Malignant mesothelioma is known as tumor which grows on the lining of the lung and cavity of chest or the lining of the abdomen which is typically associated with the exposure to mineral fibers such as asbestos and the erionite. Duration, intensity, and quality of the exposure to asbestos are important factors in any mineral fiber related ailment. Asbestos is related to a family of silicate minerals that are divided into two main groups, which include the serpentine form of the substance and the amphibole forms (hopyllite, corcidolite, tremolite, and actinolite). Erionite is naturally occurring minerals which belongs to a group of minerals named zeolites.
Asbestos has been found to cause asbestois, lung and laryngeal cancer, pleural plaques or fibrosis, and usually malignant mesothelioma. On the other hand, erionite, appears to cause malignant mesothelioma and is way more potent than is asbestos which causes malignant mesothelioma. In this article, we would like to examine the incidence of malignant mesothelioma in males and females, the role of the fibers and accompanying factors in malignant mesothelioma pathogenesis and the important role of exposure to asbestos, histories, and the diagnosis in current study and disease control.
The Incidence of Malignant Mesothelioma
In accordance with Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program data, incidence related to malignant mesothelioma in the United States is estimated to be around one to two million in the states with minimal exposure to asbestos and around ten to fifteen million in states in which large amount of asbestos were present. The development of malignant mesothelioma has mainly been associated with the widespread commercial usage of asbestos in the outset of mid-20th century. Prior to the 50s, malignant mesothelioma tumors were so rare. However, these days, malignant mesothelioma accounts for about 3,000 death every single year in the United States and additional 5,000 deaths in the west part of European continent. The dormancy or latency period, which denotes the interval between the first exposure and the development of cancer related to malignant mesothelioma, ranges from around 25 to 71 years and is found to be affected by the amount of asbestos exposure, since workers in trades with more severe amount of exposure are likely to experience shorter latencies, in comparison to individuals that are exposed to lower amount of asbestos.
However, the latency period for malignant mesothelioma were similar among people that left Turkish rural areas that experience high incidence of malignant mesothelioma when they were six years old and those who spent their entire lives in those villages. As a result, there does not appear to be a liner dose-response relationship between the exposures to asbestos. Instead, some individuals are even more susceptible to asbestos or erionite carcinogenicity than are others, and once a certain amount of asbestos has entered our body, such as in six year old child who grows up in village that is contained with erionite, they are more likely to develop malignant mesothelioma, which proposes the idea that additional exposure may not increase the risk significantly.
