Mesothelioma Symptoms

A patient with mesothelioma usually begins showing symptoms 15 to 50 years after their exposure to asbestos. The cancer may take decades to develop in the body and symptoms do not arise until after the cancer is present. Common early symptoms of mesothelioma include fatigue, coughing, shortness of breath and reduced respiratory function. Many patients are unaware they have developed mesothelioma or the severity of their condition as mesothelioma symptoms typically resemble symptoms of less serious illnesses and occur so long after the initial exposure.

If you have a history of asbestos exposure, the leading cause of mesothelioma, and believe you may be showing signs of mesothelioma, it is best to seek immediate medical advice. Informing your doctor of previous asbestos exposure can alert them to the possibility of an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma.

How Does Mesothelioma Develop?

A person can be exposed to asbestos by inhaling or ingesting microscopic asbestos fibers. The fibers can become lodged in the mesothelial lining of primary organs, such as the lungs. Over time, damage caused by the fibers can result in the development of cancerous tumors.

The exact method by which asbestos causes mesothelioma is still being researched, but medical professionals have formulated several theories for further exploration:

Inflamed cells 

Asbestos causes mesothelial cells to become irritated and inflamed, which leads to irreversible scarring, cellular damage and cancer.

Genetic changes 

Asbestos fibers enter mesothelial cells and disrupt the natural functions of cellular division, resulting in genetic changes that lead to cancer.

Cancerous mutations

Asbestos causes the production of free radicals, which are molecules that damage DNA and cause healthy cells to undergo cancerous mutations.

Uncontrolled growth 

Asbestos can trigger cellular production of oncoproteins, which cause mesothelial cells to ignore normal cell division restraints and become cancerous.

The factor uniting these theories is that asbestos leads to cellular damage that disrupts the natural cell cycle. Once normal function of the cell cycle is lost, cells begin to divide and grow uncontrollably. These cells then accumulate into tumors that trigger mesothelioma symptoms.

In a 2010 study conducted by the National Cancer Institute and the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, researchers may have confirmed a primary way that asbestos causes mesothelioma. The study reported that asbestos damages cells through a process researchers dubbed "programmed cell necrosis." This process involves the release of a molecule known as "high-mobility group box 1 protein" (HMGB1), which triggers a chronic inflammatory reaction that causes tumor growth.

Where Does Asbestos Exposure Occur?

Until the 1980s, asbestos was everywhere in homes and businesses and in many forms. It was used in thousands of industrial and household products.

Work-related exposure delivered the most potential for exposure, but it also can occur at home, at the office, in public buildings, in industrial settings, and even in urban areas that are generally considered environmentally friendly because asbestos occurs naturally.

With so many materials once manufactured with asbestos, there are a number of ways a person could have experienced exposure, including:

• Working at an asbestos mine or asbestos processing plan

• Living in a residential area near an asbestos mine

• Working in a high-risk occupational setting such as the construction or automotive industry

• Renovating an asbestos-containing home without adequate safety measures

• Serving on military facilities or ships where asbestos was used in construction

it generally takes repeated, heavy exposure to asbestos in an occupational setting to be at risk for asbestos-related disease. Once asbestos fibers accumulate in the body, they can trigger a number of biological changes that may lead to mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Causes

Mesothelioma - a cancer that typically attacks the lungs and abdomen - was profoundly rare until the industrial and commercial use of asbestos expanded in the 20th century. Medical researchers have spent decades investigating the disease and what causes it, and their findings are that asbestos exposure is the primary culprit.

Through studies aimed at pinpointing the exact causes of mesothelioma, researchers gradually learned how being exposed to asbestos triggers cancer.

In March 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer reconfirmed that all forms of asbestos can cause mesothelioma - and asbestos exposure is the foremost cause of mesothelioma. 

How Asbestos Causes Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma cancer develops after exposure to asbestos, which most often occurs in the workplace – in industrial settings, shipyards, auto repair shops, old houses, schools and public buildings. It takes long-term exposure to make someone at risk, but heavy, short-term asbestos exposure is known to cause mesothelioma cancer.

Microscopic asbestos fibers are breathed in or swallowed. The human body has difficulty destroying or getting rid of these fibers. Over decades, the fibers cause biological changes that result in inflammation, scarring and genetic damage. The most susceptible area to these fibers is the lining of the lungs, called the pleura, although fibers also can become trapped in the lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneum). Once fibers cause biological damage, the stage is set for a 20- to 50-year latency period for malignant mesothelioma to develop.   

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that is caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos. It can affect the thin, protective membrane surrounding the lungs, heart or abdominal cavity. An estimated 3,000 cases annually are diagnosed in the United States, and the majority of those are traced to an occupational exposure.

Although the use of asbestos has been reduced dramatically in recent decades, the incidence of mesothelioma has remained steady. It can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos before obvious symptoms appear and a definitive diagnosis is made. While there still is no cure - and the prognosis is typically poor - significant progress has been made in recent years regarding treatment options and various alternative therapies.