Pericardial Mesothelioma

Pericardial mesothelioma, or mesothelioma of the pericardium, is a disease that affects the lining of the heart (pericardium). It is the rarest type of mesothelioma, it only count less than 10% of all this mesothelioma cases. This disease cases are related to the lining of the heart. Just like plural mesothelioma, the fast growth of the tumor can cause expansion of the tissue and accumulation of fluid. The fluid can interfere with the functioning of the heart and cause chest pain.

Because pericardial mesothelioma is so rare, there is little specific research on this type of mesothelioma. Approximately 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year, and fewer than 200 of them are pericardial mesothelioma.

Pericardial mesothelioma is pretty hard to understand, since it is completely unknown how the asbestos fibers enter the tissue layers surrounding the heart. A theory says that asbestos fibers are broken into smaller pieces in the lungs and then carried into the blood stream. From there, proponents of this theory hypothesize, the fibers are pumped through the heart, become lodged in the heart lining, and cause the chronic inflammation that leads to cancerous growths (as with pleural mesothelioma).

The symptoms that often happen if pericardial mesotheliomas are chest pain and irregular heartbeat, since the rapid growth of the cancerous tumors can cause expansion of the tissue and accumulation of fluid. The fluid can interfere with the functioning of the heart. Shortness of breath and cough are less common symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma cancer. Unlike the lungs, it is less common for other cancers to metastasize to the heart.

Main article - Types of Mesothelioma