Thursday, April 23, 2009

Pleural Mesothelioma

Asbestos fibers are very fine and easily make their way to the lungs where they settle down in the parenchyma of the lung and penetrate the pleura that later develops malignant mesothelial plaques.

Pleura, which anchors lungs to the chest cavity, is itself a double-layered membrane. The inner layer called visceral pleura surrounds the lungs, while the outer one, known as parietal pleura, forms the lining of the pleural or chest cavity. The two pleural layers are filled with a fluid that helps them to slide over each other as we breathe.

As the disease progresses, the delicate pleural membranes thicken and press the lungs. A fluid secreted by the malignant cells, pleural effusion, may also collect between visceral and parietal pleurae that causes problem in breathing and other complications.

Mesothelioma Cancer

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