Mesothelioma - What is Mesothelioma Cancer | Symptoms and Causes

Mesothelioma:

Mesothelioma Cancer (me-zoe-thee-lee-O-muh) is a type of cancer that occurs in the thin layer of tissue that covers the majority of your internal organs (mesothelium).

Mesothelioma is an aggressive and deadly form of cancer. Mesothelioma treatments are available, but for many people with mesothelioma, a cure is not possible.

Doctors divide mesothelioma into different types based on what part of the mesothelium is affected. Mesothelioma most often affects the tissue that surrounds the lungs (pleura). This type is called pleural mesothelioma. Other, rarer types of mesothelioma affect tissue in the abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma), around the heart and around the testicles.

Mesothelioma doesn't include a form of noncancerous (benign) tumor that occurs in the chest and is sometimes called benign mesothelioma or solitary fibrous tumor.

Symptoms:

Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma vary depending on where cancer occurs.

Pleural mesothelioma, which affects the tissue that surrounds the lungs, causes signs and symptoms that may include:

• Chest pain under the rib cage
• Painful coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Unusual lumps of tissue under the skin on your chest
• Unexplained weight loss

Peritoneal mesothelioma, which occurs in tissue in the abdomen, causes signs and symptoms that may include:

• Abdominal pain
• Abdominal swelling
• Lumps of tissue in the abdomen
• Unexplained weight loss