Asbestos Cancer

Asbestos cancer and all other asbestos diseases are caused by tiny fibers that break off from asbestos or products containing asbestos.  This process occurs when asbestos products deteriorate and the asbestos becomes “friable,” meaning that it crumbles easily into dust.  These microscopic fibers become airborne like fine particles of dust and can be inhaled by anyone in the area without knowing it’s happened or feeling it.

Asbestos fibers in the body cause asbestos cancer.  For the most part, asbestos cancer develops in the mesothelium, a thin membrane of tissue that protects a number of organs and surfaces within the body.  The parts of the mesothelium that cover the chest wall and wrap around the outer surface of the lungs are called the pleura.  The peritoneum is the part of the mesothelium covering the abdominal wall.  The pericardium wraps around the heart like a sac, providing protection.  These are the membranes that make up the mesothelium.

And these are the areas where mesothelioma, or asbestos cancer, develops.  The only known cause for mesothelioma is asbestos; specifically, the lodging of asbestos fibers in these membranes that eventually cause the development of malignant mesothelial cells.

Pleural Mesothelioma Cancer

The most common form of mesothelioma develops in the pleura, the double membrane that lines the lungs and the chest wall.  Seventy percent of all malignant mesothelioma cases develop in the pleura, or lung lining.  That is why pleural mesothelioma is often called “asbestos lung cancer,” although it is in fact cancer of the outer lining of the lung.  Asbestos fibers can cause lung cancer, although usually they are a contributing factor in a cancer patient who is or was a smoker.

Pleural mesothelioma may develop in a diffuse pattern, with small tumors spread over one of the pleural surfaces.  It may develop a single large tumor.  In either case it will cause the pleural tissue to thicken and possibly to develop an excess of fluid in the area – a condition known as pleural effusion.  Breathing becomes difficult because of the pressure from excess fluid or from the inability of the pleural surfaces to interact smoothly when the lungs are inhaling and exhaling.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Cancer

This form of asbestos cancer develops in the membrane lining the abdominal cavity.  Asbestos fibers that embed themselves in the peritoneum cause malignant cells to develop.  As with the pleura, excess fluid may develop causing a distended and painful abdomen.  Peritoneal mesothelioma puts pressure on nearby organs and can cause digestive dysfunction.  It can also spread malignancy to nearby organs including the liver and the colon, and contribute to kidney problems.

Pericardial Mesothelioma Cancer

This form of asbestos cancer is the rarest; it is found in five percent or less of all mesothelioma diagnoses.  Pericardial mesothelioma shares symptoms with the more common pleura mesothelioma: chest pain, a persistent cough and pressure in the chest.  When the pericardium thickens with malignant cells or fluid buildup it can put pressure on the heart, causing fibrillation and heart arrhythmia.

Asbestos Lung Cancer

Since asbestos was identified as such a potent carcinogen, there have been more diagnoses of lung cancer with the primary cause being asbestos fibers in the lung tissue.  Often the malignancy will come through the lung from the pleura, but more discerning imaging technology and cell diagnosis are now proving that asbestos can also be the cause of malignancy development within the lung as well as without.

The History of Asbestos Cancer

Mesothelioma didn’t become a fixture in medical literature until the latter half of the Twentieth Century when the asbestos was finally identified as a dangerous carcinogen.  The Federal Government did not start tracking mesothelioma deaths as a specific category until 1999.  In that year, the estimated number of deaths from the disease doubled.  There can be no doubt that for the last half of the Twentieth Century the true cause for many deaths reported as due to lung cancer were in fact due to asbestos cancer.