elops on the intestines and other nearby organs, resulting in a number of symptoms that are often read as intestinal blockage, kidney problems, or liver disease.
Pericardial Mesothelioma is the most unusual diagnosis, occurring in five percent or less of all malignant mesothelioma cases. This portion of the mesothelium forms a sac around the heart. When the disease becomes active it causes the membrane – known as the pericardium – to thicken, harden and put pressure on the heart. The result is often heart palpitations, arrhythmia, chest pain that is commonly associated with heart disease, and if the pericardium becomes too thick, heart failure.
Cell Types of Malignant Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is also broken down into cell types; there are two distinct types of cancer cells that may be part of this malignancy. Epithelioid mesothelioma is caused by epithelial cells; about 50% to 60% of mesothelioma cancers are of this type. It tends to have a better prognosis than the other types. Sarcomatoid or fibrous cells cause 10% to 20% of malignant mesotheliomas. These cases are much more difficult to treat effectively. The third possibility is biphasic mesothelioma, which includes both types of cells. They make up about 30% to 40% of all cases.
Malignant Mesothelioma Risk
The most common cause of malignant mesothelioma is asbestos exposure. Workers in the steel, mining, plumbing, milling, insulation, and power generation industries, among hundreds of others who handle or manufacture asbestos products, are at the highest risk of developing malignant mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure in the workplace has resulted in tens of thousands of mesothelioma cases over the past half century, as asbestos was a widely used component of industrial, manufacturing and construction products.
While the risks of the disease increase depending on the frequency and intensity of asbestos exposure, there have been a number of malignant mesothelioma cases among people who have had only one or two months of exposure. One of the unusual aspects of the disease is the extraordinarily long period of latency that usually accompanies it. Mesothelioma symptoms generally begin to manifest themselves twenty to fifty years after the hazardous asbestos exposure has occurred. That means the average mesothelioma patient is well over fifty years old and in many cases retired. And, in too many cases, mesothelioma victims are also inflicted with some of the medical frailties that accompany old age, making diagnosis of this rare disease more difficult.
Asbestos fibers are sharp and easily cling to various surfaces such as hair, skin, clothes, and shoes of workers who may track the toxic fibers into their homes subjecting innocent family members to serious illnesses and disease. They may be contained in dust collected on clothing during the course of a workday. Family members of those who are regularly exposed asbestos brought into the home also are at risk of developing malignant mesothelioma.
Symptoms of Malignant Mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma being the most common form of the disease, the symptoms most often seen involve the chest. Those may include chest pain, a dry cough, shortness of breath and difficulty with physical exertion. Beyond these physical symptoms are the medical causes. Pleural effusion, a condition that causes the accumulation of fluid in the pleural space, is seen in a majority of pleural mesothelioma cases. Thickening of the pleura is brought on by inflammation and the development of small tumors across the membrane's surface.
Peritoneal mesothelioma is characterized by a swollen abdomen and abdominal pain, usually caused by a buildup of fluid. Bowel obstruction, edema in the legs, and thrombosis in the legs are also seen with this version of malignant mesothelioma. Anemia and loss of appetite may occur.
Pericardial mesothelioma causes chest pain similar to that felt with cardiovascular disease. It can also cause thrombosis in the veins and arteries around the heart, as well as the palpitations and arrhythmia mentioned above. Like pleural mesothelio