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Mesothelioma – Information

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos.

In this disease, malignant 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 internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the

peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart,

the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled

asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways.

Washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can also put

a person at risk for developing mesothelioma. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association

between mesothelioma and smoking. Compensation via asbestos funds

or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).

The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural

effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and

general symptoms such as weight loss. The diagnosis may be suspected with

chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and

microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest)

can be used to take biopsies. It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate

the pleural space (called pleurodesis), which prevents 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.

Mesothelioma Treatment and Cancer Centers Abroad

Links to a few of the many international cancer centers are given below, and more can be found in the Global Directory at the website for the International Union Against Cancer(UICC).

Africa

Cancer Association of South Africa

Belgium

Center for Medical Genetics ─ University Hospital Gent

Canada

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Center

BC Cancer Agency (British Columbia)

Czech Republic

Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute

France

Institut Gustave-Roussy ─ Europe’s largest cancer center, in Paris

Germany

Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum ─German Cancer Centre, Heidelberg

India

Bangalore Institute of Oncology ─ A comprehensive cancer center, Bangalore

Japan

National Cancer Center ─ Tokyo

Mexico

William Hitt Center ─ Tijuana

Saudi Arabia

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre ─ Department of Oncology, largest cancer centre in the Gulf Region

United Kingdom

Cancer Research UK Clinical Centre at Leeds ─ clinical trials, psychosocial oncology, genetic research and screening

Tags: asbestos, biopsies, cancer, cancer center, chemotherapy, lung, mesothelioma, radiation, smoking, thoracoscopy
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