Lung mesothelioma is a lethal medical situation arising from the infection of mesothelium by asbestos fibers.  It is a rare form of cancer that can affect folks who had been in continual contact with asbestos, either at houses or office.  Medical science describes the illness as a rare cancerous expansion affecting the mesothelial tissues that surrounds our vital organs as a protecting cover.  3 different types of this cancer, the pleural, peritoneal and pericardial, have been identified and named according to the areas they inhabit.

Mesothelium is a protective membrane found around vital organs like abdomen, lungs and heart. It helps in proper functioning of the organs too, albeit indirectly. Asbestos particles, after entering this lining, cause abnormal cell function, causing cancerous growths. In most incidents, it takes decades for the disease to show up and this prolonged latency is a limiting and disruptive factor affecting diagnosis and treatment.

Lung cancer and lung mesothelioma are two entirely different types of cancers. The former attacks the inside of the lung while the latter its protective lining. The prognosis of the disease is very poor and most patients die within 24 months after diagnosis. As in the case of any other cancer, this kind is also classified into four depending on its severity. Timely detection has saved many patients, but it never materializes in most cases because the disease attacks when it is not at all expected.

Invariably, the villain of the entire episode is the so-called wonder material, asbestos. This is a silicate mineral which has several positive qualities like resistance to heat and electric shocks, aptitude to endure chemical reactions etc and as such, was used for wide ranging industrial purposes. But the workers who labored around the material became unwitting prey to the harmful effects of the material, which came to fore only in recent years.

The stress these days is to employ proper precautions while handing the material and to provide sufficient compensation to people who suffered for no fault of theirs.  In addition, experiments and field trials are on to find better cure for Lung mesothelioma because cure from existing therapies haven’t been at desired levels.

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