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.

There are three types of malignant mesothelioma. The most common type, the pleural mesothelioma, affects the pleura, or the outer covering of lungs and internal chest wall while the peritoneal and pericardial types affect the lining protecting the abdominal cavity and heart respectively. The caner is definitely a killer, but mortality rates of these three differ slightly, with the pericardial mesothelioma being touted as the most dangerous.

When asbestos particles are inhaled for a long duration of time, they accumulate in the mesothelium resulting in the malfunctioning of its cells. It is only after several decades that the infection assumes alarming proportions. This is the reason why many of the newly diagnosed mesothelioma patients are those who got exposed to asbestos in the 1940s to 1970s.

Pleural effusion is the main initial symptom of the disease. This is the condition in which the patient experiences shortness of breath due to excessive build up of fluid in the cavities. Incessant dry cough along with shortness of breath is a definite symptom of malignant mesothelioma attack. Other symptoms include fever, fatigue, pain around chest, night sweats, swelling of the abdomen, weight loss etc. In the case of malignant mesothelioma, doctors sometimes misdiagnose the type of cancer resulting in wrong treatment.

Mesothelioma treatment is an individualized treatment in which the doctors take into account the stage and type of cancer apart from the physical health of the patient. The popular treatment these days is the combination of radiation, surgery and chemotherapy. Certain risk factors are also involved in this approach due to the fact that most of the patients must have reached the final stage of the disease at the time of malignant mesothelioma diagnosis. When the doctors find the cure impossible, palliative treatment is administered to the patients. Still, modern researches going on in the field of finding effective treatment for the malady have given a new hope to the patients.