Mesothelioma cancer, or malignant mesothelioma, is an extremely rare disease generally affecting the lining of the chest or abdominal cavity. Less than 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer each year, and the average age of people afflicted is between 50 and 70 years old. Mesothelioma cancer is most strongly associated with exposure to asbestos, and can remain latent in those exposed for 30 to 40 years. There are two main types of mesothelioma cancer: pleural, in which the cancer affects the lining of the chest and peritoneal, which affects the lining of the abdominal cavity.
Pleural is the more common of the two, accounting for approximately three out of every four cases. Peritoneal comprises the bulk of the remainder of mesothelioma cancers. Other extremely rare forms of mesothelioma cancer affect the lining of the heart (the pericardium) or testicles.
Being diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer can be an overwhelming experience for you and your family. Cancer Treatment Centers of America will rally around you a multidisciplinary team, consisting of a medical oncologist, a surgical oncologist, and a radiation oncologist, accompanied by expert practitioners from a variety of other fields. Your team will work with you to create an individualized, integrative treatment plan for your mesothelioma cancer, consisting of conventional methods such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, as well as complementary or alternative treatment options