Mesothelioma is not caused by smoking but can complicate a person's likelihood of getting the disease.
Mesothelioma is a fatal cancerous disease caused due to exposure to asbestos. This disease is unique as its symptoms appear after years.
The survival rate is much lower in this disease due to the inability of its diagnosis.
The combination of asbestos and smoking can be very dangerous even if it is done many years ago. It can lead to lung cancer or any other lung related diseases.
Though extensive research is performed in this field, there still is no major breakthrough in this field to completely cure the disease.
Fine fiber get deposited in the lungs leading to scar tissue which results in cancer and this is aggravated by smoking. It was found in during 1950s, the Kent brand of cigarettes used asbestos in its filters resulting in some cases of mesothelioma.
The cases of mesothelioma has increases over the last 20 years as its latency period takes about 40 to 50 years but still mesothelioma is considered as a rare form of cancer.
It is found in the number of cases. i.e. about 1 per 1,000,000.
Whereas in the case of smoking, people with a higher level of smoking can contract lung cancer more than mesothelioma and the number of incidents is as much as 1,000 per 1,000,000.
Due to extensive exposure of asbestos in Western countries, the incidence of malignant mesothelioma is increasing to 7 to 40 per 1,000,000 and it has increased to about 15 per 1,000,000 in United States in 2004.
Smoking should be immediately stopped after diagnosis:
A person suffering from mesothelioma should not smoke as the lungs can be further damaged by the side effects of smoking leading to asbestosis. It is not a kind of mesothelioma, but if ignored it might become cancerous. Smoking does not lead to increased cases o but it is debated that it leads to 50% more chances of causing lung cancer.
It is imperative for the patient to stop smoking as soon as the disease is diagnosed as the patient who is smoker can develop comparatively more lung-related complications than those who do not smoke but are were exposed for many years.
In the case of lung cancer, the amount of cigeratte smoked and the time frame matters whereas in the case of mesothelioma, the amount of asbestos inhaled and the time frame matters.
While the ban on asbestos has been implemented, let us hope the same for a ban on smoking as well!
Source by Adia O'Hara