What is Mesothelioma : What is mesothelioma, you might ask? Mesothelioma is a rare disease caused as a result of malignant cancerous cells which show up in the lining of an individual's body cavities, such as the chest, the abdominal region and the area surrounding the heart. Mesothelioma is usually, but not always, associated with exposure to asbestos.
Symptoms of mesothelioma may include shortness of breath, pleuritic pain, lasting cough, fatigue, and weight loss. The presence of these symptoms of mesothelioma do not necessarily mean that one has mesothelioma. They only raise the possibility. These symptoms of mesothelioma, however, should never be ignored. They should be called to a doctor's attention for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible. Because the recurrence rate of cancerous cells is extremely high, it is very important that the disease be diagnosed and treated as early as possible. In the event that any or all of these symptoms of mesothelioma are present, the sooner a person gets to the doctor and gets the necessary testing done the better.
If a person experiences mesothelioma symptoms, their physician will in all likelihood want them to undergo a series of tests to ascertain whether these symptoms are actually true indications of this rare form of asbestos cancer or if they point to some other, hopefully less serious problem. The medical tests that are usually ordered by a physician when these symptoms of mesothelioma occur many times will include cat scans, x-rays and MRI's.