In Italy it represents 0.4% of all malignancies diagnosed in men and 0.2% of those diagnosed in women. The study was born from the collaboration between ENEA, CNR and the "Federico II" University of Naples Mesothelioma is a tumor that arises from the cells that line the mesothelium. It is a fabric that covers the surface of the serous membranes which, in turn, line the inner wall of the chest, abdomen and space around the heart. Depending on the affected area, the mesothelium takes on different names. The main risk factor for this disease is exposure to asbestos. This term indicates a family of minerals rather common in nature with a fibrous structure very resistant to heat. Its fibers, if inhaled, settle in the lungs and can damage the mesothelial cells causing, in some cases, pleural cancer. Other less common risk factors are exposure to zeolites with erionitis, radiation to the chest and abdomen, thorium injections (used in medicine until 1950). According ...
Mesothelioma Pathology Outlines, Let's Fight Cancer