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Pathology of mesothelioma
By Eden Ali | June 20, 2007
Development of malignant mesothelioma:
The development of malignant mesothelioma is considered to be associated with the physical make-up of the asbestos.
Asbestos exists in two forms: serpentine chrysotiles, straight, sharp, needle-like amphiboles (crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite and actinolite). Chrysotiles are not considered to be straightforwardly the cause of malignant mesothelioma cancers, because their curled, flexible make-up means they have the tendency to become trapped in the upper airpassage, and elimination by common physiological techniques. Also, if they eventually become trapped in the airpassages, the more dissoluble chrysotiles are slowly saturated from the lung tissue. Nevertheless, chrysotiles are usually related with malignant mesothelioma, most likely because they are often times polluted with amphiboles.
Amphiboles show a very large difference to chrysotiles, and they are therefore very much carcinogenic.
Their straight, sharp, stiff make-up tends to place itself in line in the airways, and are then deposited deep down into the lungs, where total removed or elimination is nearly impossible. They permeate into the lung tissue and then to the pleura cavity, where they stimulate mesothelioma cancers by different processes.
Long, thin amphibole fibers are more dangerous than short, thick ones, reason being that short fibers can be possibly cleared.
It is possible that asbestos fibers act both as a mesothelioma cancers stimulator and a tumor instigator, because they absorb possibly toxic chemicals such as tobacco smoke, which they later carry with them into the body, thereby increasing the number of mesothelioma patients.
Also the number of mesothelioma patients have also increases as a result of the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure.
Also some reseaches propose that simian virus 40 (SV40) may play a part as a cofactor in its growth in mesothelioma patients.
Topics: Mesothelioma pathology |