Former Major League Baseball player Charlie Metro has just died after battling with rare cancer mesothelioma. Metro was 91 years old. Although asbestos is known to be the cause of mesothelioma, as well as lung cancers and asbestosis, not much is known about how or when Metro was exposed to the toxic chemical.
In an interview in 2007 Metro reminisced of working summers in the Western Pennsylvania coalmines along side his father, a full time miner. Metro survived a blast that killed seven other workers, to which he said, “And I said ‘To heck with it’ after that.” Perhaps it was these times in the coalmines that provided Metro with eventually fatal asbestos exposure.
The mining industry is well known for asbestos exposures. Workers are often exposed to raw asbestos in situations of limited air supply and ventilation, raising the chance for inhalation of asbestos fibers. Asbestos dust and fibers can also be trapped on clothing, shoes and in hair, and brought home to family members and loved ones.
Having given up on a career in mining, Metro began his baseball career in 1940. He played for the Detroit Tigers before moving into management. Metro worked as a manager, and scout for decades. Always connected with the baseball world, Metro continued to work as a consultant after his retirement.
Mesothelioma affects about three thousand Americans each year. It is grimly characterized by a short life expectancy following diagnosis. Proper diagnosis is difficult to reach for several reasons. Mesothelioma develops over decades, often taking twenty to fifty years to show symptoms. Many mesothelioma patients have no idea they were ever exposed to asbestos so they are unaware that they could possibly be developing mesothelioma. Also, mesothelioma symptoms mimic those of bronchitis and pneumonia, creating opportunities for false diagnoses and further postponing appropriate treatments.
There are two types of mesothelioma, pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lungs, and peritoneal mesothelioma which affects lining of other abdominal cavities such as the heart. Pleural mesothelioma is the more common of the two. Both pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma are characterized by a system of irregularly patterned malignant tumors.
Mesothelioma treatments are available. Today, health care providers are using a combination of surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation therapy to treat mesothelioma. However, there is no known mesothelioma cure. Many patients are choosing a regime of palliative care that focuses on better breathing, pain management and quality of life without fighting the cancer directly.
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