What is Mesothelioma?Chances are you may never have heard of mesothelioma cancer unless you or a relative have
disease. Still considered as a rare cancer, it has been popularized by its linkage to asbestos.
Exactly what is mesothelioma cancer or malignant mesothelioma? Malignant mesothelioma is a deadly cancer of mesothelium, or lining of lung and chest cavity. However, it sometimes can be a deadly cancer of peritoneum (the lining of abdomen). It is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos, and is slow forming – often taking between 20-50 years to develop after exposure to asbestos.
Malignant Mesothelioma Symptoms
Symptoms of malignant mesothelioma in lung and chest cavity are as follows:
- Shortness of breath - Cough - Weight Loss - Chest Pain
Symptoms of malignant mesothelioma in abdomen are as follows:
- Abdominal swelling and pain - Weight Loss
Wondering How You Could Have Gotten Mesothelioma Cancer?
Several diseases are associated with exposure to asbestos. They include: malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, pleural effusion, pleural plaques and thickening, and lung cancer. Prior to 1975 asbestos fibers were commonly used. You could have been exposed to asbestos while working at any number of different industries. Chief among possibilities would be jobs at asbestos mining and milling plants, shipyards, fireproofing and heating, construction, automotive repair, insulation, pipefitting and boilermaking.
If you did not work in one of these industries or another that used asbestos, it is also possible that you could have been exposed if someone in your household worked with asbestos and carried asbestos fibers home on his or her clothing, hair or body. You may also have been exposed indirectly by living near asbestos mines.
