Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma (or, more precisely, malignant mesothelioma) is a rare form of cancer that develops from transformed cells originating in the mesothelium, the protective lining that covers many of the internal organs of the body. It is usually caused by exposure to asbestos.
The most common anatomical site for the development of mesothelioma is the pleura (the outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it can also arise in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), and the pericardium (the sac that surrounds the heart), or the tunica vaginalis (a sac that surrounds the testis).
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked in jobs where they inhaled asbestos, or were exposed to asbestos dust and fibers in other ways. It has also been suggested that washing clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos increases their risk for developing mesothelioma. Unlike lung cancer, there seems to be no association between mesothelioma and tobacco smoking, but smoking greatly increases the risk of other asbestos-induced cancers. Some people who were exposed to asbestos have collected damages for asbestos-related disease, including mesothelioma. Compensation via asbestos funds or class action lawsuits is an important issue in law practices regarding mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).
Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and constitutional signs such as unexplained weight loss. The diagnosis may be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, but must be confirmed pathologically, either with serous effusion cytology or with a biopsy (removing a sample of the suspicious tissue) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to acquire biopsy material, and allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space (a procedure called pleurodesis), preventing more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing.

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Verastem Inc. to Begin Developing Novel Mesothelioma Drug

Nothing generates excitement in the cancer community quite like the development of a promising new therapy.
Such developments are especially exciting for mesothelioma patients. With only one FDA-approved mesothelioma drug on the market, more options are desperately needed. And while researchers have found ways to make existing drugs more applicable for mesothelioma treatment, nobody has recently created a new drug specifically for the disease.
Verastem, Inc. – a Massachusetts-based biopharmaceutical company – plans to change that.
“We feel that there is such a large medical need here, with so little approved,” Robert Forrester, Verastem’s President and Chief Operating Officer, told Asbestos.com.
They’re right about the void, and they’re moving quickly to fill it.
In summer 2012, they acquired the commercial rights to a compound that can inhibit cell growth. (For now, the compound is known as VS-6063.) Earlier this month, they revealed their plans to test its efficacy in mesothelioma patients at some point in 2013.
“Our lead drug, VS-6063, has been in development for a number of years. It’s been shown to be safe and have activity in a number of tumors, so we are now moving it into what we believe to be a pivotal trial, sometime around the middle of this year,” said Forrester.

Gearing Up for a Phase II Trial

“In late spring we’ll start to release more details about where the trial will be held. Right now, we’re planning on about 30 to 50 centers,” Forrester explained. “They’ll primarily be centers of excellence in big areas like Boston, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.”
International hospitals may also participate, as Verastem is in final negotiations with several European regulatory agencies.
Overall, they hope to recruit between 300 and 350 mesothelioma patients for the clinical trial. Ideal participants will have had a partial or complete response to first-line therapy.

Who will respond to the therapy?

Once the recruiting period is over, researchers will divide the patients into two categories: Merlin-positive and Merlin-negative.
Merlin is a protein that functions as a tumor suppressor. Verastem estimates that around half of the patients who lack the protein (Merlin-negative patients) may be especially responsive to treatments like VS-6063. Verastem’s partner LabCorp is working on a test to determine if the protein is present.
“They’re making a clinical test so when a mesothelioma patient presents to their doctor, they can conduct the test to see which drug [the patient] will respond to,” said Brian Sullivan, from Verastem’s corporate development department.
A 29-patient phase I study by researcher GlaxoSmithKline – using a drug candidate in the same target class as VS-6063 – found that merlin-negative patients had a much longer progression-free survival period after treatment. For merlin-positive patients, the median progression-free survival period was 11 weeks; for merlin-negative patients, it was 24 weeks. Since the GlaxoSmithKline drug candidate is also a FAK inhibitor, the study offered solid proof that FAK inhibitors could serve as a therapeutic agent for mesothelioma.
“They saw an average progression-free survival of 18 weeks [when Merlin-positive and Merlin-negative patients were combined]; a dramatic improvement,” Sullivan shared. Dramatic indeed, considering that Sullivan says, “Traditionally, you would expect to see a progression-free survival period of about six weeks.”

