Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a most lethal cancer. It has unusual characteristics. The alot more I look at it the more I am convinced it does not behave like a accurate solid tissue cancer.
o Serosal membranes incredibly rarely turn out to be malignant except with Mesothelioma.
o It is not asbestos fiber dose dependent.
o It is not cigarette smoking dose related.
o Likely occurs only in instances where there was prior evidence of a pleurisy (benign) ordinarily with evidence of pleural thickening.
o Latency is distinct (typically longer) than any other recognized malignancy.
o 275 day median 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 discovered as a distant metastasis (e.g. brain or liver spread).
I think it is a viral infection gone malignant e.g. HIV type malignant behavior so that it looks much more like asbestos fiber activation of a typical virus infection in turn causing a variety of clinical conditions. Various of these clinical conditions can be really innocuous. In benign pleural effusions we don't obtain a pleural cavity full of asbestos needles - It would appear we haven't been culturing for the proper agent.
If Mesothelioma is a rogue viral infection - then there is the possibility of creating a vaccine and offering vaccination to asbestos exposed men and women who are at heightened risk of creating future asbestos related malignancies.
Q: Is asbestos a co-carcinogen to a viral infection?
A: Wants to be studied...
