Asbestos cancer (mesothelioma)

Asbestos cancer is a malignant form of cancer. This type of cancer originates in the membranes that surround the chest, lungs and airways. Other names for mesothelioma are pleural cancer or mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is known as asbestos cancer because 85% of patients with this type of cancer have been exposed to asbestos fibers.

Causes of mesothelioma

The most common cause of mesothelioma is asbestos. Asbestos is a small fiber that can enter the lungs through the air. This type of cancer owes the name asbestos cancer to this fiber.

Many people who get asbestos cancer have worked somewhere where there was asbestos. Think, for example, of carpenters or plumbers, or people in shipbuilding or railways. It can take up to 20 to 50 years for asbestos to cause complaints. Not everyone who has worked with asbestos gets a mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is more common in men than in women. People who smoke and have worked with asbestos fibers have a higher risk of mesothelioma.

Symptoms of mesothelioma

In the beginning, mesothelioma causes few symptoms. The most common signs and symptoms are:

shortness of breath, often due to fluid behind a lung
cough and pain when breathing deeply
Loss of appetite and weight loss

Types of mesothelioma

Mesothelioma occurs in the membranes around the chest, lungs and airways. These membranes consist of cells that we call mesothelial cells. Asbestos can damage these cells. Asbestos cancer is usually found in the lung membrane or peritoneum.