Zoning in on Cancer Stem Cells

So how does the drug itself work?
VS-6063 is a focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor. It regulates tumor growth by attacking the dividing cells that are ultimately responsible for metastasis.
While these cells are technically cancer stem cells, “we prefer to call them tumor-initiating cells,” Forrester clarified. This helps prevent confusion with the highly controversial embryonic stem cells.
“They’re the bad actors in the play of cancer. These are the cells that lead to occurrence and recurrence of the tumor,” Forrester explained. “We believe that for mesothelioma, they are highly implicated in the growth of the tumor. If we can kill them off, we can keep the tumor in check for a longer period.”
“Very luckily, the science around what this drug is has garnered attention from all the major mesothelioma leaders across the globe,” Forrester shared.
As they check off each step in the development process, they’ll certainly attract even more attention. And as we follow their progress, we’ll all be hoping for the best.
Check back with Asbestos.com later in the year for more updates about the trial, as well as information on enrollment.

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Mesothelioma Cancer Patients Hurt by Court Ruling Against Medicinal Marijuana

Mesothelioma cancer patients utilizing marijuana for medicinal purposes were dealt a setback earlier this month when a federal appeals court in Washington D.C. ruled in favor of the government’s long-standing classification of cannabis as a top-tier, dangerous drug.
The ruling dismissed a challenge to the Drug Enforcement Agency’s refusal to reclassify marijuana and loosen the restrictions that mostly prohibit the production, sale and use of it.
Many cancer patients have been using marijuana to combat the nausea and appetite loss that typically comes with chemotherapy treatments – and to help with pain management –, but the appeals court still sided with the DEA, making it much more difficult to obtain legally.
Although voters or legislators in 18 states have enacted laws in recent years making medicinal marijuana legal (under strict controls) – and two states have legalized it for recreational use – the federal designation remains unchanged after the court ruling.
The DEA, under the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, still classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, with no accepted medical uses, placing it alongside heroin and LSD.
“To establish accepted medical use, the effectiveness of a drug must be established in well-controlled, well-designed, well-conducted and well-documented scientific studies with a large number of patients. To date, such studies have not been performed,” the DEA stated in defense of its decision, which was used in the appeals court opinion.
Americans for Safe Access, a marijuana advocacy group, and several disabled American veterans, brought the case in October 2012 before a three-judge panel.  The DEA has rejected a similar petition in 2011.

Proven Medicinal Use

More than 200 published studies were cited by Americans for Safe Access – including one by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a governmental health advisor – to demonstrate the medical efficacy of marijuana, but the overall reasoning was rejected by the court.
“The IOM report does indeed suggest that marijuana might have medicinal benefits. However, the DEA fairly construed this report as calling for ‘more and better studies to determine potential medical applications of marijuana,’ and not as sufficient proof of medical efficacy itself,” the court opinion read.
The Americans for Safe Access has organized a conference called Bridging the Gap between Public and Policy, for Washington, D.C. on Feb. 25. It will include a Congressional lobbying effort that day.
The chief counsel for the ASA already has said it will seek another hearing before the full, nine-person appeals court, and a possible appeal to the United States Supreme Court on the matter.
“We’re disappointed, but not surprised,” Steph Sherer, ASA executive director, told the Los Angeles Times of the recent ruling. Sherer told the Times that more than one million patients have used marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Pain Management

The use of medicinal marijuana in Western countries can be traced back to the 19th century when it was used to relieve inflammation and pain. It was shown to help with convulsions and spasms, providing quick relief for a number of symptoms associated with physical ailments.
Mesothelioma patients in states where it is legal for medicinal purposes must have a prescription from a physician and a registration card to use the plant. The laws vary from state to state.
Although smoking marijuana provides the quickest relief from pain, patients already with lung problems can consume it through the digestive process by eating it in baked goods. Drug companies also have developed synthetic versions that can be taken in pill form.
Patients in various trials have reported its usefulness in improving sleep quality and increasing appetite, which are common problems with cancer patients. It also has helped with nausea, pain and anxiety relief. Additionally, it has shown to have fewer lasting side effects compared to many opiates that are prescribed to cancer patients by doctors.

