Early Diagnosis Of Mesothelioma Is The Key

Mesothelioma has become one of
the most killer viruses of the
last three decades. The root of
the virus lies in an exposure to
asbestos material. Even though
the disease is considered less widespread as compared to
other forms of cancer such as
lung cancer, it's disturbing
growth due its airborne mode of
exposure has made it quite
lethal. There is still no cure for this form of cancer except
chemotherapy treatment.
According to a report Malignant
mesothelioma kills 10,000 people
a year in the US alone.

The problem lies in the fact that
there are no real alternatives to
asbestos. And since the late 70s
companies that manufacture this
material have consistently lied or
ignored the levels of hazard. But due to the thousands of tort
cases based on asbestos
exposure, manufacturing
companies are doing whatever
they can to meet standards of
workers safety.

Transmission through
Asbestos

Only by the 70s was there
sufficient data available that
comprehensively proved the
connection of asbestos exposure.
The toxic nature of asbestos if
inhaled over a long period of time leads to mesothelioma form
of cancer. There have been
secondary transmissions or in-
direct cases of transmission. In
2004 a lady in England got
infected with mesothelioma due to the clothes of her father
which was exposed to high levels
of this toxic material. This case
creates a whole different level
of risk as the person concerned
was not directly working in an asbestos environment.

The one redeeming fact of
asbestos exposure is that
malignant mesothelioma
transmission is not possible with
small periods of exposure. One
cannot get this cancer if it inhales the toxins a few times. A
sustained exposure to this
environment can be the only
cause for this disease. According
to Centre of Disease Control
(CDC) a person may take up to 7 to 10 years to develop
mesothelioma

Diagnosis of the Disease

An early diagnosis is the key to
fighting this disease therefore
diagnosing a set of common
symptoms as early as possible is
highly recommended. This is
especially in the case of people working in the high risk
environment.

The following are the basic
processes used in
diagnosing mesothelioma
(A) A CAT scan or an MRI scan to check the presence of large fluid
(B) Lung function test and a Chest X-ray is performed after a
thorough physical check
(C) Finally a biopsy is needed for confirmation of malignant
mesothelioma The biopsy depends upon where
the cancer is located. Most
commonly it is located in chest or
in the abdomen.

Though no test
is perfect, based on medical
history and the person's possible exposure to asbestos, certain
inferences can be drawn.