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Mesothelioma pathophysiology
By Eden Ali | June 20, 2007
The mesothelium is made up of of a single layer of flattened to cuboidal cells making up the epithelial lining of the serous cavities of the body which includes the peritoneal, pleural and the pericardial cavities. The stages that leads to the growth of peritoneal mesothelioma has been unsolved.
Pleural contamination with asbestos has been shown to cause mesothelioma cancers. Long thin asbestos fibers causes mesothelioma cancers more than feathery fibers. They remain in the air, and when they are inhaled into the body, they penetrate easily into the lungs.
Suggestions from mesothelioma center are that in humans, movement of fibres to the pleura is essential to the pathogenesis of mesothelioma cancers.
Mesothelioma center have shown evidence from experiments propose that asbestos acts as a carcinogen in the growth of both pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma which occurs in subsiquent stages of triggering and growth. The mechanisms of molecule behind the malignant change of normal cells of mesothelium by asbestos fibres remains unknown. Generally, asbestos fibres are known to act through direct physical relation with the mesothelial cells in combination with indirect effects which follows the interaction with inflammatory cells such as macrophages.
Interactive analysis between asbestos fibres and the DNA has disclosed that phagocytosed fibres are capable of making contact with chromosomes, often sticking to the chromatin fibres or gets entangled inside the chromosome. This contact between the asbestos fibre and the chromosomes or structural proteins of the spindle apparatus can induce complex abnormalities. The most known abnormality is monosomy of chromosome 22.
Common gene abnormalities in pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma cell lines include deletion of the tumor suppressor genes.
Current researches are still going on in the mesothelioma center on finding answers to questions about mesothelioma.
Topics: Mesothelioma epidemiology |