Peritoneal Mesothelioma Causes

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Causes

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Causes - Peritoneal mesothelioma causes primarily consist of prolonged and repeated exposure to asbestos, a name referring to a group of minerals that natural occur in the earth crust. When broken down into fibers, asbestos is an excellent type of insulation that resists corrosion and extreme heat. However, it was discovered many years later that asbestos was harmful when inhaled, causing an insidious form of lung and stomach cancer. When asbestos accumulates in the lungs and causes a type of detrimental scar tissue to form on the epithelial layer, the resulting reduction in lung functioning creates debilitating symptoms that usually force the individual to seek a doctor’s attention.

According to the website Asbestos.com, a 2010 study by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation and the National Cancer Institute discovered a protein that “plays a key role in the development of mesothelioma. This protein, HMGB1, was found in elevated levels of patients who had been exposed to asbestos. The researchers learned that as the result of asbestos exposure, the presence of this protein can lead to an inflammatory reaction that causes tumor growth”.

In addition, this research study found that once asbestos fibers find their way into a human body, they destroy cells by employing a form of “programmed cell necrosis”. Essentially, this means that cells literally kill themselves when infiltrated with asbestos fibers. Scientists performing this research concluded that by attempting to interfere with the interaction between HMGB1 and asbestos fibers, a reduction in the development of tumors may be possible.

Asbestos-caused cancers usually do not produce symptoms for 20, 30 even 50 years, with initial symptoms of chronic coughing and mild breathing problems affecting the individual. People who are carrying the disease may feel perfectly healthy until lesions or tumors begin spreading over the lung or stomach area. By then, the mesothelioma has advanced to later stages of the disease requiring surgery and radiation therapy.

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