Challenges and Hope: Mesothelioma in Children
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Challenges and Hope: Mesothelioma in Children

Mesothelioma is most often found in older adults, but in a very small number of cases, this cancer is diagnosed in children. There is not much research on mesothelioma in children. An international team of researchers looked at all mesothelioma cases occurring in children, teenagers and young adults diagnosed and treated in Europe. The team is called the European Cooperative Study Group on Pediatric Rare Tumors. Understanding the Unique Challenges in Pediatric Cases Mesothelioma is an aggressive and rare cancer. It develops in the lining of internal organs like the lungs and abdominal cavity. Reaching a diagnosis of this disease can be hard, and treatment can be even more difficult. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. This is a…

Mesothelioma and Children
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Mesothelioma and Children

When people think of mesothelioma, they typically picture an older adult who has been exposed to asbestos. Yet this disease can, in rare cases, also strike children. Because the prognosis is poor, doctors need to carefully diagnose mesothelioma in their youngest patients. Doctors don’t know what causes mesothelioma in children. Although a high number of adults with the disease have a history of asbestos exposure, this isn’t the case in children. “The latent period of asbestos exposure in mesothelioma patients can be many years,” explains Cesar A. Moran, MD, professor of Pathology in the Department of Pathology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. “Children have not lived long enough to be in that ballpark.” Dr. Moran and his colleagues recently…