Deadly Cancer on the Rise: Mesothelioma

There can be no doubt that the public's awareness of mesothelioma cancer is on the rise. Still despite the rise of public awareness of this deadly cancer, the disease remains one of the cancers that heightened awareness and public concerns have little effect on the numbers of people afflicted. Indeed, the number of cases reported has actually increased in recent years. This is due in part to the fact that mesothelioma cancer has been linked to asbestos exposure in the patient's life some ten to fifty years prior.

Researchers at the Occupational and Environmental Medicine designed a large scale study which probed this phenomena. Their findings were released in March of this year and highlighted the research surrounding Italian asbestos cement workers who were found to have a risk of some asbestos-related cancers even after their exposure ended. These workers, unfortunately, were among the ones with the most extensive exposure to asbestos over a period of years. Although researchers noted that mesothelioma cancers are on the rise for this group of people, they noted that their risk of developing mesothelioma cancer began to diminish fifty years after the last exposure to asbestos.

What are Asbestos Cancers and How are People Exposed to Asbestos?

Asbestos cancers are a reaction to high exposure to the fibers of the mineral asbestos, which a person can breathe in without being mindful of it occurring. Asbestos is a mineral that was used in thousands of manufactured materials products that encompass our modern world. These materials include bricks, insulation, plumbing, furnaces, floors, walls, and ceilings. Although the practice of manufacturing asbestos-based products is now unauthorized, the number of mesothelioma cancers is on the rise in the United States.

What is the Treatment for Mesothelioma Cancer?

The treatment for mesothelioma is dependent upon whether it is exclusively present in one location or whether the cancer has spread. Currently there is no cure for mesothelioma unless it can be surgically removed. Unfortunately, when mesothelioma is diagnosed it has more often than not spread to other areas making the chances of it being removed surgically smaller. There are hopes for a mesothelioma cure, but research on this deadly cancer continues. Treatment goals include making the patient comfortable and improving quality of life.

Asbestos, which is the main cause of mesothelioma, was brought to light in the industrial age of the twentieth century. There is evidence which suggests that as early as 1930 there were suspicions that asbestos was linked to cancer, however uses for products with asbestos continued for years.

When the use of asbestos was at its most elevated level in the 1940s to the 1970s, approximately 3,000 products manufactured with asbestos were present and widely used. One could encounter asbestos in every day products such as hair dryers, toasters and coffee pots. And because asbestos fibers could be located in vermiculite or talc, small amounts of asbestos were reported in cosmetics, powders, fertilizer and potting soils.

Is This Cancer on the Rise, Even Today?

The incidence of malignant mesothelioma in the UK has been estimated to increase over the next fifteen to twenty-five years due in part of failure to protect workers from inhalation of asbestos. For example, in British Naval dockyards other insulation materials and respiratory protection were not used until the mid-1960s.

If you or a loved one suspects exposure to asbestos, it is highly recommend that you contact a health care professional and discuss your options.