Malignant mesothelioma, a form of cancer that is comparatively rare, affects the mesothelium, the lining that protects the cavities heart, lungs, abdomen etc. Mesothelioma is often confused with lung cancer, but the former affects the lining of the lung and the latter, the lung itself. Mesothelioma patients are predominantly those who breathed in asbestos particles for prolonged periods.

Malignant mesothelioma is of three types. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type, which affects the pleura, or the outer coverings of lungs and internal chest wall. The peritoneal type affects the protective lining of the abdominal cavity whereas the pericardial affects the protective lining of the heart. There is no doubt that the disease is a killer. But death rates vary slightly. Among the three the pericardial mesothelioma is infamous as being the most malicious.

The normal functioning of the cells is affected in the course of many years by the asbestos particles which enter the mesothelium on inhalation. It is because of this long latency period that most of the newly diagnosed victims are workers who got into close contact with asbestos in the 1940s to 1970s.

The primary symptom of the infection is shortness of breath. This is occurred due to excessive build up of fluid in the cavities known as pleural effusion. Shortness of breath along with continuous cough is a sure sign of malignant mesothelioma attack. Other symptoms include fever, fatigue, weight loss, pain around chest, inflammation o abdomen, night sweats etc. Sometimes the symptoms are misrepresented by doctors resulting in wrong diagnosis. This can result in death of the patient due to delay in starting the treatment.

Mesothelioma treatment is an individualized affair where doctors consider the type and stage of cancer and the overall physical health of the patient. The most common treatment presently is the combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation as in the case of most other cancers. This approach has its inherent risks due to the fact that most patients would be at the most advanced stage of malignant mesothelioma at the time of diagnosis. Many are administered only palliative treatment due to the hopelessness of the situation. But there is a ray of hope here as some promising modern therapies are undergoing clinical trials or at the research stage.

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