Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body’s internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart, the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways. It has also been suggested that washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking greatly increases risk of other asbestos-induced cancer. Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).

Many decades ago, doctors had limited knowledge of mesothelioma cancer, most cases of the disease were seen by family doctors who had very little knowledge about the cancer, the symptoms and methods of treating the cancer.

Although this asbestos related cancer is rare in comparison to other more common types of cancer, there has been a gradual increase in the number of diagnosed cases over the past 20-30 years, some medical doctors have become specialist and experts in the diagnosis and treatment of this terrible disease.

Most times the first medical professional that a mesothelioma patient will have contact with will be their family physician. The family physician will order for several imaging tests once there is reasonable clinical suspicion, to be able to make definitive diagnosis. Once a definitive diagnosis is made, the family physician will refer the patient to an oncologist, who may be located in the area where the patient lives.