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Malignant Mesothelioma Mortality --- United States

Malignant Mesothelioma Mortality --- United States, 1999--2005

Malignant mesothelioma is a fatal cancer primarily associated with exposure to asbestos. The latency period between first exposure to asbestos and clinical disease usually is 20--40 years (1). Although asbestos is no longer mined in the United States, the mineral is still imported, and a substantial amount of asbestos remaining in buildings eventually will be removed, either during remediation or demolition. Currently, an estimated 1.3 million construction and general industry workers potentially are being exposed to asbestos (2). To characterize mortality attributed to mesothelioma, CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) analyzed annual multiple-cause-of-death records for 1999--2005, the most recent years for which complete data are available.* For those years, a total of 18,068 deaths of persons with malignant mesothelioma were reported, increasing from 2,482 deaths in 1999 to 2,704 in 2005, but the annual death rate was stable (14.1 per million in 1999 and 14.0 in 2005). Maintenance, renovation, or demolition activities that might disturb asbestos should be performed with precautions that sufficiently prevent exposures for workers and the public. In addition, physicians should document the occupational history of all suspected and confirmed mesothelioma cases.
Asbestos was used in a wide variety of construction and manufacturing applications through most of the 20th century. In the United States, asbestos use peaked at 803,000 metric tons in 1973 and then declined to approximately 1,700 metric tons in 2007 (Figure 1) (3).
For this report, malignant mesothelioma deaths were identified for 1999--2005 from death certificates and included any deaths for which International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes† for malignant mesothelioma were listed in the multiple-cause-of-death mortality data entity axis.§ Because mesothelioma predominantly is associated with occupational exposure and has a long latency, the analysis was restricted to deaths of persons aged ≥25 years. The annual death rate per 1 million persons aged ≥25 years was calculated using the July 1 population estimates for each year provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Overall death rates were calculated based on the 2002 census population.
During 1999--2005, a total of 18,068 malignant mesothelioma deaths were reported in the United States; 14,591 (80.8%) occurred among males and 17,180 (95.1%) among whites (Table). Mesothelioma deaths were classified as mesothelioma of pleura (1,572; 8.7%), peritoneum (657; 3.6%), other anatomical site (2,605; 14.4%), and unspecified anatomical site (13,454; 74.5%).¶ Mortality increased with age, with the greatest number of decedents aged ≥75 years; 311 deaths (1.7%) occurred in persons aged ≤44 years. From 1999 to 2005, the total number of malignant mesothelioma deaths increased 8.9%, from 2,482 in 1999 to 2,704 in 2005, but the annual death rate was stable (14.1 per million population in 1999 versus 14.0 in 2005). The death rate for males was 4.5 times that for females (23.2 versus 5.1 per million). During 1999--2005, the state death rate was greater than the national rate (13.8 per million population per year) in 26 states; in six states the rate exceeded 20 per million per year (Figure 2): Maine (173 deaths; rate: 27.5), Wyoming (50; 22.2), West Virginia (182; 21.0), Pennsylvania (1,210; 20.8), New Jersey (814; 20.2), and Washington (558; 20.1).
Reported by: KM Bang, PhD, JM Mazurek, MD, E Storey, MD, MD Attfield, PhD, PL Schleiff, MS, JM Wood, MS, Div of Respiratory Disease Studies, JT Wassell, PhD, Div of Safety Research, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC.

