Mesothelioma cancer is often caused by exposure to asbestos. People who have received asbestos exposure of as little as one or two months to very low doses are at risk of mesothelioma cancer. A person exposed to asbestos could develop mesothelioma after 50 years of exposure. The 2 common types of mesothelioma are pleural mesothelioma (lung cancer) and peritoneal mesothelioma (abdomen organs).

There are no immediate symptoms of mesothelioma cancer. The symptoms of mesothelioma may appear in 30 - 50 years after exposure to asbestos.

Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma cancer: shortness of breath and pain in the chest.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma cancer: abdominal pain and weight loss, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia and fever.

Please note that these symptoms may be due to other reasons.

Treatment Options for Mesothelioma Cancer
Following are the options for mesothelioma treatment:

1. Radiation therapy
2. Chemotherapy
3. Surgery
4. Photodynamic therapy

Radiation or chemotherapy combined with surgery may increase the survival time by double.

Copyright 2005, P. Mehta

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