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Asbestos Cancer Overview
Among all types of asbestos related diseases the cancer of mesothelioma is the most dangerous and is the one that is posing the toughest challenge to the medical scientists. Mesothelioma is the most common in the countries that have their populations exposed to asbestos. There are either no instances or very few of instances of mesothelioma in the countries that do not use asbestos.
In a normal cell of the mesothelium the reproduction takes place only a certain number of times. This ensures that there is no invasion from one cell into the other. However when the asbestos fibers start interfering with the working of the mesothelial cells then the abnormal growth of the mesothelial cells takes place. These cells then form a lump which is known as tumor. If the tumor is benign then it does not spread to the adjoining areas, whereas if the tumor is malignant then there is a possibility that the tumor might spread to the other areas of the body. When these malignant cells move into the other areas of the body and start forming a tumor there then it is known as metastasis or secondary tumor. Generally this movement of cells takes place through the lymphatic system or the blood stream.
There are generally three types of mesothelioma that have the highest rate of incidences. They are the pleural mesothelioma, the pericardial mesothelioma, and the peritoneal mesothelioma. When the mesothelium is protecting the lung and the chest region then it is known as the pleural membrane. When the mesothelium is protecting the abdominal region then it is known as the peritoneal membrane and when it is covering the heart region then it is known as the pericardial membrane. Also among all the three forms of the meosthelioma it is the pleural mesothelioma that has the highest rate of occurrence. |
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