Editorial Note:

Despite regulatory actions and the sharp decline in use of asbestos, potential exposure to asbestos continues, but most deaths from mesothelioma in the United States derive from exposures decades ago. Because mesothelioma manifests 20--40 years after first exposure, the number of mesothelioma deaths will likely peak by 2010 (4). The analysis described in this report indicates that the annual number of mesothelioma deaths is still increasing, and future cases will continue to reflect the extensive past use of asbestos. New cases also might result through occupational and environmental exposure to asbestos during remediation and demolition of existing asbestos in buildings if controls are insufficient to protect workers and the surrounding community.
The annual number of mesothelioma cases increased significantly from the late 1970s through the mid-1990s (4). Projections indicate that the number of mesothelioma cases involving males peaked during 2000--2004 at more than 2,000 cases and should be declining, with an expected return to background levels by 2055. The number of mesothelioma cases involving females (approximately 560 in 2003) is projected to increase slightly over time as a function of population size and shifting age distribution (4).
Previously, NIOSH examined industry and occupation data for 541 of the 2,482 mesothelioma deaths that occurred in 1999, the most recent year for which such data are available. After 1999, coding information for industry and occupation were no longer available. Of 130 industries reported, significant proportionate mortality ratios (PMRs) were found for ship and boat building and repairing (6.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.4--12.3); industrial and miscellaneous chemicals (4.8; CI = 2.9--7.5); petroleum refining (3.8; CI 1.2--8.9); electric light and power (3.1; CI = 1.5--5.7); and construction (1.6; CI = 1.2--1.9). Of 163 occupations reported, significant PMRs were found for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (4.8; CI = 2.8--7.5); mechanical engineers (3.0; CI = 1.1--6.6); electricians (2.4; CI = 1.3--4.2); and elementary school teachers (2.1; CI = 1.1--3.6) (5).
Over the decades, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency have taken various regulatory actions to control occupational exposure to asbestos (6). OSHA established a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for asbestos in 1971. This standard set the PEL at 12 fibers per cubic centimeter (f/cc) of air.** This initial PEL was reduced to 5 f/cc in 1972, 2 f/cc in 1976, 0.2 f/cc in 1986, and 0.1 f/cc in 1994 (7). Inspection data for 1979--2003 show a general decline in asbestos exposure levels and in the percentage of samples exceeding designated occupational exposure limits in construction, manufacturing, mining, and other industries (5). However, in 2003, 20% of air samples collected in the construction industry exceeded the OSHA PEL (5).
The findings in this report are subject to at least three limitations. First, death certificates do not include information on exposure to asbestos or a specific work history. This limits identification of industries and occupations associated with mesothelioma. Second, the state of residence issuing death certificate might not always be the state in which the decedent's exposures occurred, which might affect state death rates. Finally, some mesothelioma cases might be misdiagnosed and assigned less specific ICD codes (e.g., ICD-10 code C76, malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites), and consequently not be captured in this analysis (8).
Although asbestos has been eliminated in the manufacture of many products, it is still being imported (approximately 1,730 metric tons in 2007) and used in the United States (3) in various construction and transportation products (6). Ensuring a future decrease in mesothelioma mortality requires meticulous control of exposures to asbestos and other materials that might cause mesothelioma. Recent studies suggest that carbon nanotubes (fiber-shaped nanoparticles), which are increasingly being used in manufacturing (9), might share the carcinogenic mechanism postulated for asbestos and induce mesothelioma (10), underscoring the need for documentation of occupational history in future cases. Capturing occupational history information for mesothelioma cases is important to identify industries and occupations placing workers at risk for this lethal disease.

Acknowledgments

This report is based, in part, on contributions from G Syamlal, MBBS, and D Sharp, MD, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC.

