What is Mesothelioma?
Houston, Texas
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Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer. The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body and is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart and the expanding and contracting lungs) to glide easily. Certain cells in the mesothelium can become abnormal and cancerous. The malignant cancer cells are found in the sac lining the lungs in the chest (where the mesothelium is called "pleura") or abdomen (where it is called the "peritoneum"). It appears to be that the vast majority of cases of malignant mesothelioma in the US, about 80 percent, are attributable to being exposed to asbestos. Usually mesothelioma cannot be seen early on by an x-ray, but the tumor may often create a collection of fluid, called pleural effusion, between the lungs and chest wall.
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