What Causes Malignant Mesothelioma, friend...?

Tweet

Mesothelioma is caused by inhaling asbestos. When a person breathes in asbestos fibers, they travel to the ends of the small air passages, and lodge in the lining of the lungs. These asbestos fibers interfere with mesothelial cells, in complex ways that doctors do not fully understand. In some cases they fibers cause scarring of the lungs called asbestosis, which is not cancerous. However, these fibers can trigger tumor growth many years after they are inhaled. When swallowed, asbestos fibers can also reach the lining of the abdominal cavity where they play a part in causing a cancer called peritoneal mesothelioma. A latency period of 20 to 50 years or more between initial exposure and development of mesothelioma exists. While researchers document the average latency period as between 35 and 40 years, they have documented many instances when the period was less than 20 years.