Mesothelioma Latency Period

Malignant mesothelioma often has a long period of latency, in fact the longest of the asbestos-related diseases, before a mesothelioma diagnosis occurs in people. Diagnosis happens by mesothelioma doctors when the disease becomes apparent, but latency refers to the length of time it takes from being exposed to asbestos until the time when the disease becomes apparent in a clinical examination. Latency can be as short as 10 years or as long as 50, but the average length of latency for malignant mesothelioma is 35 to 40 years between exposure and diagnosis.

Because the latency period for mesothelioma can vary from patient to patient, so too does the age of onset of the disease vary. However, most adult mesothelioma cases are diagnosed in patients between the ages of 40 and into their 60s. Child mesothelioma, while rare, does occur in 2 to 5 percent of malignant mesothelioma diagnoses.

A shorter latency period may occur if a patient has had a higher exposure to asbestos. Many of the people who have a short latency period were exposed to asbestos on the job; this is especially true of people with occupations in shipyards as well as the asbestos and insulation industries.

The typical long latency period of this disease is a contributing factor to a poor mesothelioma prognosis. Most cancers respond much better if they are caught early in their development. Because mesothelioma remains under the surface for typically many years, it is often quite advanced once a diagnosis is made.

Forms of Mesothelioma

The different types of mesothelioma cancer are named based on the parts of the body in which the disease occurs. The three primary mesotheliomas are:

• Peritoneal mesothelioma
• Pleural mesothelioma
• Pericardial mesothelioma

Peritoneal mesothelioma is found in the abdomen, while Pleural mesothelioma occurs in the lungs. Pericardial mesothelioma happens in the area of the heart. Where the cancer occurs may also play a part in the latency period; a study showed that 28 years was the average latency period for peritoneal mesothelioma with an average asbestos exposure duration of 5 years, and 35 years latency period with 11 years exposure duration for pleural mesothelioma, but exposure duration could vary widely.

Asbestos Exposure

Exposure to asbestos while on the job appears to be the major cause of mesothelioma. Asbestos was widely used in the United States in the 1960s, and thus the disease tends to become most apparent 30 to 40 years after this, so perhaps the peak of diagnoses in the U.S. will have been between 2000 and 2004. Because laws on exposure to harmful elements while on the job were put into place, it is expected that these statistics will not be on the rise. Australia and Europe may see a peak in 2010 to 2019, and it remains to be seen what will occur in third world countries without the benefit of strong occupational hazard laws in place.

The Future

These statistics may be in flux, however, for several reasons. They include:

• better health care and better food, people are living longer after retirement
• better occupational exposure regulations, workers are no longer exposed to high levels of asbestos
• better occupational exposure regulations, workers are no longer exposed to high levels of asbestos
• Fewer cases of bronchogenic cancer, which may be fatal in workers exposed to asbestos, before the mesothelioma has made a physical impact

Due to these factors, we may see more cases of new-onset mesothelioma.

Secondary or limited exposure to asbestos is a contributing factor to the difficulty encountered when trying to figure out exactly when asbestos exposure occurred. However, one of the consequences of the World Trade Center disaster may help researchers to better understand this disease. Because rescue, cleanup, recovery and volunteer personnel were exposed to asbestos along with other airborne contaminants, long-term studies of these people are under way, which may assist researchers in gaining more knowledge about this serious disease.

Sources

Neumann V, Gunther, S., Muller, K.M., Fischer, J. Malignant Mesothelioma - German Mesothelioma Register 1987-1999. International Archives Of Occupational And Environmental Health. 2001 August. Vol. 74 (6), pp. 383-95.

Varan, A. et al. Malignant Mesothelioma in an Adolescent Boy. Pediatrics International. 1999 Dec. Vol 41 (6), pp. 693-695.

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Posted in: Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma Disease

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that attacks the cells of the mesothelium, a thin membrane that lines the thoracic and abdominal cavities as well as the heart sac. It has been determined that the cause of mesothelioma is almost always exposure to asbestos. This disease is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer and there is no known mesothelioma cure. Unfortunately, most patients die within just a few years of a mesothelioma diagnosis.

History

Mesothelioma cancer was first described and recognized as a pathologic entity in the 1870s by E. Wagner, who found two cases during a study of some 3,000 autopsies. However, this form of cancer was not recognized as a separate form of lung cancer until almost 100 years later. In 1960, a report by Wagner et al finally established asbestos as a definitive cause of the disease, citing a study of 30 cases of mesothelioma in South Africa, including those who were exposed on their jobs as miners and others with simply passing exposure. By just a few years later, the British Journal of Industrial Medicine confirmed that miners as well as those who lived near asbestos mines but didn’t work in mining were both developing the disease. Many similar reports followed.

Asbestos and Mesothelioma

As studies continued to point to asbestos as one of the primary mesothelioma causes, it became more and more evident that this mineral was wreaking havoc with the lungs of those who were consistently exposed to it. A close look at asbestos, its types, and its uses would soon prove necessary in the study of mesothelioma disease.

Asbestos comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some types of asbestos are more lethal than others. As a matter of fact, the types of asbestos that belong to the amphibole group are the most toxic. These include amosite, tremolite, crocidolite, actinolite, and anthophyllite asbestos. The fibers that make up these amphibole varieties are long, thin, and sharp. Once inhaled, they are difficult to expel and become imbedded in the chest area where they cause scarring and can eventually result in the development of cancerous tumors and mesothelioma disease.

The serpentine form of asbestos - known as chrysotile - has been proven to be less likely to cause cancer but is hazardous nonetheless. Experts advise that any kind of asbestos exposure is unsafe and there have indeed been cases when chrysotile fibers were found in the lungs of those with mesothelioma disease.

