5 Things You Should Know About Mesothelioma

• Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that has been directly linked to asbestos exposure. The disease attacks the lining of the lung, chest, and stomach cavities and is extremely deadly. In even more rare cases, mesothelioma cancer affects the lining of the heart or reproductive organs.
• Males have a higher risk of developing mesothelioma than females because they are more likely to be exposed to asbestos. Asbestos has been used in hundreds of industries worldwide since the 1800s putting millions of the men and women who worked in the industries at risk. However, non-occupational exposure to asbestos and secondary exposure also endangers the lives of millions of innocent victims.
• Because the dangers of asbestos are now widely known, there are numerous regulations that companies must abide by and precautions they must take to protect workers and their families from the dangers of asbestos. Unfortunately, even with these precautions it is estimated that nearly 1.3 million construction workers alone are still exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos, putting them at risk of developing mesothelioma.
• In the United States alone ten thousand people die every year from mesothelioma. Furthermore, two to three thousand Americans are diagnosed with the deadly disease annually. Mesothelioma cancer often remains dormant in the body for 20 to 40 years. It is predicted that thousands of new cases will be diagnosed within the next decade.
• On average, patients diagnosed with mesothelioma have a survival rate of 10 months to a year. The cancer is extremely aggressive and metastasizes rapidly. While there is no cure for mesothelioma, there are treatment options that can help extend the life of the patient.

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