What mesothelioma is
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer. It is a cancer of mesothelial cells. These cells cover the outer surface of most of our internal body organs, forming a lining that is sometimes called the mesothelium. So this is where this type of cancer gets its name.
Mesothelioma cancer can develop in the tissues covering the lungs or theabdomen.
Mesothelioma in the chest
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 aspleural 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.
Mesothelioma in the abdomen
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 asperitoneal 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.Benign mesothelioma
There is a form of non cancerous (benign) mesothelioma that can develop in the lining of the lungs, or in the lining of the reproductive organs. It can occur in either men or women. These non cancerous tumours are very rare and we don't cover them in this section of CancerHelp UK.
How common mesothelioma is
Mesothelioma is quite a rare cancer, but it is becoming more common. Just over 2,100 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the UK each year. There are about 5 times as many cases in men as in women. This is probably because many cases have been caused by exposure to asbestos at work. Pleural mesothelioma is much more common thanperitoneal mesothelioma.
Asbestos and mesothelioma
Unusually for cancer, we do know what causes the majority of cases of mesothelioma. It is most often linked to exposure to asbestos. We have known of a link between asbestos and lung disease since the beginning of the 18th century. But the link with mesothelioma has only been known since the 1960's. Unfortunately, the number of cases of mesothelioma in the UK each year is expected to rise sharply over the next 20 years because of the heavy use of asbestos in industry from the end of the second world war up until the mid 1970s.
Between 7 and 8 out of every 10 people (70–80%) diagnosed with mesothelioma say they have been in contact with asbestos. Your risk is greater if you were exposed to large amounts of it from an early age for a very long period of time. But there are some patients that say they have no history of any heavy exposure to asbestos.
Remember: Many people who develop mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure may be eligible for compensation. You should talk to a solicitor about this as early as possible. Your specialist doctor or nurse may be able to give you some information on this from their dealings with other mesothelioma patients. Or some of the mesothelioma organisations inHelp and Support should be able to help.
What asbestos is
Asbestos is an insulating material that is heat and fire resistant. In the past, asbestos was used widely in the- Building industry
- Ship building industry
- Manufacture of household appliances
- Motor industry
- Power stations
- Telephone exchanges
There are three main types of asbestos: blue, brown and white. Blue and brown asbestos are strongly linked with mesothelioma. They have been banned since the late 1980's and cannot be imported into the UK. White asbestos is now also thought to be harmful. The use of all asbestos was banned in 1999 in the UK.
How asbestos causes mesothelioma
Asbestos is made up of tiny fibres. You can breathe these fibres in when you come into contact with asbestos. The fibres work their way into thepleura, lining the lung. They irritate the pleura and damage the cells that the pleura are made of. Some of the fibres that have been breathed in can be coughed up and swallowed. This is probably the cause of peritoneal mesothelioma.
If you have been exposed to asbestos, your family may also have been exposed. Asbestos fibres can be carried home on your clothes. Research studies have confirmed that the families of people exposed to asbestos also have a higher risk of developing mesothelioma.
Radiation
Pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma has been known to develop after exposure to a type of radiation called thorium dioxide (Thorotast). This was used until the 1950's in some X-ray tests.
Other chemicals and mesothelioma
A mineral found in Turkey called Zeolite may cause mesothelioma.
The SV40 virus
There has been some research into a virus called SV40 (the SV stands for 'simian virus'). There is a lot of dispute amongst scientists about this and it isn't generally accepted as a cause. It seems more likely that the virus doesn't cause mesothelioma. It is possible that SV40 may help to increase risk if you've been exposed to another more major risk factor. Doctors call this a 'co-factor'. But SV40 certainly hasn't been proved to be a co-factor so far. In any case, it is far less important a risk factor than asbestos.
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