References

1. Lanphear BP, Buncher CR. Latent period for malignant mesothelioma of occupational origin. J Occup Med 1992;34:718--21.
2. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Safety and health topics: asbestos; 2009. Available at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/asbestos.
3. Kelly TD, Matos GR. Historical statistics for mineral and material commodities in the United States. US Geological Survey data series 140. Reston, VA: US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey; 2005. Available at http://minerals.usgs.gov/ds/2005/140.
4. Price B, Ware A. Mesothelioma trends in the United States: an update based on surveillance, epidemiology, and end results program data for 1973 through 2003. Am J Epidemiol 2004;159:107--12.
5. CDC. Work-related lung disease surveillance report 2007. Cincinnati, OH: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; 2008. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-143.
6. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA asbestos materials bans: clarification. Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency; 1999. Available at http://www.epa.gov/oppt/asbestos/pubs/asbbans2.pdf.
7. Martonik JF, Nash E, Grossman E. The history of OSHA's asbestos rule makings and some distinctive approaches that they introduced for regulating occupational exposure to toxic substances. AIHAJ 2001;62:208--17.
8. Gordon GJ, Jensen RV, Hsiao LL, et al. Translation of microarray data into clinically relevant cancer diagnostic tests using gene expression ratios in lung cancer and mesothelioma. Cancer Res 2002;62:4963--7.
9. CDC. Approaches to safe nanotechnology. Managing the health and safety concerns associated with engineered nanomaterials. Cincinnati, OH: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; 2009. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2009-125/pdfs/2009-125.pdf.
10. Takagi A, Hirose A, Nishimura T, et al. Induction of mesothelioma in p53+/- mouse by intraperitoneal application of multi-wall carbon nanotube. J Toxicol Sci 2008;33:105--16.

* Since 1968, CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has compiled multiple-cause-of-death data annually from death certificates in the United States. CDC's NIOSH extracts information on deaths from occupationally related respiratory diseases and conditions from the NCHS data and stores the information in the National Occupational Respiratory Mortality System, available at http://webappa.cdc.gov/ords/norms.html.
† Codes C45.0 (mesothelioma of pleura), C45.1 (mesothelioma of peritoneum), C45.2 (mesothelioma of pericardium), C45.7 (mesothelioma of other sites), and C45.9 (mesothelioma, unspecified).

§ Entity axis includes information on all of the diseases, injuries, or medical complications, and the location (part, line, and sequence) of the information recorded on each certificate. Detail record layouts available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/dvs/mcd/msb.htm.

¶ The sum of individual site death totals is greater than the total number of deaths because some decedents have more than one site of mesothelioma listed on their death certificates.

** As an 8-hour time-weighted average based on the 1968 American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists threshold limit value.

FIGURE 1. Asbestos use and permissible exposure limits* --- United States, 1900--2007

The figure above shows the amount of asbestos use, in thousands of metric tons, and the Occupational Safety and Health permissible asbsestos exposure limits in the United States during 1900–2007. Asbestos use increased from 1,000 metric tons in 1900 to a peak of 803,000 metric tons in 1973, then decreased to approximately 1,700 metric tons in 2007.
Permissible asbestos exposure limits were 12 fibers per cubic centimeter in 1971, 5 fibers in 1972, 2 fibers in 1976, 0.2 fibers in 1986, and 0.1 fibers in 1994.

* Arrows indicate year when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration permissible exposure limits were put in place (12 fibers per cubic centimeter [f/cc] in 1971, 5 f/cc in 1972, 2 f/cc in 1976, 0.2 f/cc in 1986, and 0.1 f/cc in 1994).

TABLE. Number of malignant mesothelioma deaths among persons aged ≥25 years, by selected characteristics --- United States, 1999--2005
Characteristic	No. of deaths, by year
	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	Total
Total	2,482	2,530	2,505	2,570	2,621	2,656	2,704	18,068
Death rate*	14.1	13.9	13.6	13.7	13.9	13.9	14.0	13.8
Age group (yrs)
25--34	4	6	7	10	7	11	6	51
35--44	33	34	39	40	38	42	34	260
45--54	138	131	144	106	148	121	118	906
55--64	388	372	361	380	386	400	438	2,725
65--74	818	814	748	764	715	674	735	5,268
75--84	888	918	942	975	1,028	1,097	1,014	6,862
≥85	213	255	264	295	299	311	359	1,996
Median age (yrs)	73	74	74	74	75	75	75	74
Sex
Male	1,993	2,043	2,019	2,126	2,122	2,140	2,148	14,591
Female	489	487	486	444	499	516	556	3,477
Race
White	2,353	2,398	2,405	2,447	2,481	2,535	2,561	17,180
Black	104	109	75	99	109	97	114	707
Other	25	23	25	24	31	24	29	181
Anatomical site†
Pleura	252	225	269	238	206	196	186	1,572
Peritoneum	92	84	83	95	95	101	107	657
Other	426	433	388	377	329	326	326	2,605
Unspecified	1,750	1,817	1,806	1,901	2,013	2,063	2,104	13,454
* Per 1 million population. † The sum of anatomical site totals (18,288) is greater than the total number of deaths (18,068) because some decedents have more than one site listed on their death certificate.

