Asbestosis is, as its name suggests, caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers. It is not a cancerous lung disease. The underlying disease process of asbestosis is not yet fully understood, but it appears that asbestos fibers in the lungs cause irritation and inflammation. The body attempts to neutralize these foreign fibers in various complex ways, and some or all of these processes lead to further inflammation and cell damage.

Eventually a fibrosis or scar tissue develops in the interstitial spaces around the small airways and alveoli. This thickening and scarring prevents oxygen and carbon dioxide from traveling between the alveoli and the blood cells, so breathing becomes much less efficient.

Lung cancer refers to any type of malignant tumor that originates in the lung itself (unlike mesothelioma, which is in the pleural lining around the lung.)

Some lung cancers are caused by asbestos exposure, but the nature of this relationship is not yet fully understood. What is certain is that the risk of developing lung cancer is much greater for those with significant occupational exposure to asbestos, as compared to the general population who have background exposure. The greater the exposure, the greater the risk.

Many of the organs in the abdomen are enveloped by a thin membrane of mesothelial cells, known as the peritoneum.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is a tumour of this membrane. It’s only known cause in the U.S. is previous exposure to asbestos, but it can be many years after exposure before the disease appears. Peritoneal mesotheliomas account for about one-fifth of all mesotheliomas.

Like pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma can be either benign or malignant. This discussion is only about malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.

Symptoms for Pleural Mesothelioma (involving the lung / chest area) are:

• chest pain and pain in the lower back
• difficulty breathing
• coughing
• weight loss
• fever
• muscle weakness and sensory loss
• swelling of the face and arms
• hoarseness
• coughing up blood

Symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma (involving the abdominal / stomach cavity, liver, spleen or the bowel) are:

• abdominal bloating due to fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity
• nausea & vomiting
• swelling of the feet
• fever
• Impaired bowel function.

Pericardial Mesothelioma symptoms - The most infrequent form of this rare asbestos-linked cancer, individuals with pericardial mesothelioma have cancerous growths in tissues surrounding the heart. The early symptoms indicating pericardial mesothelioma include:

• chest pain
• dyspnoea
• cough
• palpitations