Types

• Mesothelioma can strike the lungs, heart and the abdominal cavity. When it is in the lining of the lungs, it is called pleural mesothelioma. The form that affects the heart is known as pericardial mesothelioma--the lining of the heart, the pericardium, is attacked. Peritoneal mesothelioma is the form of mesothelioma in which the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity is attacked.
  
  

Identification

• Pleural mesothelioma is a form of the disease that affects the lining of the lungs, or the pleura. This lining secretes fluids that allow the lungs to expand and contract as a person breathes. Pleural mesothelioma is by far the most common form of the condition, with three-quarters of the cases diagnosed involving the lungs. It almost always is the result of someone having worked or lived in close proximity to asbestos for years. The individual will inhale the asbestos fibers in the air, which then make their way into the lungs and become stuck in the lining of the organs, where they become inflamed and turn into tumors.
  
  

Effects

• Pleural mesothelioma is often not diagnosed until it has reached a very advanced stage and those that get this news usually have less than a year to live. Symptoms of this disease include chest pain and coughing, with pronounced shortness of breath and wheezing when you breathe. Fluid collects around the lungs as the cancer grows and the person will lose their appetite and lose weight. Treatment options are few if this form of mesothelioma is not caught early, with it being difficult to remove tumors when the disease is in advanced stages.
  
  

Features

• The form of mesothelioma that occurs in the abdominal lining is called peritoneal mesothelioma. It frequently will involve the liver and other organs in the region and the prognosis is rarely good. It comes with severe pain in the abdomen and can affect bowel movements and cause the feet to become swollen. This form of mesothelioma makes up 20% of mesothelioma cases.
  
  

Theories/Speculation

• A rare form of mesothelioma occurs in the pericardium, the thin membrane that is the lining of the heart. Only 10% of cases involve this organ and medical science theorizes that the asbestos particles from the lungs become broken up into tiny enough particles to make their way to the heart through the blood where they initiate the growth of the cancer. The individuals that receive this diagnosis often have only weeks to live by the time it is detected. Other rare forms of this cancer occur in the scrotum in men and in the ovaries in women.