Asbestos cancer, or the type of cancer most commonly associated with asbestos exposure, is a malignancy that occurs in the lining of the lungs, abdomen, and heart. A mesothelioma diagnosis is generally classified as one of the following three types:pleural mesothelioma which occurs in the lining of the lungs, known as the pleura, peritoneal mesothelioma which occurs in the lining of the abdominal cavity, known as the peritoneum and pericardial mesothelioma which occurs in the lining of the heart, known as the pericardium.
Asbestos, which has been used for, quite literally, thousands of years as a fire-retardant and insulation material has long been connected to sickness, though not necessarily cancer until the last 50 years. Illnesses in those who were frequently exposed to asbestos could be traced back to ancient times, when slaves who were known to have worked with asbestos were valued less because of a high incidence of respiratory failure.
Once asbestos was classified as a known carcinogen, the Environmental Protection Agency and Consumer Product Safety Commission imposed strict regulation on its use in commercial and industrial products. Unfortunately, many of the companies producing asbestos products were well aware of the hazards which asbestos posed and continued to expose workers and laborers to the harmful fibers.
What Causes Asbestos Cancer
Asbestos cancer is referred to as such because development of mesothelioma is conclusively linked to asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that was used for centuries in a number of different industrial capacities and asbestos jobsites. While it was quite useful, unfortunately it was also carcinogenic, leading to mostasbestos products being banned in the late 1970's.
Pleural mesothelioma is caused by inhaled asbestos fibers which lodge in the pleura and lung wall. Because they are quite durable, they cannot be broken down by chemical means or expelled by other body functions. Peritoneal mesothelioma is caused by either ingested asbestos fibers which lodge beneath the digestive tract or fibers which affect the lymph nodes. Pericardial mesothelioma's causal relationship with asbestos is uncertain but physicians and researchers believe the microscopic asbestos fibers actually enter the bloodstream through the lungs and become affixed to the lining of the heart in transfer. Asbestos fibers on this delicate tissue cause a sustained inflammation of the area, causing harmful scar tissue and asbestos cancer cells to develop.
Asbestos Cancer Treatment
A mesothelioma prognosis is not always encouraging in malignant mesotheliomacases. Often, many patients die within 18 months of their diagnosis, depending on the stage of the cancer at diagnosis and the extent to which the cancer has metastasized. Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer and the locale of the disease within the body often restricts mesothelioma surgery. In most cases, patients will be given chemotherapy and radiation to slow the disease and ease symptoms of the disease. Additional relief from asbestos cancer symptoms can often be found usingalternative treatments.
Asbestos Cancer Surgery
Depending on the location of the cancer, generally asbestos related malignancies can be difficult to resect because the latency period over which the cancer goes undetected can often extend into the time period where the tumor develops through its preliminary stages. Later stage cancers, and particularly those related to asbestos, will often not be resectable malignancies. While diagnosis of early stage asbestos cancer is uncommon, certainly those eligible for surgical removal will often have the cancer resected. Adjuvant chemotherapy is often administered after surgery to complement the resection.
Pleurectomy and Extrapleural pneumonectomy, both extensive surgeries, are often used in the treatment of pleural asbestos cancer. Surgery is much less common in malignant peritoneal and pericardial cancer, as the origin of the tumor is difficult to access without endangering the survival of the patient.
Asbestos Cancer Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the most frequently utilized treatment mechanism for the control of asbestos cancer. Drugs like Alimpta, Cisplatin, and Gemcitabine have all been used with varying degrees of efficacy to halt or slow the spread of malignant mesothelioma and lung carcinomas. Ongoing clinical trials continue to test new drugs and drug cocktails for the management and treatment of asbestos cancer. Recent trends suggest that researchers are making strides in determining approved treatment regimens not only for malignant pleural mesothelioma, but also peritoneal and pericardial cancers.
Currently, the only FDA-approved chemotherapy regimen for the asbestos cancer malignant pleural mesothelioma is a combination of Alimta and Cisplatin, delivered intravenously, with 21 days between each subsequent injection. Asbestos lung cancer carcinomas are also treatable with chemotherapy. Because asbestos cancer incidence of this type is much more prevalent (and not necessarily directly attributable to asbestos exposure), there are many more chemotherapy options available to patients.
