Researchers diving into mesothelioma can feel like they navigate a maze filled with dark corridors, mirrors and impasses. The more they walk, the more they realize the difficulty of their work.
The medical community has not solved many mysteries of disease ?? for example, simian virus 40 plays a role in causation ?? and health professionals ignore too often perpetuate myths about cancer
A recent report in its entirety in PubMed (an online database that compiles the medical literature) - titled. "Malignant mesothelioma: Fact, Myths and hypotheses" - seeks to resolve the known, the unknown and misunderstandings about the asbestos-caused cancer
Two primary myths are debunked in the report. and the authors discuss a number of facts in addition to presenting the latest statistics and assumptions involving causality and the development of the disease.
report analyzed 170 studies
more than 170 studies have been analyzed by specialists such as Michele Carbone, MD, Harvey Pass, MD, to produce the report. full reports of this nature are rare in the world of research of mesothelioma. this particular report is unique in its scope, and it is even close to the death of prevention policy. the authors boldly underline that the United States has invested billions of dollars to prevent the deaths of American citizens from terrorist attacks, but only a few million to find a cure for cancer
the report reads :. "Over the last 10 years, fewer than 5,000 people died in terrorist attacks in the United States during the same decade, about 25,000 to 30,000 US citizens died of [mesothelioma], which are largely preventable deaths. yet the United States invest less than $ 2 to $ 3 million dollars / year to support medical research to develop strategies to prevent or cure. "
over the next 40 years, more 100,000 Americans are expected to spend away from the disease. And with mortality rates expected to increase by 5 to 10 percent annually for the next two to three decades in industrialized countries, the cry for financing and the call for asbestos ban could not be more important.
Myths Can affect treatment and funding
Myths any cancer can place a heavy burden on the progress made, particularly if the myth affects the amount of perceived funding needed to drive advances in research and treatment.
The first myth debunked in the report ?? malignant mesothelioma that will soon disappear ?? has the interest greatly affected funding for cancer. In previous decades, some speculated that the incidence of cancer disappear as the use of asbestos has declined.
This hypothesis has failed to consider that natural asbestos deposits exist, that the asbestos fibers remain in the environment once released products, asbestos has not been banned States STATES or many other countries, and that mineral fiber similar to asbestos (as erionite) also cause disease.
The second myth exploded in the report ?? that tumors grow slowly and take decades to produce symptoms ?? Mesothelioma treats a feature that is initially puzzled at all learning about cancer.
Mesothelioma not slowly grows at all. Tumors made rapid growth, once formed, limiting treatment options because the cancer is usually at an advanced stage, once diagnosed.
The development of cancer is to be confused with the time it takes to asbestos to cause damage. Usually a decade or more before the sweat fibers cause a disease linked to asbestos. After initial exposure to asbestos, a decade passes asbestosis develops, and around three to five decades pass before mesothelioma begins to develop.
"This distinction is important because it implies that there is a long period of time during which it may be possible to stop or delay the process of carcinogenesis," the authors explain.
Dust Delete
Offering the latest data and theories, the report clarifies the research conflicts dating back to the 1970 on topics such as mesothelioma in women, how asbestos causes cancer, and how genetics may play a role in risk.
one of the highlights of the report that the public will appreciate that prolonged exposures to asbestos increases the risk of contracting the disease. simple and limited exposures to asbestos are not a serious risk factor. The authors want "to reassure those who have been exposed sporadically and are concerned about their own risk of [malignant mesothelioma]."
Another positive note in the report ?? that medical advances have increased the median survival for patients with peritoneal mesothelioma from nine months to five years or more ?? offers hope that advances in treatment could one day do the same for pleural mesothelioma.
Have you met myths or conflicting information when you started learning about mesothelioma? Do you think the US government should allocate more funds for research? Leave a comment below, or visit our Facebook page.
