Mesothalioma

Mesothalioma is a misspelling of the word for the asbestos cancer called "mesothelioma." This disease, also sometimes referred to as mesothelioma cancer, has been diagnosed in many individuals over the last thirty years who were exposed to asbestos fibers while on the job. As workers in a variety of professions installed asbestos, removed it or repaired equipment that contained it, microscopic asbestos fibers were disturbed and sent into the air around them.

Asbestos was the insulation material of choice for many decades because it was both durable and inexpensive. It was one of the best fire-proofing substances around and because it was cost effective to manufacture and purchase, it held great appeal for many. However, it was later discovered that this substance was the cause of asbestos related diseases like mesothelioma which workers inhaled while working with it. It was not fully disclosed by manufacturers early on that asbestos caused mesothelioma, so workers did not wear the necessary protective gear that could have saved their lives. As a result, many innocent people developed this fatal disease which has affected a great number of lives over the past decades.

There are different types of malignant mesothelioma characterized by the organs that are affected. The most common form of the disease is known as pleural mesothelioma which affects the lining of the lungs. Pericardial mesothelioma affects the lining of the heart and peritoneal mesothelioma the lining of the abdomen. The symptoms of this cancer are often very similar to those of common upper respiratory illnesses and can include coughing, chest pain and fatigue. This can make diagnosis difficult in some cases and at times the disease can progress to advanced stages before an accurate diagnosis is made. Mesothelioma treatment options in the more advanced stages become limited and the prognosis for patients less favorable.

Other common misspellings:

• Mesophilioma
• Mesotheioma
• Mesotheleoma
• Mesothelione
• Mesotheloma
• Mesotheolima
• Mesothileoma
• Mesothlioma
• Mesthelioma
• Misothilioma

Source

National Cancer Institute
www.cancer.gov