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Mesothelioma causes
The main risk factor for pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma cancer is asbestos exposure. In fact, almost all cases of mesothelioma cancer can be linked to asbestos exposure.
How Does Asbestos Cause Mesothelioma?
When people inhale asbestos fibers, they stick to the mucus that lines air passages such as the nose and throat. If these fibers are not coughed up, they can travel to the ends of the small airways and penetrate into the lung and chest wall. The asbestos may then directly injure the cells of the chest wall and eventually cause mesothelioma cancer. This is called pleural mesothelioma.
People may also cough up and swallow asbestos fibers, which can cause mesothelioma cancer in the abdomen. This form of the disease is called peritoneal mesothelioma.
Researchers are still studying exactly how asbestos causes cells to develop into mesothelioma cancer. One theory is that asbestos fibers may damage a person's DNA, causing cells to grow uncontrollably.
What Factors Affect the Development of Mesothelioma?
The amount of asbestos a person has been exposed to and the length of time they were exposed affects their risk of developing mesothelioma. People most likely to develop mesothelioma cancer have been:
- exposed to asbestos at a young age
- exposed to asbestos for a long period of time
- exposed to high levels of asbestos
Unfortunately, the risk of developing pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma cancer does not decrease with time after exposure to asbestos.
If you have any of these risk factors for developing mesothelioma cancer, you may wish to visit the How Can I Get Tested? section of our website. There you will find more information on the various medical tests available for detecting the presence of asbestos-related illnesses.
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