Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma: Asbestos and Pleural Effusion

Mesothelioma: Asbestos and Pleural Effusion
There is also a further division of the pleural mesothelium – that portion wrapped around the lungs is called the visceral pleura, while the lining of the chest wall is known as the parietal pleura. These two surfaces have a thin layer of liquid between them that provides lubrication during the breathing process; because the pleural surfaces are separated by fluid they do not rub together with every breath.

In seventy percent or more of all mesothelioma cases, the cancer develops in the visceral pleura as inhaled asbestos fibers have worked their way through the lung wall and into the outer lining. As time passes, the fibers become an irritant and eventually cause the growth of deformed malignant cells that begin reproducing at an uncontrollable rate. This attack on the mesothelial cells causes pleural effusion, a principal symptom of mesothelioma cancer. The malformed cells cause the pleural surfaces to thicken and an excess of fluid develops between them; these are the elements of pleural effusion.

Mesothelioma: Asbestos and Pleural Effusion