FIGURE 2. Malignant mesothelioma death rate per 1 million population,* by state --- United States, 1999--2005

The figure above shows a map of the United States and indicates the malignant mesothelioma death rate per 1 million population for each state during 1999–2005. The state death rate was greater than the national rate of 13.8 per million population per year in 26 states; in six states (Maine, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wyoming, and West Virginia) the rate exceeded 20 per million per year.

* Decedents for whom the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes C45.0 (mesothelioma of pleura), C45.1 (mesothelioma of peritoneum), C45.2 (mesothelioma of pericardium), C45.7 (mesothelioma of other sites), or C45.9 (mesothelioma, unspecified) were listed on death certificates were identified using CDC mortality data for 1999--2005.

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Mesothelioma Doctors

 Mesothelioma Doctors

Because mesothelioma is so rare, representing about 0.3 percent of all diagnosed cancers annually, and has no known cure, people who have the disease are urged to find a specialist to treat it. Doctors trained in asbestos-related diseases typically provide the highest quality of care for mesothelioma patients.
The Mesothelioma Center has a Doctor Match program to help you find and get appointments with mesothelioma experts at leading facilities across the country. Patient Advocates strive to find the leading specialists with the most resources to offer mesothelioma patients. Connect with a Patient Advocate or call (800) 615-2270 to take advantage of this free program.

One of the most important concerns is finding doctor who you can trust. You will want to evaluate the doctor's expertise while also getting comfortable with the head of a team charged with trying to save your life. Here are some questions to ask:

• How many cases of mesothelioma has this doctor treated in his or her career? Have any of these cases been recent?
• What types of mesothelioma does this doctor treat? Has he or she managed any cases of my particular subtype?
• What treatments does this doctor typically use to treat mesothelioma?
• Is this doctor prepared to treat my cancer if it spreads to other parts of my body?
• Does this doctor support any supplemental types of therapy in addition to direct medical intervention?
• Does the facility this doctor is associated with offer access to any clinical trials? Can the doctor help me sign up for any that I might qualify for?

There are also some broad considerations that you should discuss with a potential doctor to make sure that the physician will be a good fit for you. These questions include:

• How many years has this doctor been practicing?
• Do I want this doctor to make decisions for me or simply offer me options?
• Will this doctor respect my choices and address all of my concerns?
• Can I openly communicate with this doctor?
• Does this doctor accept my insurance?
• Is it easy to travel to this facility for all of my appointments?

World-Renowned Mesothelioma Doctors

Several mesothelioma doctors across the nation have emerged as leaders in the field, utilizing the most advanced treatment methods to give patients a longer life expectancy. These doctors often work at prestigious hospitals equipped with cutting-edge technology, and many are involved with ongoing clinical trials.

Some of the nation’s most renowned mesothelioma doctors include:

• 

  David Sugarbaker, M.D.

  Thoracic Surgery
  Brigham and Women's Hospital
• 

  Robert Cameron, M.D.

  Thoracic Surgeon
  UCLA Medical Center
• 

  Harvey Pass, M.D.

  Cardiothoracic Surgery
  NYU Medical Center
  
•  

  Hedy Kindler, M.D.

