If you have been diagnosed with cancer, a health care professional can also provide a tissue sample for genetic testing. This can help determine if you have an inherited predisposition to certain types of cancer.
What is commonly known about Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the mesothelium, which is the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs of the body. The most common type of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, which affects the tissue around the lungs. Other types of mesothelioma can affect the tissue around the heart or the abdomen.
Mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a type of mineral fiber that was once widely used in many industries, including construction, shipbuilding, and manufacturing. When these fibers are inhaled or swallowed, they can become lodged in the mesothelium and eventually cause cancer.
Mesothelioma can take many years to develop after exposure to asbestos. The average time from exposure to diagnosis is about 40 years. This makes mesothelioma a challenging disease to diagnose, because symptoms may not appear until the cancer has progressed to an advanced stage. What else besides asbestos causes mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma can also be caused by exposure to other substances, such as radiation, certain chemicals, and minerals. However, these exposures are much less common than asbestos exposure in the development of mesothelioma. How many people get mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a relatively rare cancer. In the United States, about 3,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year. However, the incidence of mesothelioma is on the rise, likely due to increased exposure to asbestos in previous decades.
