mesothelioma

: mesothelioma

p Specifications : 2 Pages , 3 Sources , MLA Style

Instructions : language Subject : mesothelioma about the disease and the physiological mechanism should include cell , tissue , organ and organ system that is involved . It should also mention the normal process and how the resulting abnormal process occurred

Mesothelioma is a malignant neoplasm that develops from the mesothelium tissue (a membrane that covers the internal organs present in the body It occurs very rarely and is more frequently caused by inhaling asbestos dust . The incidence of the disease is slowly on the rise

. In the US , about 2000 new cases are reported every year . About 70 to 80 of all cases with mesothelioma report exposure to asbestos (NCI , 2002 Mesothelioma can develop in various sites of the body including the pleura (membranes that covers the lungs , peritoneum (membrane that covers the abdominal cavity , tunica vaginalis testis (membrane that covers the male internal reproductive organs ) and tunica serosa uteri (membrane that covers the female internal reproductive organs (NCI 2002 . It is made up of one layer of flat or cuboidal cells that surround a particular organ or an organ set belonging to a particular group (Weitz Luxenberg , 2006 . In between these membranes a fluid is present that permits some amount of movement during physiologic functioning . When the asbestos is inhaled , it gets deposited into parenchyma of the lungs from where it enters the immediate membrane that covers the lungs . It may be carried soon to the other membrane of the lung . The tumor usually begins as discrete plaques known as `malignant mesothelial plaques (Weitz Luxenberg , 2006 . These discrete masses soon combine to form a large sheet like lesion that spreads . The exact process by which mesothelioma occurs is not understood clearly , however it seems that chronic irritation of the membrane plays a very important role (Weitz Luxenberg , 2006 . The chromosomes present in the cell are distorted (Tan , 2007 . One of the most frequent changes in the malignant cell was the loss of a copy of Chromosome 22 . The chromosomal picture of the cell seems to be very complex (complex karyotype ) and is rearranged (Tan , 2007 . Sometimes , the chromosome arms of 1p , 3p , 9p and 6q may also get structurally rearranged . This may be brought about by close contact between the chromosomes or the structural proteins with the asbestos particles (Weitz Luxenberg , 2006

The asbestos may get deposited in the peritoneum either through the lymphatic system or the due ingestion of the sputum from the lungs (Weitz Luxenberg , 2006 . The long thin fibers of asbestos are more dangerous than the feathery fibers as they more easily cause cancer Once the fibers get deposited in the pleura , the cancer development process actually begins . In experimental rats , it has been observed that when the pleura or the peritoneum are invaded by the asbestos particles , macrophages and the other cells of the body 's defense mechanism accumulate (Weitz Luxenberg , 2006 . As the disease progresses , the macrophages and immune cells continue to invade the lesion . Slowly...