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Mesothelioma is an aggressive type of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Generally this deadly cancer is found in elderly people and until a few years back, it was considered that children cannot get infected with mesothelioma. But recently children under the age of 10 have been diagnosed with mesothelioma. Since the prognosis is very poor, therefore doctors need to carefully diagnose mesothelioma in children. Mesothelioma in Children – What are the Causes? Mesothelioma can strike children but it is not clear yet how children get infected with asbestos and develop mesothelioma. When asbestos fibers enters the body, they become lodged within the lining of the lungs, abdomen, heart and other organs and take a lot of time to form mesothelioma cancer. Therefore, doctors believe that asbestos exposure is not the major cause of developing mesothelioma in children because of the long latency period of mesothelioma. However, few researchers believe that children may experience secondary asbestos exposure. It means individuals who worked at asbestos job sites brought home toxic dust on their clothes or in their hair. These fibers can be inhaled by children and become lodged in the chest or abdominal area, eventually causing the formation of mesothelioma cancer. Studies of Children with Mesothelioma Although, research is still going on in this area, but researchers have found the number of peritoneal mesothelioma cases in children. A recent study conducted on eight children with mesothelioma shows out of eight, five children developed peritoneal mesothelioma which attacks the abdominal lining. While three children showed pleural mesothelioma which attacks the lining of the lungs. This shows that mesothelioma can be found in children, although most victims are adults because it takes decades to manifest mesothelioma symptoms. Symptoms of Mesothelioma in Children Mesothelioma symptoms are non specific and are closely associated with common illnesses. Generally, children with mesothelioma often complained of pain from bloating, due to fluid build-up of their abdomen. Some common mesothelioma symptoms include: Shortness of breath (dyspnea) Difficulty breathing coughing Chest pain Abdomen pain Weight loss Husky voice Difficulty swallowing Fever Anemia Bowel obstruction Inability to sleep Loss of appetite Since, mesothelioma symptoms are non specific; therefore it is advised to immediately contact your doctor to inform about any prior asbestos history so that early diagnosis can be made, especially in children as timely treatment can increase their life expectancy. Diagnosing Children with Mesothelioma It is extremely difficult to diagnose children with mesothelioma. Doctors generally don’t identify the disease when examining a child who is experiencing similar symptoms to those experienced by elderly mesothelioma patients. So, children with mesothelioma undergo a series of tests before actual diagnosis is made. Treating Children with Mesothelioma Since there are very few cases of mesothelioma reported in children, therefore there is no standard treatment method discovered for children with mesothelioma. Like in adults, oncologists usually recommend chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery as a treatment. But unfortunately, there is very poor prognosis for children with mesothelioma. However, researchers deem that they will find some effective ways in future that will result in better prognosis as well as will benefit children with mesothelioma. It can be extremely difficult for families to deal with children with mesothelioma. But you can save your loved ones suffering from mesothelioma by contacting a variety of resources that are available today to help families cope with mesothelioma cancer. Mesothelioma cancer patient resource with questions and answers about Children with Mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
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