Mesothelioma - rare cancer
Mesothelioma is a very rare form of cancer. With this, cancerous cells are found in the body’s mesothelium, which is a protective type sac that covers the majority of the internal organs. Sadly, most people that develop mesothelioma have worked in jobs where asbestos has been inhaled. With this disease, cells of the mesothelium change, becoming abnormal. Then, these cells divide without any kind of control. Because of this, the diseased cells invade and damage organs and tissues.
Mesothelioma is a metastatic cancer, meaning it can spread to other areas of the body from where it began. The number of cases in the past 20 years have increased, although it’s still considered rare. On average, 2,000 new diagnoses are made each year. Patients are more often men than women,
although risks go up for both genders as they age.
Studies show that 80% of mesothelioma patients worked with or near asbestos, leaving the remaining 20% with no known exposure. Asbestos is made up of mineral fibers, woven into the fabric, and then separated into threads. We generally find asbestos in industry, in such products as roofing shingles, insulation for commercial and private use, and brake linings.
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Dealing with Cancer Pain
Did you know that as many as 30 to 50% of cancer patients undergoing treatment experience pain? Plus, for the patients in advanced stages of cancer, 70 to 90% experience pain as result of the cancer. Why should patients put up with this pain when treatments and other solutions exist? An exploration of the cancer patient’s options may bring surprisingly wonderful relief.
What is pain and how does pain surface in cancer? When the brain receives a message from the nerves about a problem, the body wants to react to whatever is causing the damage. Different treatments bring about different pain signals. For instance, in chemotherapy, the cancerous cells are being killed and this action may signal pain. The damaging force of pain may trigger chronic pain, which is a major stressor attacking the entire person’s well-being from the body to the mind. Another version of pain is breakthrough pain. This style of pain spikes and temporarily increases the dose of pain. Pain does not have to exist and 95% of cancer patients find relief from prescription drugs and other methods.
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