Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a most lethal cancer. It has unusual characteristics. The more I look at it the more I am convinced it does not behave like a true solid tissue cancer.
Mesothelioma
o Serosal membranes very rarely come to be malignant except with Mesothelioma.
o It is not asbestos fiber dose dependent.
o It is not cigarette smoking dose related.
o Probably occurs only in cases where there was prior evidence of a pleurisy (benign) commonly with evidence of pleural thickening.
o Latency is different (usually longer) than any other known malignancy.
o 275 day mean survival is more in keeping with an uncontrollable infection (all be it a malignant one) than a solid tumor growth pattern.
o Simian 40 virus Dna parts have been found in mesothelioma specimens.
o Rarely if ever found as a distant metastasis (e.g. Brain or liver spread).
I believe it is a viral infection gone malignant e.g. Hiv type malignant behavior so that it looks more like asbestos fiber activation of a common virus infection in turn causing a range of clinical conditions. Many of these clinical conditions can be quite innocuous. In benign pleural effusions we don't find a pleural cavity full of asbestos needles - It would appear we haven't been culturing for the right agent.
If Mesothelioma is a rogue viral infection - then there is the possibility of developing a vaccine and offering vaccination to asbestos exposed population who are at heightened risk of developing hereafter asbestos connected malignancies.
Q: Is asbestos a co-carcinogen to a viral infection?
A: Needs to be studied...
A Cure for Mesothelioma?
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