Facts of Mesothelioma Cancer

The mesothelioma is the rare shape of cancer which takes place in mesothelium. The mesothelium is composed of the visceral and parietal membranes which surround of the bodies and the cavities of body, such as the lungs or the abdomen. The visceral membrane surrounds the body immediately, and the parietal membrane is a bag covering the visceral membrane. There is a fluid lubricating between these membranes which make mesothelium. This fluid helps of the bodies to move easily between the surrounding structures. In the case of the lung, it helps to reduce friction between the lung and the wall of trunk during normal breathing while the lung increases.

Here more facts on the mesothelioma:


There are various types of mesothelioma

In the abdomen, this is called the mesothelioma péritonéal; on the lungs, this is called the pleural mesothelioma; and if it develops on the heart, pericardial mesothelioma.

It develops most of the time on the lungs:


The most common place so that the mesothelioma develops is on the lungs. Approximately two-thirds of all the cases of mesothelioma develop in pleural mesothelium. This mesothelioma on the lungs is called the malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). The remaining cases develop in the mesothelium péritonéal in the abdomen. A tumour in abdominal mesothelium is called the mesothelioma péritonéal. Seldom, the mesothelioma occurs in the other fabric mesothelial, as on the heart or the reproductive bodies.

It can have other causes:

Although asbestos is the principal cause of the mesothelioma, up to 30-50% of all the cases are not clearly related to the preceding asbestos exposure. Other possible reasons include the preceding exposure to the radiation or the particular ores closely related to asbestos which are found in the ground. The nicotinism did not prove to be a cause of the mesothelioma. However, if a smoker were also exposed to asbestos, this increases in a significant way its risk to develop other types of cancer of lung.


It has a long time of development:


It has a long latency period, which means that the symptoms do not develop during 20-50 years after environmental exposure. The average age to which the symptoms usually start to appear is 60 years around.


It occurs more at the men at the women:

The mesothelioma assigns men approximately three times more often than of the women to the USA. The occurrence goes up gradually with the age. In other areas of the world, where the exposure comes mainly from other environmental sources, as to Turkey, mesothelioma approximately also occurs at the men and of the women.

It is a rare disease:

From the 3.000 to 4.000 cases approximately of mesothelioma every year in the USA is diagnosed. In other countries, the number of cases changes. In a general way, the number of reported cases every year seems to increase.