Mesothelioma Causes and Symptoms

The causes of mesothelioma are still unclear. When cancer has spread to other organs and exposed more tissue, the disease is said to be malignant mesothelioma. The main causes of mesothelioma are exposure to asbestos, exposure to benzene or to other gases containing these compounds, exposure to ultraviolet rays, percutaneous puncture wounds and exposure to certain chemicals.

In humans, asbestosis is a group of lung cancer that is associated with asbestos exposure. It is the most common form of asbestos-related cancer in the United States. Exposure to asbestos is thought to cause asbestosis through a variety of mechanisms including carcinogenic and viral mechanisms.

Asbestosis is not generally curable and treatment aims at slowing the growth of the tumor. Complications from asbestosis include lung scarring and poor prognosis. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are used to treat patients with asbestosis. There is currently no effective treatment for mesothelioma.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term that includes both asthma and chronic bronchitis. This disease affects as many as five million Americans and is the leading cause of accidental death among middle-aged adults. Approximately eight percent of those who contract this disease will also die from it. The disease's major symptom is chronic chest pain.

Meningioma is the second most common form of cancer in men and the second most common form of cancer in women. Men who are diagnosed with mesothelioma are about twice as likely to have malignant mesothelioma as are men who are diagnosed with non-malignant mesothelioma. Researchers believe that the risk of getting malignant mesothelioma increases greatly among those who smoke. Other studies have shown that women who smoke become much more susceptible to this disease than do women who do not smoke. Other studies have shown that smokers are much more likely to get malignant mesothelioma than are nonsmokers.

Individuals with high-risk medical conditions are also at a higher risk of developing mesothelioma. People with diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, a family history of mesothelioma, hereditary hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and pulmonary hypertension are at a higher risk. Mesothelioma causes and symptoms associated with malignant mesothelioma can be quite varied and consist of a range of symptoms. However, malignant mesothelioma symptoms may include:

Pleural mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer that is believed to occur when the mesothelium (the protective lining of the lungs) is attacked by cancer cells. The malignant mesothelioma symptoms are usually worse in individuals who have a family history of the disease. The lungs of people with pleural mesothelioma are also smaller than those of individuals with non-malignant mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma causes and symptoms associated with malignant mesothelioma can be quite varied and consist of a range of symptoms.

Men who have had a prolonged history of smoking are at higher risk of contracting mesothelioma. Because smoking is known to cause other diseases, smokers are at a much higher risk of contracting cancer. Longer smoking duration and lower levels of nicotine are believed to increase the chances of developing malignant mesothelioma. Cigarette smoke contains a variety of toxic substances such as chlorine, carbon monoxide, nitrosamines, nicotine, and various carcinogens. These substances are known to induce a variety of diseases including mesothelioma, bronchial cancer, esophageal cancer, and various other forms of cancer.

Carcinogen, a carcinogen is a compound that induces cancer in a way that promotes its growth. Such compounds are known as carcinogens. There are a variety of different carcinogens and they can either cause malignant mesothelioma or non-malignant mesothelioma. through different mechanisms. Some of the non-malignant mesothelioma carcinogens include certain polycyclic Ara carcinogens, PAHs, NNKs, chlorinated dibenecarboxylic acids, and benzo [a] pyrene.