The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) a free digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature defines pericardial mesothelioma as a type of cancer that originates in the mesothelium, a thin wall of cells that surround the body’s organs and internal body structures. Pericardial mesothelioma originates in the lining of the heart. Other locales of the disease are malignant pleural mesothelioma, which occurs in the lining of the lungs and malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, which occurs in the abdomen wall. Pericardial mesothelioma is the rarest of the types of mesothelioma and accounts for only a small percent of the two thousand to three thousand mesothelioma cases that are diagnosed each year.
Pericardial Mesothelioma and Exposure To Asbestos
Pericardial mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure, a naturally type of toxic mineral which was used in many industrial ways. While the exact way that microscopic asbestos fibers get into the pericardial lining is not known, doctors think that inhaled asbestos fibers travel into the bloodstream and become lodged in the heart’s lining as the blood goes through the heart. Mesothelioma takes place in other parts of the body, like in the pleura or peritoneum can also metastasize to the pericardial lining. Continue reading ‘Pericardial Mesothelioma And Other Risk Factors’ »