Mesothelioma (Print Version)

Also called: Also called: Malignant mesothelioma

The tissue that lines your lungs, stomach, heart and other organs is called mesothelium. Mesothelioma is cancer of that tissue. It is a rare but serious type of cancer. It usually starts in the lungs, but can also start in the abdomen or other organs. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles. It can take a long time - 30 to 50 years - between being around asbestos and getting the disease. Treatment includes surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or all three.

National Cancer Institute

Start Here

Malignant Mesothelioma (PDQ): Treatment(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/malignantmesothelioma/patient/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/pdq/tratamiento/mesoteliomamaligno/patient/
What Is Malignant Mesothelioma?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_is_malignant_mesothelioma_29.asp?sitearea=

Overviews

Mesothelioma(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/mesothelioma/DS00779/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
Mesothelioma: Questions and Answers(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/mesothelioma

Diagnosis/Symptoms

How Is Malignant Mesothelioma Diagnosed?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3X_How_is_malignant_mesothelioma_diagnosed_29.asp?sitearea=
How Is Malignant Mesothelioma Staged?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3X_How_is_malignant_mesothelioma_staged_29.asp?sitearea=

Treatment

Chemotherapy for Malignant Mesothelioma(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4X_Chemotherapy_29.asp?sitearea=
Pleurodesis(International Mesothelioma Program) - http://www.impmeso.org/pleurodesis/c28_p24/Mesothelioma_Treatments/Traditional_Treatments/Mesothelioma_Surgery/Pleural_Mesothelioma/Pleurodesis.html
Radiation Therapy for Malignant Mesothelioma(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4X_Radiation_Therapy_29.asp?sitearea=
Surgery for Malignant Mesothelioma(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4X_Surgery_29.asp?sitearea=

Prevention/Screening

What Are the Risk Factors for Malignant Mesothelioma?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_2X_What_are_the_risk_factors_for_malignant_mesothelioma_29.asp?sitearea=

Disease Management

Malignant Mesothelioma: What Happens After Treatment?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_5X_What_happens_after_treatment_29.asp?sitearea=

Related Issues

What Should You Ask Your Doctor about Malignant Mesothelioma?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_5X_What_should_you_ask_your_physician_about_malignant_mesothelioma_29.asp?sitearea=

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Mesothelioma(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Mesothelioma%22

Research

What's New in Malignant Mesothelioma Research and Treatment?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_6X_Whats_new_in_malignant_mesothelioma_research_and_treatment_29.asp?sitearea=

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Mesothelial reaction in longstanding Crohn's ileitis simulating papillary mesothelioma. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18820098&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: The impact of lymph node station on survival in 348... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18805259&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Consensus statement on peritoneal mesothelioma. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18726890&tool=MedlinePlus
Mesothelioma -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=mesothelioma[majr]+NOT+asbestos[mh]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
Asbestos related mesothelioma -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=mesothelioma[majr]+AND+asbestos[mh]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Organizations

American Cancer Society - http://www.cancer.org/
American Lung Association - http://www.lungusa.org/
Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation - http://www.curemeso.org/
National Cancer Institute - http://www.cancer.gov/

Statistics

What Are the Key Statistics about Malignant Mesothelioma?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_are_the_key_statistics_for_malignant_mesothelioma_29.asp?sitearea=

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Asbestos - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/asbestos.html
Cancers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cancers.html
Lungs and Breathing - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lungsandbreathing.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Mesothelioma is the National Cancer Institute - http://www.nci.nih.gov/