Mesolthelioma can become apparent and symptoms are noticeable in a span of 10 years if the exposure level was high enough. Although it is extremely rare in children, it can occur at younger ages. A study was conducted in the 1980's on 80 cases that involved children that were diagnosed with mesolthelioma. Only five percent of those cases revealed that the children were exposed to asbestos. Of the 80 children, four of them had been knowingly exposed to asbestos while one had received radiation therapy and another was exposed to a drug during prenatal treatment - isoniazid, which is used to treat tuberculosis. It was then later discovered that only 10 of the 80 cases revealed that malignant meslthelioma was the diagnosis. And two of those cases survived until they reached 19 in age. Secondary exposure and genetic predisposition plays a huge role in the childhood development of this disease. Childhood mesolthelioma remains the rarest form of mesolthelioma cancer. Survival rates are normally slim and given only less than a year after diagnosis. This is mainly because the disease itself has progressed and went undetected for so long. But with new testing techniques becoming more available, it is expected that more mesothelioma patients will live longer. Early detection is key and opens the doors for a more aggressive approach in treating the disease.
