Lung mesothelioma or the pleural mesothelioma is one of the three very perilous cancers affecting the mesothelium, a protective covering found around vital organs like lungs, abdomen and heart. The three types are the pleural, which affects the lung cavities, the pericardial that inhabit in the heart cavities and peritoneal which attack the abdominal cavities. The cancer is comparatively rare and only those people who were in contact with asbestos for a protracted period are normally the victims of it.

Mesothelium is a protective membrane found around vital organs like abdomen, lungs and heart. It helps in proper functioning of the organs too, albeit indirectly. Asbestos particles, after entering this lining, cause abnormal cell function, causing cancerous growths. In most incidents, it takes decades for the disease to show up and this prolonged latency is a limiting and disruptive factor affecting diagnosis and treatment.

Some people may confuse lung cancer and lung mesothelioma, but the two are definitely different from one another. While the former affects the lung walls from inside, the latter destroys the protective lining. The prognosis of the disease is not too happy. It has been observed that most of the patients diagnosed with this cancer never complete two more years. The cancer is usually classified into four stages depending on the state of the infection. Even though timely detection has been instrumental in many patients living to tell their tale, most patients die within a handful of years because the habit of the cancer to attack at the most inopportune moment.

Exposure to asbestos is the villain in the case. The silicate mineral was considered a wonder material earlier due to its multifaceted properties like resistance to heat and electric shock, capability to withstand chemical reactions etc and was used to manufacture a wide range of products like insulation products, construction material etc. But workers who inhaled the toxic air containing asbestos suffered and are suffering the adverse erects of asbestos exposure.

In the present context, the emphasis is almost totally on taking proper precautions while handing the material to avoid future infections and providing suitable compensation to patients who are suffering from the cancer for no fault of theirs. Additionally, experiments and field trials are going on to explore more potent curse for lung mesothelioma as existing therapies have been proved to be ineffectual in a number of cases.