Halk arasında ak toprak, gök toprak, çorak toprak,  höllük, çelpek ve ceren toprağı gibi tabirlerle adlandırılan amyantın sebep olduğu akciğer zarı ve karın zarı kanserine verilen isimdir.

Batı ülkelerinde her yıl bir milyon kişinin yarısında rastlanan mezotelyoma (Mesothelioma), Türkiye’de senede en az 500 kişide rastlanmaktadır. Bu sıklığın sebebi de amyantın Anadolu’nun birçok bölgesinde bulunması ve halk tarafından bilinçsiz bir şekilde kullanılmasına bağlanılabilir. Amyantı küçük çocuklarda pudra yerine veya köylerde evleri badana yapmak için kullanırlar. Amasya bölgesinde ve Kayılar yörüklerinde ise bebekler, höllük toprağı olarak bilinen ısıtılmış asbestle sarılmaktadır. Bu bilinçsiz davranış da bebeklerin mezotelyoma ve solunum rahatsızlıklarına sebep olmaktadır.

Mezotelyomaya ait en sık rastlanan şikayetler, ilerleyici nefes darlığı ve ağrıdır. Akciğer röntgeni ve tomografide benzer bulgular tespit edilebilsede kesin tanı için başvurulan sabit yöntem akciğer zarı biyopsisidir. Mezotelyoma, erken teşhis edilip uygun cerrahi müdahale uygulanamadığında, ilaç ya da lazer tedavisine iyi tepki vermeyen ve hastayı kısa zamanda ölüme götüren bir hastalıktır.

Belirtileri :

Mezotelyomaya ait belirtiler asbeste maruz kaldıktan 20 ila 50 yıl sonraya kadar çıkmayabilir. Genelde akciğer boşluğunda sıvı toplanması sonucu öksürük, nefes darlığı ve göğüste ağrı görülür.

Karın zarı mezotelyomasına ait belirtiler ise kilo kaybı ve sıvı toplanması sonucunda karında şişlik ve ağrıdır. Ayrıca kan pıhtılaşma anormallikleri, boşaltım güçlükleri, anemi ve ateş görülür. Eğer kanser akciğer zarını aşıp vücudun diğer kısımlarına dağılmışsa ağrı, boyun ve yüzde şişkinlik, yutkunma güçlüğü görülür.

Akciğeri etkileyen mezotelyoma belirtileri nelerdir?

• Kanlı balgam (hemoptizi)
• Anemi
• Öksürük
• Yorgunluk
• Akciğer çevresinde sıvı birikmesi
• Nefes darlığı
• Göğüste ağrı

For English

What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma, more precisely malignant mesothelioma, is a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers many of the body’s internal organs, the mesothelium. It is usually caused by exposure to asbestos.^[1]

Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart,^[2] the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways. It has also been suggested that washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma.^[3] Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking greatly increases the risk of other asbestos-induced cancers.^[4] Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).

The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. The diagnosis may be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space (called pleurodesis), which prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing.

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms or signs of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years (or more) after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space (pleural effusion) are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Other symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

These symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions.

Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these signs and symptoms:

• Blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemoptysis)
• Pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
• Shortness of breath
• Chest wall pain
• Fatigue or anemia
• Wheezing, hoarseness, or cough

In severe cases, the person may have many tumor masses. The individual may develop a pneumothorax, or collapse of the lung. The disease may metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.

Tumors that affect the abdominal cavity often do not cause symptoms until they are at a late stage. Symptoms include:

• A mass in the abdomen
• Ascites, or an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen
• Abdominal pain
• Problems with bowel function
• Weight loss

In severe cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms may be present:

• Jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
• Low blood sugar level
• Disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs
• Blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
• Severe ascites
• Pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
• Pleural effusion

A mesothelioma doesn’t usually spread to the bone, brain, or adrenal glands. Pleural tumors are usually found only on one side of the lungs.