Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Peritoneal mesothelioma is a disease that affects the lining of the abdomen, or peritoneum. Sometimes doctors refer to this disease as mesothelioma of the peritoneum. It is a common misconception that mesothelioma is a type of primary lung cancer; it is not. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the serous membranes. These membranes enclose a number of organs throughout the midsection of the body, including the abdomen.

The most common type of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, which affects the serous membranes of the lungs.

The second most common form of mesothelioma cancer is peritoneal mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma can spread to the lungs and when this occurs, it is considered secondary lung cancer. Mesothelioma is also sometimes referred to as an asbestos lung cancer. Technically, this is also incorrect, since it does not originate in the lungs. Asbestosis is a type of asbestos lung disease that does originate in the lungs and is often confused with mesothelioma.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Cancer

Peritoneal mesothelioma cancer is found in 10 percent to 20 percent of mesothelioma patients. The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. For pleural mesothelioma (cancer of the lung lining), the disease process is fairly well understood. It is caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers that settle in the lungs. These asbestos fibers become inserted in the lung lining (or pleura). Asbestos fibers are very durable and cannot be eliminated through the body's processes. Over time, they cause chronic inflammation that eventually leads to growth of cancerous tumors or in some cases asbestosis.

For peritoneal mesothelioma, it is not clearly understood how the asbestos fibers become lodged in the abdomen's peritoneum lining. It is possible that asbestos fibers, after being broken into smaller pieces in the lungs, are carried from the lungs into the blood stream, and lodge from the blood stream in the abdomen lining.