What Are The Four Stages of Mesothelioma Cancer?

One rare form of cancer is called Mesothelioma, a malignant tumor in the mesothelial tissues of the lungs and the abdomen, arising from the inhalation of asbestos. Its rarity is one of the reasons why a lot of people are not aware of this kind of fatal disease. In fact, many people die of Mesothelioma undiagnosed. Although there is now a growing awareness of the hazards of asbestos to health, still many have not heard of Mesothelioma and thus, have not understood its nature, cause, signs and treatment. Even some physicians find it hard to detect Mesothelioma because its symptoms are akin to other diseases like lung cancer and pneumonia. Furthermore, it takes decades for a patient who was exposed to asbestos to develop Mesothelioma — fifty years, at most.

Symptoms That Help You Identify Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma can only be identified with help of its symptoms which appear after 20-50 years the person has developed the disease. Symptoms of mesothelioma appear when you have been exposed to the deadly toxic asbestos decades back. By the time they appear, they have already spread to all parts of the body.


There are 3 major types of mesothelioma which attack the body with some similar symptoms. These types of mesothelioma along with their symptoms are:

Mesothelioma Diagnosis - What You Need To Know

If the chest x-ray is suggestive of malignant mesothelioma, it is likely that further investigations will be ordered, especially if compensation may be sought.


These investigations may include additional imaging studies, blood tests, bone scans, and lung-function tests, as well as more invasive procedures such as thoracentesis, thoracoscopy, pleuroscopy or a lung biopsy. This is a typical mesothelioma diagnosis

Mesothelioma is a Type of Cancer

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer affecting the cells of mesothelial lining in the chest and abdomen. Mesothelioma is rare, though it appears to be on the rise. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the United States alone. Symptoms for both types of mesothelioma are not specific only to this disease, and often go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for a significant amount of time. Difficulty breathing, abdominal and chest pain, and fever can all be attributed to other causes, so this cancer has time to advance fairly fair before diagnosis usually occurs. Due to the difficulty in diagnosis of mesothelioma, survival time after diagnosis is estimated at about a year.

Mesothelioma Cancer Stages Explained

Mesothelioma cancer is a type of cancer that attacks the lungs and chest cavity. Also known as asbestos lung cancer, it forms deadly tumors where mesothelial cancer cells form a protective lining over the lungs, heart, and abdominal organs. It is a type of lung cancer that takes many years to develop and produce symptoms. Roughly 3,000 cases per year (mostly men over the age of 40) are reported. It is estimated that number will grow to about 300,000 cases before 2030.

Mesothelioma Cancer and Asbestos

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer which occurs in thin membranes (called the mesothelium) lining the chest, lungs, abdomen and sometimes the heart. Although quite rare, mesothelioma symptoms strike more than 200 people each year in the United States. The majority of mesothelioma cases are directly linked to asbestos exposure.