A: Not every person who is exposed to asbestos gets mesothelioma but you should know that almost all the patients diagnosed with this disease have actually made contact with asbestos. Also, the exposure to asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma. Read more>>

A: Mesothelioma is a rare type of lung cancer, which affects the thin layer of tissue that covers the internal organs. The disease usually alters the lining of the lungs and chest wall. The most common symptoms of mesothelioma are fatigue, swollen abdomen, shortness of breath, chest pain, cough and weight loss. Read more>>

A: The symptoms of mesothelioma might not appear until 20 to 50 years after the exposure to asbestos. The most common signs of the disease are chest pain, shortness of breath and cough. Read more>>

A: Mesothelioma is defined as a type of cancer that occurs in the covering of the lung, but also in the lining of the pleural and abdominal cavities (mesothelium). Mesothelioma is a relatively rare, and also an aggressive and deadly form of cancer. Read more>>

A: Chemotherapy is usually the primary treatment for patients diagnosed with pulmonary cancer or mesothelioma and it is also recommended after a surgical intervention in order to remove the remaining cancerous cells. Read more>>

A: Yes. Although the majority of clinical trials focus on treating pleural mesothelioma in particular, there are also several alternative treatment options available for this type of cancer. Read more>>

A: As with all types of mesothelioma, the recurrence of peritoneal mesothelioma is also inevitable eventually. Read more>>

A: Doctors use the staging of the disease in order to determine the most efficient treatment. Stage 1 cancer can be treated surgically while for a more advanced mesothelioma (stage 2, 3 or 4) a surgical intervention might not be an option anymore. Read more>>

A: Similarly to pleural and pericardial mesothelioma, the prognosis is also negative when this form of cancer occurs in the lining of the abdomen. Read more>>

A: When peritoneal mesothelioma has been diagnosed in a patient, their life expectancy depends on a series of factors such as the stage of the disease and the effectiveness of the treatment approach used. Thus, life expectancy varies from several months to over five years. Read more>>

A: Most of the doctors choose to perform a thoracentesis (drainage of the lung using a needle) but 50% of the tests of this type have a negative result. Therefore, more aggressive tests are recommended like biopsy or pleuroscopy. Imaging techniques are also helpful but only a tissue sample can lead to a correct diagnosis. Read more>>