Asbestos Cancer Radiation Therapy
External beam radiation is popular among patients receiving treatment for pleural and peritoneal cancer. Pericardial cancer patients may also utilize radiation in the control of their cancer, but in lower dosages considering the region's proximity to the heart. Radiation therapy is considered useful for palliation as well to prevent malignant cells from taking hold again following surgery.
As part of developing studies into the control of asbestos cancer through radiotherapy, researchers have begun utilizing brachytherapy to control mesothelioma tumor spread and growth. Brachytherapy is an internal radiation source implanted in the affected area which has shown promise in clinical studies in reducing tumor mass and slowing. Every year, mesothelioma survival rates are extended further and more funding is now being invested in research to evaluate new options for treatment of mesothelioma. Researchers hope to one day find a cure for mesothelioma.
Diagnosis of Asbestos-Related Cancer
Asbestos cancer diagnosis, including diagnosis of mesothelioma and lung carcinoma, can be difficult because symptoms of the disease can closely mimic those of other more minor respiratory complications. Symptoms, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, or chronic cough may lead physicians to suspect mesothelioma, particularly if the patient has a known asbestos exposure history.
Diagnostic tools include CT scans and MRIs for patients where asbestos cancer is suspected. In most cases, these imaging scans will be able to provide a picture of the tumor, but a biopsy will likely be required to determine a conclusive diagnosis of mesothelioma rather than other lung carcinomas. In cases where pleural or peritoneal effusions have manifested in the patient, draining these and extracting the fluid through pleurocentesis can allow oncologists to test the fluid for the presence of malignant cells.
Compensation for Asbestos Cancer
Unfortunately, it has come to light in recent years that many manufacturers of asbestos products were fully aware of the harmful nature of asbestos fibers and continued to expose hundreds of thousands of laborers to the toxic mineral. Asbestos products were prevalent in naval shipyards, power plants, oil refineries, and in ventilation/steam fixtures. Asbestos was also common in home construction materials, automobile parts, and thousands of other products.
While asbestos is now known to be highly toxic, there is a great deal of latencyassociated with asbestos cancer. Asbestos-related inflammation takes decades to develop within the lung and pleura before this inflammation translates into malignant tumor growth. Those exposed even forty to sixty years ago may still be at risk.
Fortunately, you may be eligible for financial compensation if you have been diagnosed with asbestos-related cancer or other injury. While prognosis for asbestos related cancer is often poor, those who have been exposed negligently are able to secure compensation for their treatment as well as for their families in their battle with terminal disease. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos-related disease, we urge you to fill out the brief form on this page. We'll send you an up-to-date information packet on new treatment options for mesothelioma, how to obtain compensation for your injuries, and important timelines associated with legal recourse for asbestos cancer patients.
Additional Topics in this Section
Asbestos Disease
While the asbestos cancer mesothelioma is the most harmful of the illnesses causes by exposure, asbestos has also been linked to lung cancer, asbestosis, and other respiratory complications.
Asbestos Types
There are two major sub-classifications of asbestos types. These are serpentine and amphibole. The singular serpentine variety is called chrysotile. Crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite are amphibole varieties.
Asbestos Alternatives
Once the nexus was established between asbestos and cancer, companies were implored to utilize asbestos alternatives. Learn about specific alternatives in this section.
Asbestos History
As stated above, asbestos has been used for many years for the purposes of insulation, prevention of heat transfer, and durability in industrial and construction materials.
Asbestos Facts and Statistics
Learn more about specific asbestos facts and statistics in this comprehensive section of our website.
Asbestos Disease in Pets and other Animals
Asbestos disease is known not only to affect humans, but has also been known to affect domestic pets and other animals. Asbestos is easily inhaled, and pets are not immune to the harmful damage caused by asbestos fibers. Learn more about how asbestos can affect your pets or other animals in this section.
Sources
National Cancer Institute - Asbestos Exposure and Cancer Risk
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/asbestos
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/asbestos
American Cancer Society - Asbestos - What Is Asbestos?
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ped/content/ped_1_3x_asbestos.asp
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ped/content/ped_1_3x_asbestos.asp