| Epithelial mesothelioma is a rare disease caused by | | | | caused by exposure to asbestos from the worker's |
| asbestos exposure that may have occurred decades | | | | clothing and hair. |
| before the patient is diagnosed. It is not contagious and | | | | Although reported incidence rates have increased in |
| cannot be passed from one person to another. Unlike | | | | the past 20 years, epithelial mesothelioma is still a |
| lung cancer, there is no association between epithelial | | | | relatively rare cancer. Incidence of malignant epithelial |
| mesothelioma and smoking. However, the Kent brand | | | | mesothelioma currently ranges from about 7 to 40 per |
| of cigarettes used asbestos in its filters for the first | | | | 1,000,000 in industrialized Western nations, depending |
| few years of production in the 1950s and some cases | | | | on the amount of asbestos exposure of the |
| of epithelial mesothelioma have resulted from that. | | | | populations during the past several decades. More than |
| Epithelial mesothelioma occurs much more often in | | | | 500,000 asbestos or mesothelioma lawsuits have |
| men than women, and three-fourths of mesothelioma | | | | been filed against asbestos manufacturers and |
| sufferers are over 65 years of age. Most people who | | | | employers, for neglecting to implement safety |
| develop the disease have worked on jobs where they | | | | measures after the links between asbestos, |
| inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to | | | | asbestosis, and mesothelioma became known. |
| asbestos dust and fibers in other ways. One study of | | | | Although epithelial mesothelioma is generally resistant |
| asbestos insulation workers reported a mesothelioma | | | | to curative treatment with radiotherapy alone, it is |
| death rate up to 344 times higher than the general | | | | often used to make the person with cancer |
| population. Although the disease is not contagious, it | | | | comfortable or to relieve symptoms arising from tumor |
| has been found that family members of asbestos | | | | growth, such as obstruction of a major blood vessel. |
| workers have a higher risk of developing | | | | Radiation therapy alone has never been shown to |
| mesothelioma and other similar diseases such as lung | | | | improve survival from epithelial mesothelioma. In fact, |
| cancer, asbestosis (a noncancerous, chronic lung | | | | the necessary radiation dose to treat mesothelioma |
| ailment), and other cancers, such as those of the | | | | that has not been surgically removed would be very |
| larynx and kidney. This increased risk is thought to be | | | | toxic. |