What Is Mesothelioma? Find Your Answer Here & More

Many people want to know, "what is mesothelioma"? The answer to that question can be quite lengthy. The interesting thing is that there is more than one type of the disease affecting different parts of the body. One form is more devastating than the others, but they are all quite difficult to deal with and very serious in nature.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is found in the lung and chest area (for most cases of the disease, this is the common starting point), as well as in the stomach or abdomen, there is even a form that affects your heart. The only good news about the disease is that it is relatively rare, although as time goes by, it is becoming more pronounced in our society. The disease can be diagnosed but not by blood test. There aren't any specific blood test that can tell you or your physician if you have mesothelioma or not. Although it is true that certain blood cell values may be abnormal when a cancer patient is diagnosed with the disease, they are not specific only to this disease. The cells cannot tell you the difference between mesothelioma and another type of cancer.

Nearly 8 out of 10 people who suffer from this disease acquire it from exposure to asbestos. It has been proven time and time again, that asbestos is a critical factor in getting this disease.

This type of cancer attacks the lining of the tissues of the body's vital internal organs. The name of this disease originates from the main tissue that is affected, which is known as the mesothelium. This tissue is responsible for making a unique fluid that enables the organs to move freely in their designated area of the body. The organs that this fluid protects is the lungs, heart and stomach. The tumor from this disease can be either cancerous or benign.

Depending on how the cancer cells look under the microscope, mesothelioma is divided into three main types. Nearly 50% to 70% of all cases of mesothelioma are of the epithelioid type, this mesothelioma prognosis is seen as the better of the three options. The other types are known to carry a dimmer prognosis and a worse outlook more times than not, these two are the sarcomatoid and biphasic type. The Sarcomatoid type makes up approximately 6% to 19% of all mesothelioma cases. Lastly, biphasic (which is also called mixed) is a combination of the first two types, containing elements of both. Nearly 20% to 36% of all cases are of this kind.

Even though there are different types of mesothelioma the treatment is virtually the same for all cases.

The answer to the question "What is mesothelioma?" is not an easy question to answer. But it is vital for people to get this information because the disease is becoming more and more widespread.

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