Mesothelioma in Children and Young Adults
Mesothelioma is a disease caused by exposure to asbestos with a hallmark of time. It takes years, usually decades, for cancer to develop and then show up in a human body. That is the primary reason why mesothelioma is extremely rare in children and young adults.
Only nine cases of the disease in young adults or kids were reported in the United States between 1999 and 2002. Because this rare cancer is even rarer in children, few case studies offer scientific insight into why a child or young adult would develop mesothelioma.
Some research suggests that children develop mesothelioma without any triggering factors. Other cases indicate that radiation, viruses or exposure to other naturally occurring fibers might play a role in childhood mesothelioma. To learn more about what causes mesothelioma, fill out this form and get a free copy of the Mesothelioma Center's informational packet.
Fast Fact: A large study found that people first exposed to asbestos before age 10 were less likely to develop mesothelioma than those who were exposed to the fibers later in life.What are the Symptoms of Pediatric Mesothelioma?
Children who develop mesothelioma often show the same symptoms as adults with the disease. Some of the primary symptoms include pleural effusions (excess fluid in the lungs), loss of appetite, abdominal pain and weight loss.
Distant metastases to locations such as the brain also occur, with one study noting this pattern in four of seven pediatric patients seen at Memorial Hospital. Children may develop these symptoms more quickly than adults do, which reinforces one theory that pediatric mesothelioma may arise spontaneously.
Learn more about the symptoms of mesothelioma.
How do Children Develop Mesothelioma?
The primary cause of mesothelioma in adults – occupational exposure to asbestos – is not a risk for children. Kids may inhale or eat environmental asbestos or experience second-hand exposure by hugging on parents who have been exposed at work or somewhere else.
But the link between asbestos and pediatric mesothelioma is weak. Researchers believe that asbestos exposure during childhood may increase a person's risk for respiratory diseases later in life but that the exposure is unlikely to cause mesothelioma cancer quickly enough for it to appear when the person is still a child or young adult. The latency period for mesothelioma – the span between exposure and diagnosis – is 20 to 50 years.
The occurrence of mesothelioma during infancy, childhood and adolescence supports the notion of true spontaneous mesotheliomas.
–Joseph Tomashefski, Dail and Hammar's Pulmonary Pathology.
Unlike adults, children diagnosed with mesothelioma rarely have a history of asbestos exposure. Many cases of pediatric mesothelioma develop spontaneously, and while several risk factors have been identified, the majority of cases are not linked to one specific cause.
One large international study found that of 80 children who had been diagnosed with mesothelioma, only two had been exposed to asbestos and two other children met additional risk factors. The remaining 76 cases had no identifiable cause.
Childhood asbestos exposure typically does not cause mesothelioma until the patient is much older. The disease's long latency period means that people exposed to asbestos as children typically do not develop mesothelioma later in life. This has led researchers to look for other potential causes of mesothelioma in children and young adults.
- Secondhand exposure from a parent who worked with asbestos
- Asbestos in schools
- Environmental asbestos (breathing the air or playing in/eating contaminated soil)
- Asbestos in toys such as chalk, crayons and modeling clay
Some pediatric oncologists suggest that radiation may play a role in the development of mesothelioma in children or young adults. Radiation exposure is only loosely linked to mesothelioma in adults. Patients that received radiation therapy during childhood for a disease called Wilms' tumor may face the highest risk for radiation-related mesothelioma, but this risk is still low. As of 1988, only one child and three adults were diagnosed with mesothelioma directly related to childhood radiation therapy for Wilms' tumor.
In utero exposure (exposure in the womb) to a drug called isoniazid has also been suggested as a risk factor for childhood mesothelioma. Pregnant animals that were injected with isoniazid have given birth to offspring with pulmonary tumors. However, only one recorded human case of mesothelioma has resulted from isoniazid exposure.
Because of the insubstantial links between asbestos, radiation and isoniazid and pediatric mesothelioma, researchers believe that children may develop the disease simply through genetic predisposition. Children born with certain genetic mutations may be more likely to have a cancerous response to non-asbestos fibers such as erionite.
How is Mesothelioma Treated in Children?
Children can receive many of the same types of mesothelioma treatments as adults. Debulking surgeries and chemotherapy are commonly used to manage pediatric mesothelioma.
The chemotherapeutic drugs given to adult patients are also used for children. Often, cisplatin is combined with either pemetrexed or gemcitabine. These drugs are administered over four to six cycles. Children receive these drugs on a dosing schedule that takes their weight and body size into consideration. One study found that 3 of 4 pediatric mesothelioma patients on a chemotherapy regimen survived at least 40 months after treatment.
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© 2012 The Mesothelioma Center |
Last Modified Thursday, May 17th, 2012 | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |
The information provided by The Mesothelioma Center is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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