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Mesothelioma is usually malignant in nature

Mesothelioma is a tumor of mesothelial tissue. Mesothelial tissue includes the pleura which envelopes the lungs and lines the chest cavity, the peritoneum which lines the abdomen, and the pericardium which surrounds the heart.  

 

Mesothelioma is usually malignant in nature. It is exceptionally rare except in cases of asbestos exposure - between 70% and 80% of persons diagnosed with mesothelioma can trace the condition to asbestos exposure. Approximately 75% of mesotheliomas begin in the chest cavity ("plerual mesothelioma"), with about 15% beginning in the abdomen ("peritoneal mesothelioma"). It is very unusual for a mesothelioma to begin in the pericardium.

 

The mesothelium helps protect your organs

The mesothelium helps protect your organs by producing a special lubricating fluid that allows organs to move around. For example, this fluid makes it easier for the lungs to move inside the chest during breathing. The mesothelium of the chest is called the pleura and the mesothelium of the abdomen is known as the peritoneum. The mesothelium of the pericardial cavity (the "sac-like" space around the heart) is called the pericardium. 

 

Mesothelioma is increasing in frequency

Mesothelioma is increasing in frequency and presents many diagnostic and management challenges. An optimal universal staging system is still awaiting definition and validation. Prognosis is best for patients with localized disease and epithelial histology. Surgical techniques including pleurectomy / decortication and EPP can result in a major debulking of disease, and studies are ongoing to determine if the addition of chemotherapy and radiation has an impact on survival. 

 

10% to 15% of schools in the United States may contain asbestos insulation

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, as many as 733,000 schools and public buildings in the country today contain asbestos insulation. As many as 10% to 15% of schools in the United States may contain asbestos insulation. People who may be at risk for occupational asbestos exposure include some miners, factory workers, insulation manufacturers, railroad workers, ship builders, gas mask manufacturers, and construction workers, particularly those involved with installing insulation. Several studies have shown that family members of people exposed to asbestos at work have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma, because asbestos fibers are carried home on the clothes of the workers.

 

These asbestos fibers may  injure mesothelial cells of the pleura

When asbestos fibers are inhaled, most are cleared in the nose, throat, trachea (windpipe), or bronchi (large breathing tubes of the lungs). Fibers are cleared by sticking to mucus inside the air passages and being coughed up or swallowed. The long, thin, fibers are less readily cleared, and they may reach the ends of the small airways and penetrate into the pleural lining of the lung and chest wall. These fibers may then directly injure mesothelial cells of the pleura, and eventually cause Mesothelioma.