Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma can either be malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous) in nature. Mesothelioma affects the mesothelium, hence mesothelioma

The mesothelium is a type of tissue lined with special cells referred to as mesothelial cells. The mesothelial cells typically line the abdominal cavity, heart cavity, chest cavity, and the outer surface of most internal organs. Each cavity has a specific name for the mesothelial covered cavity

Mesothelioma Symptoms

Mesothelioma is a disease caused by exposure to the asbestos dust. The most unfortunate aspect of this disease is that its symptoms do not appear soon enough or within a short enough time after exposure to the asbestos dust. This complicates matters because when the symptoms finally appear, in most cases, they are not associated with the disease. It takes very long time, sometimes even decades, for the symptoms to appear in form of obdurate cough, shortness of breath and chest pain.

Malignant Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer in which malignant or cancerous cells form in the thin layers of tissue lining the human chest, heart or abdomen. When the cancer is in the chest, it affects the pleura or tissue lining the lungs and is called malignant pleural mesothelioma. This is the most common type of mesothelioma. In the abdomen, a cancer of the peritoneum or tissue lining the abdominal cavity and covering various organs is called malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.