Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the lining of the lung
(pleural mesothelioma) or the lining of the abdomen (peritoneal
mesothelioma). The only known cause of mesothelioma in North America is
exposure to asbestos.
Like the other asbestos-related diseases, mesothelioma has a long
latency period (period of time between first exposure to asbestos and
the diagnosis of the disease). In rare cases the latency period has
been as short as 10 to 15 years after the first exposure to asbestos.
Typically, however, mesothelioma occurs 20, 30, 40 or more years after
the first exposure.
Unlike the other asbestos-related diseases, even low exposures to
asbestos can lead to the development of malignant mesothelioma. It is
not uncommon for someone to develop this cancer after only a few weeks
of exposure at a summer job decades earlier or from washing clothing
worn by a worker exposed to asbestos on the job. There are even cases
reported in medical literature, of mesothelioma developing in people
who simply lived near a site where asbestos products were used or
manufactured.
The prognosis for someone diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma,
unfortunately, is not good. It is almost always fatal. Survival is
usually limited to 12 to 18 months from the diagnosis, sometimes
substantially less. There are some people, however, usually relatively
young and in good health before being stricken with this disease, who
have achieved long-term survival.
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