What Is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous) tumor affecting the mesothelium, which is a membrane that covers most of the body's internal organs. Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura (lining around the lungs) or peritoneum (the lining around the abdomen).

Benign mesothelioma can also be called a fibroma, and cancerous mesothelioma is also known as malignant mesothelioma. A mesothelioma can further be named based on where it occurs. For example, malignant pleural mesothelioma is cancer that begins in the lining around the lungs.

Most people who develop malignant mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles. A benign mesothelioma does not appear to have any relationship to asbestos exposure.

Understanding the Mesothelium
The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. It is composed of two layers of cells: one layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart and the expanding and contracting lungs) to glide easily against adjacent structures.

The mesothelium has different names, depending on its location in the body. The peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that covers most of the organs in the abdominal cavity. The pleura is the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity, while the pericardium covers and protects the heart. The mesothelial tissue surrounding the male internal reproductive organs is called the tunica vaginalis testis, and the tunica serosa uteri covers the internal reproductive organs in women.

SOURCE:http://mesothelioma.emedtv.com/mesothelioma/mesothelioma.html

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Who Gets Mesothelioma - Your Genes Play a Part

Some mesothelioma researchers are proposing a genetic component to this aggressive cancer long associated with asbestos. At the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation's 2010 International Symposium, Jill Ohar MD of Wake Forest School of Medicine reported on research that supported the possibility that people who develop mesothelioma may have a genetic susceptibility.

Between 1940 and 1980, asbestos was an extremely common material in American industry, used in shipbuilding, aircraft fabrication, plumbing, insulation, railroad and automotive brakes and clutches, ceiling tile, floor tile, drywall, fireproofing materials, cement, and literally hundreds of other uses. An estimated 40 per cent of the US workforce, about 27 million Americans , was exposed in their workplaces to asbestos. The large majority of those exposed have not developed mesothelioma. The number of new mesothelioma cases identified each year has stayed constant at about 3000 per year.

The relatively small number who develop mesothelioma has led researchers to ask what might be the differences, among workers who experienced the same exposure to asbestos, between the majority who did not develop mesothelioma, and those who did.

Ohar and her colleagues worked from their database of 5000 people who had been exposed to asbestos, of whom 327 developed mesothelioma. They asked all of them about their asbestos exposure and their general health status. Their answers showed some very interesting patterns.

Age of first exposure: those workers who developed mesothelioma tended to be younger at their first exposure to asbestos. In the 1940's, they were the young men and women who volunteered out of high school, at age 17 or 18 to join the military, or work in defense industries. Cells in younger people tend to be more vulnerable to carcinogenic (cancer-causing) agents. Even a few years' delay, time spent in college or in work that did not involve exposure to asbestos, seems to have had a protective effect.
Military service: Mesothelioma patients were more likely to have served in the military. Service in the military increased the odds of exposure to asbestos.
Other cancer diagnoses: Mesothelioma patients were three times more likely than other workers exposed to asbestos to have had another cancer diagnosis at the time of diagnosis of their mesothelioma. This suggests a greater vulnerability, probably genetically mediated, to carcinogenic agents.
Cancer in first-order relatives: People diagnosed with mesothelioma were also three times more likely than other workers exposed to asbestos to have a first-order relative (a parent, a brother or a sister, or a child) who had a cancer diagnosis. Children of people with a mesothelioma diagnosis were seven times more likely to have a cancer diagnosis.
The message in Dr Ohar's research is that mesothelioma may be part of a broader genetic susceptibility to cancer-causing agents. Genetic susceptibility by itself does not lead to a diagnosis of meso. Exposure to asbestos does not guarantee that a person will get meso. But combine exposure, especially at a young age, with genetic susceptibility, and the odds for developing mesothelioma rise dangerously.
If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos fibers, especially in the workplace, and has received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, you need to consult with an experienced asbestos mesothelioma lawyer to determine whether you may have an actionable case against the employer.

Frederick Schenk is experienced in all aspects of asbestos and mesothelioma litigation. He has dedicated his over 25 years of legal practice to fighting for the rights of asbestos victims and their families. He understands the devastating effects a mesothelioma diagnosis can create. As a California asbestos attorney, he will diligently pursue your legal matter and defend your complaint.

SOURCE:http://ezinearticles.com/?Who-Gets-Mesothelioma---Your-Genes-Play-a-Part&id=4763101

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