Left sided mesothelioma with mediastinal node enlargement : CT
scan. Mesothelioma, more precisely malignant mesothelioma, is a
rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining
that covers many of the body's internal organs, the mesothelium.
It is usually caused by exposure to asbestos. Its most common
site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest
wall), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of
the abdominal cavity), the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the
heart), or the tunica vaginalis (a sac that surrounds the
testis). Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on
jobs where they inhaled asbestos, or they have been exposed to
asbestos dust and fiber in other ways. It has also been
suggested that washing the clothes of a family member who worked
with asbestos can put a person at risk for developing
mesothelioma. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association
between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking greatly increases
the risk of other asbestos-induced can