What is mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. In the disease mesothelioma, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective layer that covers most of the organs. The most common site is the pleura (the outer layer of the lungs and internal chest wall), but may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), heart, pericardium (the sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.

Most people who develop mesothelioma have any background jobs that cause they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibers in other ways. Therefore it is advisable to wash clothes and family members who work in contact with asbestos because it can cause a person is exposed to risk for mesothelioma. Unlike lung cancer, no association between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking greatly increases the risk of other asbestos-caused cancer. Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).

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. Diagnosis can be suspected with chest X-rays and a CT scan, and confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. This 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 lungs. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carry a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing.