An Overview of Mesothelioma: A Rare Cancer

As I continue my journey learning about biology and health, I would like to share with you something I’ve learned about thanks to Lanier Law Firm. They have brought the problem of mesothelioma to my attention and I would like to introduce all of you to it.

Simply put mesothelioma is the tumor of the tissues that lines various organs, and this tissue is known as the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a layer of epithelial tissue that surrounds the organs of the chest, abdominal cavities and pelvis.

The epithelial tissue is one of the 4 main tissues that make up the human body and it lines all the internal and external surfaces of your body, as well as body cavities, hollow organs, and glands. The other main tissues in the human body are the connective tissue which bind different tissues together, the muscular tissue that includes muscles that move the skeleton and smooth muscles (like the ones around the stomach), and the nervous tissues which are the ones that contain nerve cells/neurons and send signal to various parts of the human body.

Now the mesothelium is the epithelium that lines the peritoneum, the pericardium, the pleura, and the tunica vaginalis. The peritoneum has layers of mesothelial cells that make up the lining of the abdominal cavity, the pericardium are the membranes that line the heart and the space between the lungs (the mediastinum), the pleura are the membranes that line the lungs, and the tunica vaginalis are the cells that line the testes in biological males.

Mesothelioma has been linked to exposure to asbestos, which is a naturally occurring mineral fiber that is classified as carcinogenic (causing cancer). Asbestos may be absorbed through the skin, but they are most commonly inhaled which is why pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma in different areas of the body can cause different symptoms. For example, some symptoms a patient with pleural mesothelioma might experience include coughing, difficulty swallowing, chest pain, and fatigue among other things.

Due to mesothelioma, a type of cancer that can occur in the mesothelium, taking place near some of the most vital organs in the human body, the average life expectancy of a mesothelioma patient after diagnosis is anywhere from one to two years, but mesothelioma is often diagnosed many years after exposure to asbestos.

Bibliography:

“Epithelium: What It Is, Function & Types.” Cleveland Clinic, 11 Sept. 2021, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22062-epithelium. Accessed 27 June 2023.

“Mesothelioma Cancer.” The Lanier Law Firm, 11 May 2023, www.lanierlawfirm.com/mesothelioma/. Accessed 27 June 2023.

“Pleural Mesothelioma: Symptoms, Treatment and Prognosis.” Cleveland Clinic, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15044-pleural-mesothelioma. Accessed 27 June 2023.