Risk Factors

Asbestos has been mined for centuries, but the mineral, long considered a prime insulating material, enjoyed increased use after the Industrial Revolution. In particular, peak usage of this hazardous mineral occurred from the 1930s through the 1970s, and asbestos use was especially popular during World War II, particularly in the shipbuilding industry.

A total of about 90% of all patients who develop mesothelioma disease are believed to have been exposed to asbestos in the workplace. Navy vets and shipyard workers account for about one-third of these cases, putting them in the highest risk group for developing this aggressive cancer. Furthermore, in 1978, a study found that the disease affects 6% of workers who have been employed in high-risk occupations at asbestos jobsites for 15 years or longer, confirming that length of exposure may also have something to do with who gets asbestos and who does not.

Recent events have also shown that exposure to a large amount of asbestos for a short amount of time may also result in development of this disease. For example, emergency responders who worked at the World Trade Center disaster were diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma or peritoneal mesothelioma within just a few short years of being exposed to the material in the days surrounding 9/11. The first Sept. 11-related victim of the disease died in 2005, just four years after the tragedy occurred.

Individuals may also suffer secondhand exposure to asbestos. In 1990, for example, researchers discovered that half the mesothelioma patients under the age of 40 were exposed to asbestos in childhood. Many grew up in the shadow of an asbestos plant or mine, some lived near a natural source, and others had family members who worked with asbestos and inadvertently brought fibers into the home on their clothes, skin, or in their hair.

Today, the average mesothelioma patient is a white male, 65 years of age or older. However, this statistic has more to do with employment than with specific mesothelioma risk factors. In addition, researchers have studied the impact of certain genetic factors on the development of mesothelioma and note that those with a family history of cancer have a greater chance of developing mesothelioma. This may explain why some individuals with only minimal exposure develop the disease.

Treatment

Regardless of how and why an individual develops mesothelioma disease, doctors acknowledge that it is one of the most difficult cancers to treat. The disease has a long latency period, remaining essentially silent for up to five decades. Because it is usually not diagnosed until it has reached advanced mesothelioma stages, most standard treatments for cancer are not very effective in slowing the disease, adding only a few months to the patient’s life expectancy. However, some newer treatments such as mesothelioma gene therapy and photodynamic therapy have shown promise in fighting this cancer and tests are being developed that will help detect the disease at an earlier stage, providing more hope for the meso patient.

Sources

Wagner JC, Sleggs CA, Marchand P (October 1960). "Diffuse pleural mesothelioma and asbestos exposure in the North Western Cape Province". Br J Ind Med. 17: 260-71.

PMID 13782506

http://medicineworld.org/cancer/mesothelioma

http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/OtherCarcinogens/Pollution/asbestos

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Posted in: Mesothelioma

About: Asbestos Oddities Found in the Home and on eBay

Author*:	Asbestos
Email *:	Asbestos@hure.com
Title*:	Asbestos Oddities Found in the Home and on eBay
Articles*:	Since 1873 asbestos research and application began bringing safety, comfort and economy to millions of people. By the 1950's and 60's nearly an alphabet of products contained asbestos. Like asbestos, a natural oddity, this guide will deal with some of the more peculiar asbestos-containing materials that found there way into our everyday life. Asbestos, to start, is derived from the Greek word 'unquenchable' or 'inextinguishable'. Asbestos is actually a commercial term for a naturally occuring mineral that could be one of six minerals that are fibrous, resistant to acid and alkaline solutions and stable at high temperatures. Commercially, the asbestos mineral could be seperated by fibers to produce a mass of fibers that could be used in weaving cloth or be added to other building products such as cement to create an estimated 3,000 different materials. From those 3,000 a few oddoties have been available on eBay. These oddoties are as follows: * Sports Equipment Padding * Books and Pages * Cigarette Filter * Home Hot Pads * Artificial Snow * Modeling Clay * Sad Irons * Tokens, Tags and Poker Chips Sports Equipment Padding - Padding for sports equipment has evolved from bulk cotton and bulk wool to wool tubing, jute, pressed wool felt, and asbestos felt. Padding was used in baseball gloves and football helmets. Books and Pages - Asbestos in book making has a long history as paper that resists high temperature, humidity, chemicals, micro-organisms, rodents and the sun rays. Also two books have been bound in asbestos cloth as promotional items. Cigarette Filters - The P. Lorillard Company produced Kent cigarettes between 1952 and 1956 with a 'Micronite' filter. This filter was made of Crocidolite asbestos. Home Hot Pads - Modern comfort and convenience in the home would be inconceivable without this mineral curiosity. Iron holders, mats and pads are just a few of the items lined or made with asbestos. These household items proved to be indispensable in protecting from heat and fire. Modeling Clay - As a home made 'Asbestos Meal' in the children's craft book published in 1949 by the Children's Press Inc. of Chicago, Il. to a manufactured product called 'Fibro-Clay' by Milton-Bradley Company in 1967. Sad Irons - Old style of iron placed on the top of a wood or coal stove and heated. The most common style of 'asBESTos' sad irons were manufactured by Dover Manufacturing Co. and consisted of a solid iron core with an asbestos-lined hood. The hood was also the handle that would clamp over the heated iron. Tokens, Tags and Poker Chips - Carnival tokens, army dog tags and poker chips were all made out of a asbestos vulcanite material in various colors and numerous advertisements. These oddoties and more can and have been found for sale on eBay. Use the Asbestos Historical Products and Literature guide for help searching.
Website:	http://mesothelioma-asbestos-lawsuits.blogspot.com/

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