, clinical trials deal with experimental drugs or procedures that may have negative results or be ineffective.
Before you decide to take part in a mesothelioma clinical trial, discuss the matter thoroughly with your doctor and health care team. You will need to ask many questions. For more details about clinical trials, see Learning About Mesothelioma Clinical Trials.
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