  Gastrointestinal Oncology
  University of Chicago Medical Center
• 

  David C. Rice

  Thoracic and Cardiovascular Sugery
  Texas MD Anderson

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Asbestos Exposure and Cancer

Asbestos Exposure Asbestos exposure is the primary cause of mesothelioma cancer. Inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers may cause an inflammation of internal tissue and disrupt organ function which leads to the development of mesothelioma. Asbestos products were used extensively throughout the 20th century in a wide variety of applications. Asbestos companies continued to produce these products even after they were known to be hazardous and harmful to workers and their families. Many of these products were responsible for asbestos exposure sustained by both the individuals who manufactured the products as well as those who used them at commercial, industrial and military jobsites. Renovation and construction both at home and in schools and other public facilities also posed high risk areas for asbestos exposure.

Asbestos related cancer is common among military veterans who we exposed on naval ships, in shipyards and at military bases. Naval ships where exposure occurred include aircraft carriers, battleships, destroyers, submarines, warships and others. Some prominent shipyards where asbestos was prevalent include Brooklyn Navy Yard, Norfolk Navy Shipyard, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Long Beach Naval Shipyard and Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. At commercial and industrial locations including refineries, power plants, steel mills, auto production facilities and large construction sites, many workers were put at risk. Some of the occupations of workers at risk include electricians, plumbers, boilermakers, carpenters, mechanics , machinists and more. Additionally, if you lived with someone who was regularly exposed to asbestos and washed their clothes, you could be at risk for second hand asbestos exposure.

Read more: http://www.mesothelioma.com/#ixzz2DFQl3RfG

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Types of Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that originates from the mesothelium, a protective lining that sheaths the internal organs of the body. The different types of mesothelioma are terms used to differentiate where in the body the cancer exists.
Learn what the different types of mesothelioma are and the treatments specific to them. Fill out our information form located below and MesotheliomaSymptoms.com will overnight a detailed packet to you filled with factors concerning diagnosis, prognosis, and clinical trials.

Pleural Mesothelioma

Pleural mesothelioma typically develops within the chest cavity and lungs. The most common type of malignant mesothelioma, it often spreads to numerous other organs and lymph nodes in the body. The difficulty in diagnosing and detecting pleural mesothelioma makes treatment tougher. Symptoms such as chest pains, weight loss and fever are far too common to be noticed as a precursor for cancer. More severe symptoms such as breathing difficulties and fluid buildup may not appear until after the disease has progressed. The survival rate for sufferers of pleural mesothelioma is tragically low. Only 8% live beyond three-to-five years after the onset of initial symptoms, and the average life expectancy is closer to 12 months.

Pericardial Mesothelioma

The least common form of malignant mesothelioma, pericardial mesothelioma affects the heart. This rare form of cancer is found in the sac that surrounds the heart, also known as the pericardium. The cancer prevents the heart from transporting oxygen to the body efficiently, and as a result the patient's body deteriorates from an elevated heart rate. Heart attack, nausea, chest pain, and shortness of breath are signs of pericardial mesothelioma.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Peritoneal mesothelioma develops in the abdominal area and can quickly spread to the liver, bowel, or spleen. Fluid buildup or severe stomach pain can be a sign of peritoneal mesothelioma, in addition to vomiting, bowel trouble, fever, and tumescent feet.

Malignant Versus Benign

The aforementioned types of mesothelioma are malignant forms, and are thusly the most dangerous. Malignant mesothelioma is often the product of asbestos inhalation from
individuals who have worked or resided in areas not up to current health and safety standards. Since the disease has a high latency period, often times it is not diagnosed until it has progressed far beyond any rectifiable measure.
As the name suggests, benign mesothelioma is a form of non-malignant mesothelioma that is easily treatable. While benign tumors can at times be cancerous, unlike malignant mesothelioma, the tumors do not spread, making it easier to isolate and remove.

Mesothelioma in Uncommon Locations

In addition to pleural, pericardial, peritoneal, and benign mesothelioma, the cancer can also strike the ovaries and testes. These tumors are born in the membrane lining the organs. The total number of cases of testicular or ovarian mesothelioma are less than a hundred, and symptoms are rarely identified. As a result, the prognosis for this type of mesothelioma are not promising. The effects of the disease are such that any individual who has had prolonged asbestos exposure or initial symptoms of mesothelioma should consult a doctor.

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