mesothelioma

Mesothelioma, more precisely malignant mesothelioma, is a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers many of the body's internal organs, the mesothelium . It is usually caused by exposure to asbestosis .Its most common site is the pelura  (outer lining of the lungs  and internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the peritonium  (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart,the percardium (a sac that surrounds the heart .Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways. It has also been suggested that washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking greatly increases the risk of other asbestos-induced cancers.Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law ).The 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 The diagnosis may be suspected with chest X-ray  and CT SACAN, and is confirmed with a biopsy  (tissue sample) and microscopic examination like (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. It 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 lung. Despite treatment with chemothera py , radiation therapy  or sometimes surgery , the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screen test  for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing