Types

• There are four types of mesothelioma that can affect the mesothelium, the layer of tissue that surrounds most of the internal organs. Pleural malignant mesothelioma affects the tissue surrounding the lungs and is the form of the disease most often seen. Peritoneal mesothelioma happens in the tissue in your abdomen while pericardial mesothelioma works on the tissue around your heart. The tissue lining the testicles is affected by mesothelioma of the tunica vaginilis.
  
  

Significance

• The majority of mesothelioma patients were exposed to asbestos at one time or another in their lives. Asbestos dust that is swallowed or inhaled can settle in the stomach and lungs, causing the disease, although the exact way this occurs is not yet understood. Even living with someone who works with asbestos can put you at risk as they carry the asbestos fibers home with them on their clothes and skin. If you smoke and are exposed to asbestos, your chances of developing this disease increase.
  
  

Time Frame

• The time frame for developing mesothelioma can vary from person to person. It can take as long as 40 years for some individuals to develop it after being exposed to asbestos. Some people who have constant exposure to asbestos year after year never get the disease. Still others can come down with mesothelioma after a very short length of time exposed to asbestos.
  
  

Effects

• There are many serious complications that accompany mesothelioma. There can be difficulty with your breathing and chest pain accompanied by a hard time swallowing. Pressure on the large vein that leads from the upper body to your heart can result in swelling. Fluid can accumulate in the lungs, making breathing labored and painful. Death from lung failure and/or heart failure or stroke is usually the end result when mesothelioma progresses.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• Mesothelioma is a very aggressive disease and it is often diagnosed when it is in the latter stages, giving the patient little chance of survival. If it is caught at an early stage, then it is possible to undergo surgery to remove the affected tissue but all of the cancer is rarely able to be removed. Radiation and chemotherapy are options as well to treat the disease.