The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com has provided patients and their love ones the most update and dependable information on mesothelioma and asbestos exposure since 2006 .
Differences Between Mesothelioma & Lung Cancer Development
While a malignant mesothelioma tumor and lung cancer can develop after exposure to asbestos, each occur in different areas of the body. Lung cancer develops in the lung itself, while mesothelioma normally develops in the lining of the lung. Mesothelioma can besides develop in the trace of the abdomen, heart or testes. Mesothelioma of the lung is called pleural mesothelioma .
The two cancers grow differently. Lung cancer tends to grow in individual masses, known as nodules, with define boundaries. Mesothelioma starts as bantam tumor nodules that scatter the mesothelial lining, and finally grow together to form a sheath-like tumor around the organ .
Lung cancer has a tendency to spread or metastasize early to other organs, while mesothelioma tends to be a more locally aggressive disease that remains within one torso cavity .
Another major deviation is the incidence rate of the two conditions. Lung cancer is the second-most-common cancer in the U.S. with about 222,500 new cases annually .
Doctors diagnose roughly 2,800 cases of malignant mesothelioma, which includes all four types of the asbestos-related cancer, each year .
Mesothelioma is about entirely the result of asbestos exposure, while the majority of lung cancer cases are attributed to tobacco use and environmental exposures to substances such as radon gas and secondhand smoke .
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And while smoking does not influence risk of mesothelioma, it greatly increases an individual ’ randomness risk of developing lung cancer. Those with the highest gamble of lung cancer are smokers with a history of asbestos exposure .
By themselves, each risk factor damages lung tissue and makes it more susceptible to diseases. so when smoke and asbestos are combined, an individual ’ south lung cancer risk increases at least fiftyfold .
Facts About Mesothelioma
- Statistics about mesothelioma show that more than 80 percent of mesothelioma cases are the result of asbestos exposure.
- This cancer typically takes 20 to 50 years to develop after initial exposure to asbestos
Facts About Lung Cancer
- 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths are attributed to tobacco use.
- Radon exposure is the second-leading cause of lung cancer.
- Lung cancer has a shorter latency period and may appear 10 to 30 years after first exposure to a carcinogen like asbestos or cigarette smoke.
Similarities Between Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer
death rates by state for mesothelioma and lung cancer tend to correlate with each other. The five states with the most mesothelioma deaths besides have the most lung cancer deaths .
Each disease can take decades to develop yet only months to spread to distant organs. Both have similar diagnostic procedures and treatment techniques .
In addition, lung cancer and mesothelioma have overlapping symptoms. They both normally causal agent chest pain, cough, difficulty emit, tire and weight loss. If a patient has these symptoms along with a history of asbestos vulnerability and/or a history of smoking, doctors should immediately suspect lung cancer or mesothelioma .
But despite having a total of similarities, lung cancer and mesothelioma disagree in physical characteristics and non-asbestos gamble factors .
Diagnosing Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer
To diagnose either type of cancer, a repair will need to perform a biopsy. The appearance on CT read or darling scan entirely is not a dependable means to differentiate between lung cancer and mesothelioma. Biopsies may be performed via a bronchoscopy, needle biopsy or thoracoscopic operating room .
During a bronchoscopy, the sophisticate inserts a little camera down the throat and into the airways of the lung to detect abnormalities such as visible tumor emergence. If the doctor finds atypical growth, he or she may collect a cell sample and test it for cancer .
A needle biopsy involves placing a small needle into the tumor using an sonography machine or connecticut scan to localize it. The operation is performed under local anesthesia.
To collect a larger sample distribution, however, a minor biopsy surgery under general anesthesia is required. A small television camera is inserted between the rib to look inside the breast and obtain samples of the fluid. During this operation, fluid buildup may be suctioned out and a pleurodesis performed to decrease the hazard of the fluid collecting again .
Most patients with pleural mesothelioma will either show pleural thickening ( across-the-board scar in the line of the chest cavity ) or a pleural effusion, which is fluid buildup in their chest pit. This fluid may be tested for cancer cells, but it isn ’ t a authentic way to confirm a diagnosis .
With lung cancer, you don ’ triiodothyronine inevitably have the node of the trace of the chest cavity. however, it is not uncommon for lung cancer patients to present with pleural effusions, which can sometimes make it unmanageable to establish the diagnosis .
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Treating These Cancers
For mesothelioma and lung cancer, treatment options largely depend on how much the cancer has spread, which is besides referred to as the stage of the cancer. Most treatment plans include some combination of operating room, radiotherapy therapy or chemotherapy .
If the cancer is localized to the lung area, operating room may be able to remove all of the tumor emergence. But surgeries vary by specific type of cancer .
Examples :
- To treat pleural mesothelioma a surgeon may remove the lining of the lung, the affected portion of the lung or the entire cancerous lung and its linings.
- Typical lung cancer surgeries include removing a small portion of the lung, a lobe of the lung or the entire lung.
For both types of cancer, chemotherapy and radiotherapy therapy are besides considered as possible extra approaches to discussion. If the mesothelioma or lung cancer is localized, either treatment can be used to shrink tumor emergence and potentially kill all tumor cells. When used in this potentially curative means, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are typically combined with surgery. These treatments can still be used if the cancer has spread beyond its original location. In these cases, treatments are alleviative and draw a bead on to reduce symptoms .
A 2021 clinical research study identified that certain types of radiation, such as focal radiotherapy, are more effective for treating mesothelioma than lung cancer. The study besides found focal radiotherapy was more effective for mesothelioma when performed for cancer progression after one line of systemic therapy .
experimental therapies are being tested through clinical trials for both cancers. Some of these innovative therapies include immunotherapy, gene therapy, photodynamic therapy and cryotherapy. Photodynamic therapy is used more routinely in the treatment of lung cancer than in mesothelioma .
Watch: Dr. Fontaine explains why mesothelioma is more unmanageable to treat than lung cancer .
Prognosis
One year after diagnosis, survival rates for lung cancer and mesothelioma are close : 42 percentage for lung cancer patients and 39 percentage for mesothelioma patients. survival rates diverge after respective years, with lung cancer patients having a long-run survival advantage .
Beyond the statistics, though, is the need for person with an asbestos cancer to secure an accurate diagnosis : Is it asbestos-related lung cancer or is it mesothelioma ? The adjacent measure would be to formulate the best individual discussion plan .
Common Questions About Mesothelioma Vs. Lung Cancer
- Is mesothelioma a form of lung cancer ?
- While malignant mesothelioma is cancerous, it is not a phase of lung cancer. Lung cancer develops inside the lungs, while mesothelioma causes tumors of the pleural tissue that surrounds the outside of the lungs, diaphragm and chest cavity. Both diseases share similar symptoms, such as abruptness of breath and chest pain, and can be caused by inhaling asbestos fibers .
- What are the warn signs of mesothelioma ?
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The earliest signs of mesothelioma include :
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Persistent cough
- Fever or night sweats
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
- Abdominal pain or swelling
- Lack of appetite or weight loss
- Should you see a mesothelioma specialist if you have asbestos-related lung cancer ?
- pleural mesothelioma doctors are a patient ’ south best resource for receiving accurate and effective treatment for asbestos-related lung cancer. These specialists have expertise in diagnosing and treating several asbestos-related diseases, and they understand the complexities of lung cancer caused by asbestos. acme mesothelioma doctors can besides connect you with clinical inquiry trials and speciate treatments for patients with asbestos-related lung cancer .
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