Mesothelioma is a rare, fast growing type of cancer. In the United States, two to three thousand new cases are diagnosed annually. This number is expected to rise over the next decade. The only known cause of this highly aggressive form of cancer is exposure to asbestos. Because it is durable, resistant to flame and is an excellent insulator, asbestos was widely used in a variety of products during the first seventy years of the twentieth century. Asbestos products included textiles, roofing shingles, flooring materials and insulation.

Mesothelioma attacks the membranes that cover the lungs, abdominal cavity and internal organs of the body. There are three main types. The most common type is pleural mesothelioma. This type occurs when asbestos fibers invade the cells of the membrane covering the lungs, known as the pleura. The second most common type of this cancer is peritoneal mesothelioma, which attacks the peritoneum, or membrane covering the abdominal organs. The rarest type of the asbestos cancer is pericardial mesothelioma, which attacks the membrane covering the heart, or the pericardium.

Because the symptoms of this disease are similar to other, less serious conditions, cancer from asbestos is often not diagnosed until its later stages, making it extremely difficult to treat. Standard cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy have had little success in curing asbestos cancer. Radiation and surgery can, however, help to relieve the pain and other symptoms of the disease. One treatment that has shown some promise in treating peritoneal mesothelioma is heated chemotherapy. After surgery, the chemotherapy drugs are injected into the abdominal membranes. Heating the drugs makes them more easily absorbed by the cancer cells. The drugs can then kill the cancer more easily. Unfortunately, for most people with asbestos cancer, the rate of survival beyond six months to a year is very low.

The health risks associated with asbestos fibers have been known since the early twentieth century, but the asbestos products continued to be widely manufactured and used until the mid nineteen seventies. Mesothelioma often does not appear until decades after exposure to the substance. Once diagnosed, the asbestos cancer is difficult to treat. Products that contain asbestos are still found in older buildings, and continue to pose health threats to people who may be exposed for many years into the future.

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