Mesothelioma information

The asbestos fibers are inhaled and, being sharp and straight, penetrate directly through the lung to the visceral pleura. The actual mechanism where by these fibers induce malignant change remains unclear.

When the pleural tumor develops it is often associated with a pleural effusion. As the malignant process advances, the lung is gradually encased in a thick rim of tumor and there may be direct tumor extension into the chest wall, Pericardium, contra-lateral pleura and, more rarely, through the diaphragm into the abdominal cavity.

Systemic metastases are more frequent than was once thought and the incidence of metastases at post mortem ranges from 30 to 80% in different series. However they seem to occur late in the course of the illness and are not often symptomatic. It is usually the local effects of the tumor that eventually cause death. The commonest sites of metastasis are lymph nodes, lung and liver, while bone and brain metastates are less common.

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