A very aggressive form of cancer is affecting people who have been exposed to asbestos at some point in their lives. It is called mesothelioma. Although this form of cancer is rare, the numbers of people who are being diagnosed are increasing. Mesothelioma currently affects between 2,000 - 3,000 people in the United States annually.

Long-term and repeated asbestos exposure is the main cause of mesothelioma. People who worked with asbestos or perhaps lived with someone who worked around it and brought it home on their clothes or in their hair, could be affected.

This cancer grows in a patient’s body in the mesothelium, a membrane consisting of two layers that surrounds certain organs in the body. The four areas covered by the mesothelium are the pleura or the lung area, the pericardium or the heartarea, the peritoneal or abdominal cavity and the testicular mesothelium. The most common form is pleural mesothelioma which is also known as lung cancer. The rarest form of mesothelioma is testicular affecting less than one percent of patients.

Mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose as the symptoms can often be attributed to other, less serious illnesses. The symptoms may not surface until the disease is in the advanced stages as well. Learning how to diagnose mesothelioma early increases a patient’s chances of responding to treatment.

Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include chest pain, difficulty breathing even while the patient is resting, lumps that appear under the skin of the chest, a dry cough, a cough with blood, ongoing pain in the chest area or in the rib area, night sweats, fever and fatigue.http://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/pleural.php Patients with peritoneal mesothelioma may experience swelling in the pain in the abdominal area. They may also have bowel problems including diarrhea or constipation. Symptoms may also include lumps that develop under the abdominal skin, weight loss that is not attributed to other factors, fatigue, vomiting, night sweats, general fatigue and anemia (a deficiency of red blood cells).

Patients who have the rarer form of pericardial mesothelioma may experience symptoms that include pain in the chest area, coughing, difficulty breathing even when the patient is resting, heart murmurs or irregular heartbeat, fatigue and night sweats.http://www.pericardialmesothelioma.org/pericardial-symptoms.php

Because testicular mesothelioma is so rare, the symptoms are not formally recognized for this illness. In the patients who have been diagnosed to date, symptoms have included lumps in the testicular area as well as swelling of the scrotum.

Pleural mesothelioma occurs in the lung area. This area is covered by the mesothelium, a two layered membrane that is filled with fluid. Often mesothelioma affects one of the two layers; however, it can spread into the other layer as well. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of this cancer.

Another area that can be affected by mesothelioma is the peritoneal mesothelium. This two-layered membrane covers the abdominal area. One layer is called the parietal layer which covers the abdominal cavity. The second layer, the visceral, covers the abdominal organs. Of the two to three thousand patients diagnosed with mesothelioma in the United States each year, less than twenty percent contract this type of cancer.

Pericardial mesothelioma affects the heart area. Pericardial mesothelioma is one of the rarest forms, affecting less than five percent of all mesothelioma patients. Patients are usually diagnosed with another type of cancer before it becomes evident that this area has been affected.http://www.pericardialmesothelioma.org/pericardial-symptoms.php Because of the difficulty diagnosing the cancer in the heart area, prognosis is generally poor for the patient.

The rarest form of mesothelioma affects the testicular area. As of 2010, less than one hundred people were diagnosed with this type of cancer.

The symptoms are difficult to diagnose because they resemble other non-specific symptoms. For example, patients with pleural mesothelioma may have symptoms that people experience when they have bronchitis or pneumonia. Patients who have contracted this illness may not even remember having been exposed to asbestos. The disease can be diagnosed up to fifty years after exposure.

Patients with these symptoms should consult a medical professional if they may have been exposed to asbestos at some point in their lives. Doctors may perform a comprehensive medical examination and take a complete history. They may or may not specifically ask about asbestos exposure; however, if you know you have been exposed or a close family member living in your home had been exposed, be sure to disclose this to your medical professional.

Depending on the findings of the physical exam and if mesothelioma is suspected, doctors may suggest additional tests. These tests can include imaging tests such as X-rays, CT Scans or MRIs.

Doctors may also suggest that the patient undergo a biopsy of a specific area. One type of biopsy is a fine needle aspiration where the doctor inserts a needle into the affected area removing a small piece of tissue and/or fluid. This is sent to the laboratory for confirmation of the illness.http://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/pericardial.php