What is Mesothelioma cancer or disease?

A lot of us still didn't know what is MESOTHELIOMA Cancer or Disease? Well this blog will tell you more or less some of the information regarding Mesothelioma cancer or disease. It is hope that by posting some of the info on this Mesothelioma cancer or disease the general public or readers out there will have the ideas or knowledge regarding this killer disease.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral. It is distinguished from other minerals by the fact that its crystals form long, thin fibers. The inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause a number of serious illnesses, including mesothelioma and cancer. Since the mid 1980s, many uses of asbestos are banned in multiple countries.

In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. 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).

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

Mesothelioma cancer can develop in the tissues covering the:

• Lungs
  
• Abdomen

The pleura

The tissues lining (or covering) the lungs are called the pleura. There are two pleura. These can be called pleural membranes. The gap between them is called the pleural space. The pleura are fibrous sheets. They help to protect the lungs. They produce a lubricating fluid that fills the gap between the two pleura. This helps the lungs to move smoothly in the chest when they are inflating and deflating as we breathe.

Mesothelioma is most often diagnosed in the pleura. This is known as pleural mesothelioma. Because it is so close, pleural mesothelioma can also affect the sheet of tissue covering the heart - the pericardium. Doctors call the pericardium the lining, although it is on the outside of the heart. It protects the heart and allows it to move smoothly within the sac that surrounds it. So it does much the same job for the heart as the pleura do for the lungs.

The peritoneum

The tissue lining the abdomen is called the peritoneum. It helps to protect the contents of the abdomen. It also produces a lubricating fluid. This helps the organs to move smoothly inside the abdomen as we move around.Mesothelioma of the tissues lining the abdominal cavity is known as peritoneal mesothelioma. It is much less common than pleural mesothelioma.It is unusual for mesothelioma to spread to other parts of the body. But if it does, it does not usually cause troublesome symptoms.