Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by exposuring by asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers body's internal organs at large field. Its most common site is the pleura (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) too.

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs mostly where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other mean, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking.

The Symptoms of mesothelioma at early stage are generally non-specific, and may lead to a delay in diagnosis. Sometimes resembling viral pneumonia, pleural mesothelioma patients may present with shortness of breath, chest pain and/or persistent cough, in some case some patients show no symptoms. Common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma at less condition include fever, night sweats and weight loss. But Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include pain or swelling in the abdomen because a build-up of fluid, nausea, anemia or swelling of the feet, bowel obstruction, weight loss.

How does asbestos cause mesothelioma?

Asbestos is made up of tiny fibres. You can breathe these fibres in when you come into contact with asbestos. The fibres work their way into the pleura, lining the lung. They irritate the pleura and damage the cells that the pleura are made of. Some of the fibres that have been breathed in can be coughed up and swallowed. This is probably the cause of peritoneal mesothelioma.

If you have been exposed to asbestos, your family may also have been exposed. Asbestos fibres can be carried home on your clothes. Research studies have confirmed that the family of people exposed to asbestos also have a higher risk of developing mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma can develop up to 40 years after the initial asbestos exposure. The incidence of mesothelioma rises with the intensity and duration of asbestos exposure. Cases have been documented of mesothelioma among people with very little asbestos exposure. Many of those who are being diagnosed with mesothelioma today unknowingly experienced asbestos exposure many years ago.