Learning about mesothelioma allows perspective on this type of cancer

[caption id="attachment_20240" align="alignleft" width="267"] Tumor - Mesothelioma[/caption]

Samantha Greenbaum---Mesothelioma has been in the news a lot recently. Though it's often talked about in relation to asbestos, mesothelioma can sometimes develop as the result of other factors. The following discusses the basics of mesothelioma, its causes, and treatment.

What is mesothelioma?

According to the American Cancer Society, mesothelioma is more properly called malignant mesothelioma. It is a type of cancer that starts in the cells that line certain parts of the body. The most common types of mesothelioma are pleural mesothelioma (which begins in the chest) and peritoneal mesothelioma (which begins in the abdomen). Mesothelioma may also begin in other areas, such as the heart, but these cases are rare.

What kinds of symptoms does it cause?

The symptoms of mesothelioma, per the Mayo Clinic, are determined by the cancer's location. Patients affected by pleural mesothelioma often experience pain in the chest or the rib cage, painful coughing, shortness of breath, lumps of tissue under the chest skin, and unexplained weight loss. People affected by peritoneal mesothelioma often experience pain and swelling in the abdomen, lumps under the abdominal skin, and unexplained weight loss. Other types of mesothelioma can cause different symptoms. For example, mesothelioma that begins in the heart can cause breathing difficulty and chest pains.

What causes mesothelioma?

The American Cancer Society states that asbestos exposure is the main cause of mesothelioma. However, most people exposed to asbestos don't get mesothelioma, even when they are exposed to large amounts. This may be because a person's DNA (or genetic makeup) dictates whether asbestos can cause uncontrolled cell growth or whether or person's body can simply fight off the exposure.

Aside from asbestos, other factors that may play a role in the development of mesothelioma include radiation treatment for other types of cancer and exposure to the SV40 virus (a virus found in humans and apes that was used in early polio vaccines).

Men are much more likely to be affected by mesothelioma, probably because they are more likely to work in industries where asbestos exposure is common (such as mining, manufacturing, and construction). Mesothelioma is also more likely to develop as one ages, due to the long latency period from the time of the exposure to the cancer's development.

What are the treatments?

According to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the treatments for mesothelioma include surgery to remove the tumors (either entirely or in part), radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapies (therapies that focus on the cancer's genetic profile), and clinical trials.

What is the prognosis?

The prognosis for people with mesothelioma is largely dependent on what stage the cancer is in when discovered. The National Cancer Institute reports that Stage 1 (localized cancer) offers the best chance of survival, whereas Stage IV (cancer that has spread throughout the body) offers the bleakest odds. Survival, or even complete recovery, can only be determined on an individual basis, taking into consideration the stage of the cancer, the size of the tumor, if surgery can remove the tumor completely, the amount of fluid present in the chest and abdominal cavities, a person's age and general health, the type of mesothelioma, and if the cancer is newly diagnosed or recurring.

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This article was contributed by Samantha Greenbaum, health-conscious mother and weekend hiker. 

Ontario teen struggling for life against Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

[caption id="attachment_10173" align="alignleft" width="289" caption="Brooklyn Mills"][/caption]

Ernest Dempsey — Two years ago, life came down almost suddenly for an Oakville Trafalgar High School student named Brooklyn Mills. That morning in October 2009, 16-year-old Mills woke up to a severe lower back pain. Driven into the medical system for diagnosis, while undergoing hospitalization and extensive medical testing, it was found that she suffered from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic disorder of connective tissue that seriously affects joints and blood vessels, weakening the muscles and making the patients vulnerable to infections.

Life became a struggle for survival as Mills had to miss school and was confined to a wheelchair, while her twin brother graduated from high school in June. Being under the age of majority, she was not allowed to enter intensive pain management programs. While the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota did agree on letting her participate in an intensive pain-management program that didn’t include taking any narcotic drugs, the nearly $50,000 cost of treatment was denied by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). The fear that it would boil down to money came true. Life could be better, but somebody had got to pay for it.

One of the great examples set in Mills’ case was seen in February 2011 when her family and friends hosted an entertainment-and-auction show to gather proceeds for Mills’ treatment. Mills’ mother Rebecca Mills remembers it as a wonderful support initiative for her daughter.

“It was incredible,” she says. “We had over 700 people participating and got $32000 in fundraising.”

The event made Brooklyn Mills’ admission into the narcotic-free pain management program possible. Though it worked for her for a short while, and she was able to walk too, she relapsed in about a month, around April/may 2011. The Mayo Clinic couldn’t do anything about it anymore. The Mills had to return to Canada and admit Brooklyn to a hospital in Toronto for 8 weeks. She had to be in a wheelchair when moving and she had to be fed via a feeding tube. Her condition appeared hopeless. But her parents wouldn’t give in; for them, hope floated about in each breath.

As Brooklyn’s case was sent to a specialist in Maryland, US, the Mills were told that their daughter had brainstem/spinal issues that needed surgical treatment. Brooklyn was moved to Maryland for treatment where she had four major surgeries involving her brainstem/spinal cord, and a few minor ones, in October. While she is healing from surgeries, Brooklyn can now walk a little, and her psychological condition is getting better too.

“It may be 4 to 6 months that she heals from surgeries,” told Rebecca Mills. “There was a time when she went almost blind and her limbs would go numb, losing sensitivity to touch. But she is gradually getting better, though ESD is likely to stay with her for long, for the kind of disease that it is.”

A major part of the trial for the Mills is the issue of treatment costs. While the community as well as public has been very supportive of the family, the Ontario government still has to decide whether it will bear the costs incurred by the girl’s treatment in the US. Rebecca Mills says that they do need money for their daughter’s treatment but they are not considering giving a public appeal for funds until they learn from the Canadian government whether and how much financial support it can offer.
“All we need for now from the people is prayers,” says the mother.

Meanwhile, as Brooklyn Mills struggles to get her life back, caring people and groups are supporting a petition asking Ontario’s health minister to cover Brooklyn's medical care for EDS.