mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The area most commonly affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining of the abdomen and rarely the sac surrounding the heart, or the sac surrounding each testis may be affected. Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma may include shortness of breath due to fluid around the lung, a swollen abdomen, chest wall pain, cough, feeling tired, and weight loss. These symptoms typically come on slowly.
Key facts
- Medical condition.name
- Mesothelioma
- Medical condition.synonyms
- Malignant mesothelioma
- Medical condition.image
- MesotheliomaCT.jpg
- Medical condition.caption
- CT scan showing a left sided mesothelioma with an enlarged mediastinal lymph node
- Medical condition.field
- Oncology
- Medical condition.symptoms
- Shortness of breath, swollen abdomen, chest wall pain, cough, feeling tired, weight loss
- Medical condition.complications
- Fluid around the lung
- Medical condition.onset
- Gradual onset
- Medical condition.causes
- c. 40 years after exposure to asbestos
- Medical condition.risks
- Genetics, possibly, infection with simian virus 40
- Medical condition.diagnosis
- Medical imaging, examining fluid produced by the cancer, tissue biopsy
Article
44 sectionsContents
- Signs and symptoms
- Lungs
- Abdomen
- Heart
- End-stage
- Causes
- Asbestos
- Occupational
- Paraoccupational secondary exposure
- Asbestos in buildings
- Genetic disposition
- Non-asbestos mineral fibers
- Other
- Pathophysiology
- Systemic
- Intracellular
- Immune system
- Diagnosis
- Imaging
- Biopsy
- Immunochemistry
- Subtypes
- Differential diagnosis
- Staging
- Prevention
- Screening
- Treatment
- Surgery
- Radiation
- Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy
- Hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy
- Multimodality therapy
- Prognosis
- Epidemiology
- UK
- History
- Society and culture
- Notable cases
- Legal issues
- History
- Research
- References
- External links
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The area most commonly affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining of the abdomen and rarely the sac surrounding the heart, or the sac surrounding each testis may be affected. Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma may include shortness of breath due to fluid around the lung, a swollen abdomen, chest wall pain, cough, feeling tired, and weight loss. These symptoms typically come on slowly.
More than 80% of mesothelioma cases are caused by exposure to asbestos. The greater the exposure, the greater the risk. As of 2013, about 125 million people worldwide have been exposed to asbestos at work. High rates of disease occur in people who mine asbestos, produce products from asbestos, work with asbestos products, live with asbestos workers, or work in buildings containing asbestos. Asbestos exposure and the onset of cancer are generally separated by about 40 years. Washing the clothing of someone who worked with asbestos also increases the risk. Other risk factors include genetics and infection with the simian virus 40. The diagnosis may be suspected based on chest X-ray and CT scan findings, and is confirmed by either examining fluid produced by the cancer or by a tissue biopsy of the cancer.