The mesothelioma is the cancer that spreads gradually in the lungs and the abdomen. They cancerous cells have to be diagnosed at the initial stage so that its treatment can be started as soon as possible. It normally develops around the tissues that line the lungs. The percentage of mesothelioma of the lungs is bigger than the percentage of abdominal cancer.

The tissue lining of the lungs:

The tissues lining (or covering) the lungs are called the pleura.  There are two pleura.  These can be called pleural membranes.  The gap between them is called the pleural space.  The pleura are fibrous sheets.  They help to protect the lungs.  They produce a lubricating fluid that fills the gap between the two pleura.  This helps the lungs to move smoothly in the chest when they are inflating and deflating as we breathe.
Mesothelioma is most often diagnosed in the pleura.  This is known as pleural mesothelioma. Because it is so close, pleural mesothelioma can also affect the sheet of tissue covering the heart - the pericardium.  Doctors call the pericardium the lining, although it is on the outside of the heart.  It protects the heart and allows it to move smoothly within the sac that surrounds it.  So it does much the same job for the heart as the pleura do for the lungs.

The tissue lining the abdomen:

The tissue lining the abdomen is called the peritoneum.  It helps to protect the contents of the abdomen.  It also produces a lubricating fluid.  This helps the organs to move smoothly inside the abdomen as we move around.

Mesothelioma of the tissues lining the abdominal cavity is known as peritoneal mesothelioma.  It is much less common than pleural mesothelioma.

The relieving part of this type of cancer is that it does not have the nature to spread in the other parts of the body. Biopsy results can help the doctors in finalizing the type of treatment that should be adopted for the treatment of mesothelioma.

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