Mesothelioma | |
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Other names | Malignant mesothelioma |
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CT scan showing a left sided mesothelioma with an enlarged mediastinal lymph node | |
Specialty | Oncology |
Symptoms | Shortness of breath, swollen abdomen, chest wall pain, cough, feeling tired, weight loss[1] |
Complications | Fluid around the lung[1] |
Usual onset | Gradual onset[2] |
Causes | c. 40 years after exposure to asbestos[3] |
Risk factors | Genetics, possibly, infection with simian virus 40[3][4] |
Diagnostic method | Medical imaging, examining fluid produced by the cancer, tissue biopsy[2] |
Prevention | Decreased asbestos exposure[5] |
Treatment | Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, pleurodesis[6] |
Prognosis | Five year survival c. 8–12% (US; varies by race)[7] |
Frequency | 60,800 (affected during 2015)[8] |
Deaths | 32,400 (2015)[9] |
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium).[10] The area most commonly affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall.[1][3] Less commonly the lining of the abdomen and rarely the sac surrounding the heart,[11] or the sac surrounding each testis may be affected.[1][12] Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma may include shortness of breath due to fluid around the lung, a swollen abdomen, chest wall pain, cough, feeling tired, and weight loss.[1] These symptoms typically come on slowly.[2]
More than 80% of mesothelioma cases are caused by exposure to asbestos.[3] The greater the exposure, the greater the risk.[3] As of 2013, about 125 million people worldwide have been exposed to asbestos at work.[13] High rates of disease occur in people who mine asbestos, produce products from asbestos, work with asbestos products, live with asbestos workers, or work in buildings containing asbestos.[3] Asbestos exposure and the onset of cancer are generally separated by about 40 years.[3] Washing the clothing of someone who worked with asbestos also increases the risk.[13] Other risk factors include genetics and infection with the simian virus 40.[3] The diagnosis may be suspected based on chest X-ray and CT scan findings, and is confirmed by either examining fluid produced by the cancer or by a tissue biopsy of the cancer.[2]
Prevention focuses on reducing exposure to asbestos.[5] Treatment often includes surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.[6] A procedure known as pleurodesis, which involves using substances such as talc to scar together the pleura, may be used to prevent more fluid from building up around the lungs.[6] Chemotherapy often includes the medications cisplatin and pemetrexed.[2] The percentage of people that survive five years following diagnosis is on average 8% in the United States.[7]
In 2015, about 60,800 people had mesothelioma, and 32,000 died from the disease.[8][9] Rates of mesothelioma vary in different areas of the world.[3] Rates are higher in Australia, the United Kingdom, and lower in Japan.[3] It occurs in about 3,000 people per year in the United States.[14] It occurs more often in males than females.[3] Rates of disease have increased since the 1950s.[3] Diagnosis typically occurs after the age of 65 and most deaths occur around 70 years old.[3] The disease was rare before the commercial use of asbestos.[3]
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