Mesothelioma is a very rare cancerous tumor affecting cells of the mesothelium.
It is one of the recognized occupational diseases because it is caused in the vast majority of cases by exposure to asbestos. However, it can appear in people who have never been exposed to asbestos.
It is difficult to diagnose because the first symptoms do not appear in the early stages of the disease.
The point in our article.
Mesothelioma: what is it?
Mesothelioma is a very rare form of cancer. It begins in the mesothelium, which is a membrane covering and protecting most of the internal organs of the body. It is estimated today that 1,100 new cases of mesothelioma occur annually in France.
There are different forms of mesothelioma:
Pleural mesothelioma: this is the most well-known form of mesothelioma, affecting the pleura, i.e. the lining of the lungs. It accounts for about 70 to 80% of all mesothelioma cases.
Peritoneal mesothelioma: affecting the peritoneum, the envelope of the abdominal cavity. It represents 25% of mesothelioma cases.
Pericardial mesothelioma: affecting the envelope of the heart, the pericardium.
Mesothelioma of the tunica vagina developing in the lining of the testicles.
Mesothelioma affects men much more often than women. We find :
a strong predominance of occupational exposures in men with more than 9 men exposed out of 10 concerned;
exposure found outside the workplace for one in three women (the increase is more marked among women with a doubling of cases in 20 years to reach 310 cases per year).
There are benign tumors of the mesothelium as well as fibrous tumors of the pleura, also benign but which may develop symptoms resembling those of malignant mesothelioma. We can also speak of multcystic mesothelioma when several benign cysts affect the peritoneum. Finally, there are adenomatoid mesotheliomas: benign tumors developing in the mesothelium of reproductive organs.
There are 3 cell subtypes of mesothelioma:
epithelioid (epithelial) which accounts for 50-60% of all mesotheliomas;
sarcomatoid (fibrous) which represents about 10% of mesotheliomas;
mixed (biphasic type) which represents the rest of mesotheliomas.
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