What Is Mesothelioma?

What Is Mesothelioma?


Mesothelioma, an extremely rare form of cancer, derives its name from mesothelium, which is the tissue infected by this cancer. Mesothelium is a membrane covering most of the body viscera. Factually speaking, mesothelium consists of two layers: one of the two forms an immediate cover of the organ; the other one leaves a space around the first layer and then forms a covering. A fluid released by mesothelium fills this sac-like space. Function of this fluid is lubrication, in other words, it allows convenient and frictionless motion of the internal body organs.
Mesothelial tissue, if surrounds the lungs and chest cavity, is called pleura, it is called peritoneum if it surrounds the abdominal organs and pericardium if it surrounds heart. Mesothelial lining surrounding the male reproductive system is called tunica vaginalis testis, and the one surrounding internal female reproductive organs is called tunica serosa uteri.
Mesothelioma is a disorder, in which uncontrollable division of cells of mesothelium leads to formation of a tumor in this tissue, which, in most of the cases is malignant. That is why, mesothelioma is also known as cancer of mesothelium. The cancerous cells of mesothelioma can metastasize to other body parts and can also damage nearby tissues. Most of the cases of mesothelioma begin in pleural cavity. Peritoneal and pericardial origin is less common. Rarely, mesothelioma may originate in groin and give a hernia-like appearance.

Mesothelioma Cancer Free Advice

Mesothelioma Cancer Free Advice Cancer develops when cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control. Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells.


Mesothelioma Cancer Free Advice

Cancer develops when cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control. Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells.


Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a person's life, normal cells divide more rapidly until the person becomes an adult. After that, cells in most parts of the body divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells and to repair injuries.
Because cancer cells continue to grow and divide, they are different from normal cells. Instead of dying, they outlive normal cells and continue to form new abnormal cells.
Cancer cells develop because of damage to DNA. This substance is in every cell and directs all activities. Most of the time when DNA becomes damaged the body is able to repair it. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA is not repaired. People can inherit damaged DNA, which accounts for inherited cancers. More often, though, a person's DNA becomes damaged by exposure to something in the environment, like smoking.
Cancer usually forms as a tumour. Some cancers, like leukaemia, do not form tumors. Instead, these cancer cells involve the blood and blood-forming organs and circulate through other tissues where they grow.
Often, cancer cells travel to other parts of the body where they begin to grow and replace normal tissue. This process is called metastasis. Regardless of where a cancer may spread, however, it is always named for the place it began. For instance, breast cancer that spreads to the liver is still called breast cancer, not liver cancer.
Not all tumors are cancerous. Benign (noncancerous) tumors do not spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body and, with very rare exceptions, are not life threatening.
Different types of cancer can behave very differently. For example, lung cancer and breast cancer are very different diseases. They grow at different rates and respond to different treatments. That is why people with cancer need treatment that is aimed at their particular kind of cancer.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly half of all men and a little over one third of all women in the United States will develop cancer during their lifetimes. Today, millions of people are living with cancer or have had cancer. The risk of developing most types of cancer can be reduced by changes in a person's lifestyle, for example, by quitting smoking and eating a better diet. The sooner a cancer is found and treatment begins, the better are the chances for living for many years.
Mesothelioma is an uncommon form of cancer, usually associated with previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant (cancerous) cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart).Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos, or by home renovation using asbestos cement products.