Italian researchers have set a new record for most in-depth study of mesothelioma. Using synchrotron soft x-ray imaging and florescence microscopy scientists were able to take a closer look at the cause, formation and development of mesothelioma tumors.
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer affecting about three thousand Americans each year and an estimated twenty thousand worldwide. Mesothelioma rates are expected to rise as its main cause, toxic chemical asbestos, continues to be used worldwide. At the current rate of unprotected asbestos use, a peak in mesothelioma and related respiratory illnesses is inevitable. In spite if being considered an ‘orphan disease’ because it affects less than two hundred thousand people at a time, mesothelioma receives much attention from researchers and scientists who are working to find a cure for this aggressive cancer.
Asbestos is the known cause of mesothelioma. Once inhaled asbestos dust and fibers begin a mutative process in lung lining and lining in of other abdominal cavities. This begins growth of irregularly patterned tumors, which characterize malignant mesothelioma. Most commonly undetected for twenty to fifty years, mesothelioma has a long latency period. When symptoms do demonstrate they mimic those of pneumonia and bronchitis, making this disease very difficult to diagnose.
Mesothelioma patients may not know they were ever exposed to asbestos, giving them no cause for concern. Once proper diagnosis is made, life expectancy ranges between six months and five years. There are mesothelioma treatments available; surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are all used to fight mesothelioma. Palliative treatments are also available for patients who choose to focus on pain management and quality of life.
Italian researchers found that the iron content in asbestos fibers may be the body to react by trying to isolate the foreign matter. Tissues surrounding asbestos fibers build a ‘pod’ around the area called an ‘asbestos body.’ These bodies are characteristic of mesothelioma and similar cancers.
The researchers report having “revealed the location, distribution and elemental composition of asbestos bodies and associated nanometric structures.” Magnesium may be a part of the ‘asbestos body’ building process as affected areas tested high for the substance. Silicon was also found in high counts close to the fibers.
In an article in Particle and Fibre Toxicity journal, the researchers report, “The new results obtained by simultaneous structural and chemical analysis of tissue specimens have provided clear evidence that magnesium, in addition to iron, is also involved in the formation mechanisms of asbestos bodies.”
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