Mesothelioma Diagnosis

There is currently extensive mesothelioma research being done across the world in an effort to both further narrow down the causes of this deadly disease but more importantly, develop a cure for the people that are currently suffering from mesothelioma. Mesothelioma research has long revealed that the vast majority of mesothelioma cases are the result of the individual being exposed to asbestos or other fibrous materials. The fact that asbestos was once so commonly used as a construction material makes the need for mesothelioma research all the more important.

Each year, more and more people are diagnosed with mesothelioma and that number is going to continue to rise in the coming years. It can take decades for mesothelioma to manifest and because so many people were exposed to asbestos in the past, negligently in most cases, the need for mesothelioma research becomes more critical. The negligence on the part of employers and the manufacturers of asbestos has been something that many people feel should be accounted for.

It can all seem like a nightmare; developing the deadly cancer known as mesothelioma is certainly a tremendous challenge for both the mesothelioma sufferer and his or her family, but it should be recognized that there may be a chance that someone else’s negligence was responsible for causing the mesothelioma and accompanying mesothelioma symptoms, and since this may be the case, those who are diagnosed with mesothelioma should not hesitate to get in touch with a mesothelioma attorney.

For some, mesothelioma symptoms may not appear until decades after first being exposed to asbestos or other mesothelioma-causing materials. Since this is the case, it is oftentimes difficult to know exactly where, when, and how the exposure to mesothelioma-causing agents occurred, and without a doubt, in order to find out the truth regarding who is at fault for the mesothelioma developing, the services of a skilled attorney will be needed as an experienced attorney will be able to properly investigate the circumstances surrounding how the mesothelioma developed and whether or not someone else can be blamed for all of the physical, emotional, and financial suffering which has been sustained.

Asbestos seems to have high potency in the carcinogenesis of lung cancer and low potency in carcinogenesis of Mesothelioma.  One interesting study is called, “Asbestos and cigarette smoke cause increased DNA strand breaks and necrosis in bronchiolar epithelial cells in vivo” by Michael Jung, Wendell P. Davis, Douglas J. Taatjes, Andrew Churg and Brooke T. Mossman, – Free Radical Biology and Medicine – Volume 28, Issue 8, 15 April 2000, Pages 1295-1299.  Here is an excerpt: “Abstract – Coexposures to asbestos and cigarette smoke cause increased risks of lung cancer in asbestos workers. Although these carcinogens cause DNA damage to epithelial cells in vitro via generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), it is unclear whether they cause injury to bronchiolar epithelial cells (i.e., the target cells of lung cancers in vivo). We exposed rats to amosite asbestos, cigarette smoke, and the two agents in combination for 1, 2, and 14 d.

Numbers of cells exhibiting DNA strand breaks in comparison to sham rats were then evaluated in lungs using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TDT)-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) method and by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Increases in TUNEL-positive, necrotic epithelial cells occurred after exposure to asbestos alone and in an additive fashion after smoke and asbestos in combination. These results indicate that DNA strand breakage and necrosis are prominent mechanisms of injury by asbestos fibers and cigarette smoke in vivo to epithelial cells of the respiratory tract, thus validating in vitro observations from a number of laboratories.”