Mesothelioma, what is it and how it develops?

Mesothelioma is avery rare type of cancer that develop in the outer membrane of some internal organs of the human body, it may develop in the outer membrane of the lungs which known as the pleura, may develop in the outer membrane of the internal organs in the abdominal cavity and may develop in the outer membrane of the heart which known as the pericardium.

Pleural mesothelioma or the cancer of lung lining is the most common type of mesothelioma cancer and often be assocated with the asbestos exposure. Asbestos are several minerals that was used in the manufacturing companies, workers which was in the asbestos environment are the most people who can develop mesothelioma due to the direct contact with the asbestos particles, by inhalation asbestos fibers can enter the chest cavity and settle in the plera (the lung lining) and couse chronic inflammation which may cause malignant tumors after several years.

Pericardial mesothelioma is less common than pleural mesothelioma and related to asbestos exposure, in this type the asbestos particles settle in the pericardium (the heart lining). Scientests don't know hwo asbestos can get in pericardium, there is an imagine way in which asbestos particles are transfered from the pleura to blood steam then to the heart, the heart bumbs them to the pericardium and the disease start to grow there.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is another type of mesothelioma and affects the peritonium. Peritonium is the outer membrane of internal organs in the abdominal cavity. Peritoneal mesothelioma is often related to asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma symptoms may be shortness of breath, cough, chest pain and general weakness. Mesothelioma diagnosis is very difficult, as its symptoms are very simillar to other kinds of diseases take very lomg time to appeare 25-50 years. The options of treatments are confined to surgery, chemotherapy ( special chemicals to kill the cancerous cells) and radiotherapy ( using some kind of radiations to get rid of the cancerous cells).

By El Husseiny Shahin a mesothelioma activist and the owner of mesothelioma activists website.