What is Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Most commonly found in the pleura (the outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart).

Often mesothelioma develops in people who have worked with or been where they have inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as washing the clothes of a family member who has worked with asbestos. Mesothelioma is a form of cancer, known as the mesothelium with malignant cells developing in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs.

There are two types of mesothelioma: Pleural mesothelioma (which is the most common)and Peritoneal mesothelioma. The pleural type grows in the tissues covering the lungs and the peritoneal type grows in the tissue lining which is the inside of the abdomen.

Symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath because of the fluid between the lung and the chest wall, this is usually referred to as a chest wall pain and you will also suffer with general weight loss symptoms.