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What Is Mesothelioma?


You’ve probably seen the ads on TV. If you or a relative has Mesothelioma, please call …

But what is Mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is a disease affecting the linings of the chest cavity, abdomen, or the heart. Although it can be benign, usually, when you hear about Mesothelioma it refers to a malignant (cancerous) tumor on the mesothelium linings. These cancers can be found in the pleura (lining of the chest cavity and lungs) or the peritoneum (lining of the abdomen and most of the organs of the abdomen).

Mesothelioma is often associated with inhalation or ingestion of asbestos fibers. While asbestos exposure is a risk factor for developing mesothelioma, there are other risk factors; being exposed to a certain virus, living with a person who works near asbestos, or even genetics.

This is a rare but serious disease that is usually fatal. Symptoms may not appear for decades after exposure to asbestos and by the time they appear and the disease is diagnosed, it has often spread to other parts of the body. The 3 year survival rate for Malignant Mesothelioma is about 10% and the 5 year survival rate is about 5%.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

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This entry was posted on Monday, March 2nd, 2009, 1:10 pm and is filed under Mesothelioma. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  1. #1 by Sarah - March 4th, 2009 at 07:21

    Thanks for the info. Very helpful.

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  2. #2 by admin - March 4th, 2009 at 07:23

    Thanks Sarah. Please check back. We will be adding more info on a regular basis.

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